Gastronomical Travel: Melaka

Showing posts with label Melaka. Show all posts

Saturday, 8 December 2012

Malacca Day 3c - Muara Sungai Duyong

Free and Easy Malacca - Day 3 Itinerary

1) Brunch at Chung Wah Chicken rice ball
2) Jonker 88
3) Stroll at Jonker Street
4) Shopping and Sightseeing
5) Dessert at Nadeje
6) Seafood at Muara Sungai Duyong

Seafood @ Muara Dungai Duyong
Since this was our second visit to Malacca, we wanted to try something different. A local friend recommend us to try Ikan Bakar (grilled fish) operated by locals along rivers. Its a pity that she can't join us for dinner, so we look up some food guide and decided on Medan Ikan Bakar, Muara Sungai Duyong.

There wasn't much direction to this rather ulu seafood stall. Its outside of the Melaka town, towards the direction of Muar, Johor. Our travelling time inclusive of detour and slowing down looking out for signboards was around 20-25 minutes. Detailed directions below.

But trust me, its worth all the effort. And I am already looking forward to visit the restaurant again!

Medan Ikan Bakar

Its a simple seafood "restaurant" along the Melaka river, operated by the local Malays. So food is Halah. We arrived early for dinner before we head back to home to Singapore. The "alfresco" dining area was tranquil with kampong ambience and occasional sea breeze. Nice village setting that we will all like to linger a little while longer.

A number of the fishing boats came back during sunset, bringing back fresh seafood for restaurants before docking at the jetty cum fishing village along Melaka river.

Medan Ikan Bakar at Melaka River

There are a lot of seafood available in the restaurant, some were freshly caught, some were actually purchased elsewhere and still with their plastic packaging on.

Fresh Fish on crushed ice

The seafood were on displayed for customers to pick and choose what they want. They were topped with ice to keep them fresh. As it is a restaurant along a river, not all of their "seafood" are from the sea, quite a number are river fish and products.

Fresh Seafood on display

Reference their menu for the pricing, which is in Malay. Some translation - Jenak -> Snapper, Siakap => Seabass, Sepahat => bamboo clams.

The friendly boss was quite patience with our limited Malay and we managed to get through our ordering with his recommendations and prior homework done.

Friendly Seafood Restaurant Boss

Pick the seafood you want and the boss will weight the seafood in front of you. Then decide how you want to cook your seafood - bakar (grilled), Goreng 3 rasa (3 taste), goreng kunyit (fried Tuneric), goreng halia etc. Refer to the cooking style menu below.

Food Ordering and Preparation

Don't be surprise that the most famous food in this seafood restaurant was not their seafood but their heavenly Nasi Lemak!
Each pack of nasi lemak was only rice and chilli and nothing else. The rice was infused with fragrant coconut milk, each mouthful of the rice with chilli was heavenly - sweetness of the rice, spicy and slight saltiness of the chilli, coupled with coconut fragrance, simply yummy!

Nasi Lemak
Rating: 4.75/5

The nasi lemak was suppose to go with the seafood. But it was so nice that we finished almost half a pack before the seafood were served.

Dining by the river

The food are progressively served. The food is so nice that we finished them in no time. Thus we decided to go for another round of ordering.

Bamboo Clams (sepahat), RM 12
Rating: 4/5

Crispy fried calamari (fried squid). They divided the dish into 2 plates for easy sharing.

Calamaries, RM 30
Rating: 4.25/5

Glad that the Malay restaurant also serve lightly fried vegetables and not those curry or overly spicy and soggy vegetables common in nasi padang.

Vegetables with mushrooms or onion, RM9 each

The fried tuneric prawns was super! We loved the taste so much that we go for another round and even order fried tumeric fish as well. It will be perfect is the shell is more crispy.
Note that the prawn is divided into 2 plates as well.

Fried Tumeric Prawn, RM 68
Rating: 4.5/5

And of course, not forgetting the fish. You can get them to divide the fish into half and cook in different flavours. Below are the different cooking style we tried. We ordered sea bass and snapper which cost RM53 and RM51.

3 taste turned out to be quite nice. Can't remember what were the 3 taste - chilli, tomato and ...?

3 Taste (Goreng 3 Rasa)
Rating: 4.25/5

Nice charred fragrance, but would have prefer the sambal chilli that we usually had for BBQ fish.

Bakar Bercili (Grilled Chilli)
Rating: 4/5

Sweet and sour was a disappointment when compared to the rest. Should have reserve sweet and sour for Chinese restaurant instead of at Ikan Bakar.

Sweet & Sour
Rating: 3.75

The fried tumeric fish was the best seafood we had at Ikan bakar. Its crispy with the tumeric brining out the freshness of the fish. Memorable taste. I will order one whole fish for fried tumeric the next time we are here. Or ... maybe 2 whole fish of fried tumeric :)

Fried Tumeric (Goreng Kunyit)
Rating: 4.6/5

All these fresh flavourful food at a cost of RM 238, which works out to be S$100. Not as cheap as the one our local friend recommend but definitely still very worthwhile and value for money. Nice, cheap alfresco dining along Melaka river.

I will definitely be back to this restaurant the next time we are in Melaka, achievable only with our dearest skillful car captain and navigator :)

Bill

Muara Sungai Duyung (Medan Ikan Bakar)
KM 4-5, Jalan Padang Temu,
Permatang Pasir, Melaka
GPS Coordinates: N2.174500, E102.289167
Tel: 019-248 9525, 012-636 2339 (Pak Azmi)
Business Hours: 5pm - 12am (no rest day)

Directions to Muara Dungai Duyong, Medan Ikan Bakar from Melaka town

Medan Ikan Bakar : GPS (N2.174500, E102.289167)

Right Turn along Jalan Padang Temu : GPS (N2.183667, E102.290333)

You will pass by Restoran Aunty Lee along Jalan Ujong Pasir and then continue to Jalan Padang Temu. Right turn at the placemark on the map and you will see the jetty for the fisherman boats. travel along the road all the way to the end and to the muddy road and you will find the restaurant.

Starting from Jalan Merdeka (Fenix Inn) to Medan Ikan Bakar
Total: 6.2 km - about 11 mins (from Google maps)
1. Head west on Jalan Merdeka
2. Keep right at the fork
3. Turn right onto Jalan Parameswara
4. Continue onto Jalan Bukit Senjuang
5. Slight right onto Lorong Bukit Senjuang
6. Keep left at the fork
7. Turn left onto Jalan Ujong Pasir (where Restoran Aunty Lee is)

8. Continue onto Jalan Padang Temu
9. Turn right (note that the signboard is taken from the opposite side of the road)
GPS (N2.183667, E102.290333)

10. You will see the Malay fishing village and jetty for fisherman boats along Melaka River on your right.
GPS (N2.182667, E102.290333)

11. Continue along the road all the way to the end. There will be a small stretch of muddy road before you reach Medan Ikan Bakar!

Malacca Trail Map

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Malacca Day 3b - Jonker Stroll

Free and Easy Malacca - Day 3 Itinerary

1) Brunch at Chung Wah Chicken rice ball
2) Jonker 88
3) Stroll at Jonker Street
4) Shopping and Sightseeing
5) Dessert at Nadeje
6) Seafood at Muara Sungai Duyong

Stroll @Jonker
Jonker Walk is a not-to-be-missed activity in Melaka.

It's an interesting cultural walk through the Chinatown of a heritage town. Nice and interesting traditional buildings and shop houses selling items reminiscing the old days.

Cultural Walk @Jonker

Jonker Street
Ice cream, Pineapple Tarts, Rooster bowls

Looking for something from Malacca for colleagues and friends? San Shu Gong is the place to go for local snack and tidbits shopping. They have a big retail at Jonker Street, just opposite of Chung Wah Chicken Rice coffee shop. Large variety of famous local delicacies are on display and samples are available for you to try before purchase.

Jonker Night Market
On Friday and Saturday nights, many hawkers and stall owners gathered at Jonker for the night market (pasar malam). Below are some pictures from our last visit - Jonker Night Walk.

Jonker Night Market
Herbal Tea, Portuguese egg tart, Fried carrot cake

Bubble Making Tiger

We bought something from Little Nonya Gift Shop opposite Fenix Inn. I would highly recommend the soya noodles, which is very soft, light and slightly sweet.

Malacca Trail Map

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Saturday, 4 August 2012

Malacca Day 2c - Nadeje Patisserie Cafe

Free and Easy Malacca - Day 2 Itinerary

1) Dim Sum at Ban Hong Xiang Tea House
2) Baba Charlie for Nonya Kuehs and snack
3) Sightseeing - Heritage Trial
4) Dessert at Nadeje
5) Dinner at Auntie Lee
6) Cockles at dirty lane
7) Supper at Pak Putra

Mille Crêpe @Nadeje
A visit to Nadeje for Mille Crepes is a must for your Malacca itinerary!
Nadeje cafe which was opened since 2006 seems to have started the hype for mille crepe in this region (Malaysia and Singapore).

Nadeje Cafe (Plaza Mahkota)

Mille Crepe is a French cake made of many crêpe layered with cream. While "Nadeje" is a Czech word which means "Hope". But the founder of this Nadeje cafe is neither a French nor Czech, she is a Japanese lady living in Malacca, according to one of our local friends. A lot of fine ingredients are imported from her home country Japan.

We visited two of their three branches, main branch at Plaza Mahkota and the second branch which is more accessible at Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall. Both branches are elegantly decorated with care to details. There are nice modern outdoor sofas and big fans at alfresco area to help reduce the heat.

Nadeje Cafe (Dataran Pahlawan)
Indoor and Alfresco seatings

Now we come to the Mille Crepe itself !
Mille means "a thousand", implying many layers of crepes. Although not a thousand, there is around 18-20 crepes layered with cream in a cake. It took at least 3 hours to make a mille crepe - making and layering the crepes with cream, caramelising the top layer and freezing it.

Nice elegant mille crepes which taste as good as it looks. The layered crepes is soft, moist, creamy and will just melt in your mouth. For the original flavour, the caramelized top layer crepe add a different texture and slight sweetness to the soft light crepes. Being Japanese cream, it is light and not too sweet and it will not be jelat or overly rich even after a few slices.

We spent the lazy afternoon relaxing in Nadeje cafe, indulging the mille crepes with a cup of Sakura green tea. There is WiFi in the cafe, get the password from the waitress. Total cost of RM27.

Mille Crepes with Tea

There are a number of flavours offered in Nadeje - Original, Cheese, Strawberry, Rum & Raisin, chocolate, Tiramisu, Mango Yourgurt, Gula Melaka, Praline, Mocha, chocolate banana ... and many many more. You may not get the more popular flavours like strawberry and rum & raisin during weekends.

Original Mille crepe

Each slice cost around RM9, we tried a number of flavours.

Original [4.5/5] - What can beat the original flavour which is the foundation of all other flavours? Vanilla fresh cream in its simplest form topped with a caramelised crepe to give a different texture and slight sweetness.

Cheese [4.5/5] - Thoughtful twist for those who do not have a sweet tooth. Foodie who prefer savoury can also enjoy this dessert!

Mille Crepe - Cheese & Original Flavour

Mocha [3.75] - black crepes layered with cream. Not sure if its the cream or the crepe with the additional coffee fragrance.

Praline [4.25/5] - Praline is a French confection consisting of a caramel-covered almond or hazelnut. It has a rich nutty flavour which adds a different dimension to the light creamy crepes.

Chocolate Banana [3.75] - black layered crepe cake with banana flavour and slices. Combination of chocolate and banana is favourite of many.

Gula Melaka [3.5/5] - a Melaka local infused flavour - Gula Melaka. But its a bit too sweet for me.

(clockwise) Mocha, Banana Chocolare, Praline,Gula Melaka

The Mille Crepe were cut to slices and each is carefully wrapped with aluminium foils in the display fridge. These are prepared for easy take-away so as to ensure the mille crepes would not stick together in the boxes. You can see customers packing large number of slices for take-away. Dried ice provided for take-away. We even saw someone with a big cooler bag, wonder if its provided by Nadeje for substantial orders.

Nadeje Patisserie Cafe
http://www.facebook.com/nadejefans

G-23 & 25, Jln PM4,
Plaza Mahkota, 75000 Melaka.
Tel: 06 283 8750
Business Hour Closed on Mondays.

UB051-053 Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall
Tel: (06)2843469
10-1030pm

Lot G-1 ,Ground Floor Jaya99,
99,Jalan Tun Sri Lanang,75100 Malacca.

Malacca Trail Map

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Friday, 3 August 2012

Malacca Day 2b - Malacca Dutch Heritage Trail

Free and Easy Malacca - Day 2 Itinerary

1) Dim Sum at Ban Hong Xiang Tea House
2) Baba Charlie for Nonya Kuehs and snack
3) Sightseeing - Heritage Trial
4) Dessert at Nadeje
5) Dinner at Auntie Lee
6) Cockles at dirty lane
7) Supper at Pak Putra

Heritage Trail at Malacca

Malacca Heritaage Trail Map

This walking guide to Melaka's UNESCO World Heritage Trial sites was quite useful.
Some of the must-see sight are as follows.

The Christ Church Melaka [Map 5]
The famous red building in Melaka, The Christ Church.

Christ Church

Famous photo spot in Malacca, fountain in front of Christ Church :). You will usually see big tour group taking their group photo here.

Fountain in front of Christ Church

The Stadhuys [Map 4]
Adjacent to Christ Church is Stadhuys, similar red building.

At the garden in front of both Christ church and Stadhuys, there are a number of activities for the tourists. You can choose to take photo posing on a motorbike with cool-looking guns with the nice red building as background or take a leisure ride on nicely decorated trishaws round the heritage town for about RM27.

Trishaw ride / Photo Taking

Opposite of Stadhuys and Christ Church is the Malacca River Cruise Ferry point. There is a stall there selling Chendol which we bought to cool down after the hot sun.

Malacca River Cruise

A' Famosa (Porta De Santiago - The Old Gateway) [Map 1]
A' Famosa is just besides the Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall. You can save some walking and enjoy the aircon in the mall by taking the escalator up the second floor and get out from the glass door facing A' Famosa.

Fort Terrace (a' Famosa)

Friendly Tourist smiling at the camera

St's Paul Church [Map 3]
Be prepared for some walking up the stairs to reach Saint Paul church.

Night Scenary
After supper, we stopped by the Christ Church and Stadhuys again for some nice night scenary shots. Experience the peaceful ambience which is definitely different from the hustle and bustle during the day.