Melaka: Nancy's Kitchen

Update June 2016: Apparently Nancy has moved to a new location. Do visit the restaurant website to check the new address - I doubt they will be as popular with the change in location.... please post comments and update me. ;)

Have you heard of Nancy's Kitchen?

I'm sure anyone who is going to Melaka, or who has been to Melaka would have heard of it. When I was preparing for my maiden trip to Melaka last year, I see it mentioned all the time as a thumbs-up place for authentic Nonya food. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to visit it my last 2 trips, so I was kindof resolved to visit it this time.

Location:

It's located at 7 Jalan Hang Lekir. It's this street that connect Jalan Hang Jebat and Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock. Hard to visualise on the map, but if you get your landmarks straight, turn left out from Hotel Puri and its the first turn left.

If you are coming from San Shu Gong, you'll pass by the famous Jonker88 stall - it's on your right. You can't miss Geographer Cafe; it's on the same street after turning left from Jalan Hang Jebat.

As you walk along Jalan Hang Lekir, look for this to know that you're outside Nancy's Kitchen. It's rather inconspicuous so you'll likely miss it. I missed it many times in my previous 2 visits and I walked passed this road many times!

This is the most obvious sign you will see as you walk pass the restaurant. It's not really striking and most people will miss it. Look for this sign for the restaurant!

As you step in, you shall see the main sign:

Imperial Treasures Super Peking Duck @ Paragon

Taking a break from Melaka for a while to introduce some local food.

Right now, I'm pondering how to make my blog different.... it's like every other food critique thingy that everyone has already written tons of years ago. And my blog isn't even funny like mrbrown, or sexy like xiaxue, or polished like (other food blogs); I'm not even using a DSLR!

Anyway, give me any ideas you have. Right now, what I think I'll do is just to provide very honest and down-to-earth thoughts.

Today (Saturday), our family decided to go to Imperial Treasures Super Peking Duck at Paragon for dinner. We have been here a number of times and have even gotten to be good acquaintances with the servers, such that we can get a table even at the last minute. In fact, we just called in the afternoon for the 7.30 pm table - under usual circumstances, it's fully booked.

Imperial Treasures is quite established in Singapore already, with quite a number of branches around here, some famous for Xiao Long Bao; an equivalent to them would be Crystal Jade. This branch that we patronised in Paragon is supposedly famous for Peking Duck, and almost every table would serve that. I guess it would be very weird if you go there and NOT order the duck.

My attempts at some facade shots... it's quite a classy restaurant, though don't get the wrong view, it's not classy to the point of Joel Bucheron-type. It's busy and noisy with porcelain-ware clanking and mindless chatter, normal Chinese-restaurant feel.

Melaka Series: Portuguese Settlement Part Two: Christmas Time

Did you expect a Part 2?

Well, the Settlement is too big to be covered in 1 post. So far, I talked about the sunset and the food, but I missed out the experience of the Settlement in Christmas, and here is it:

A Christmas tree spotted near one of the bungalows in the Settlement.

A short history about the Portuguese Settlement; apparently, the people who settled here are descendants of the Portuguese who came to Melaka in the 1600s and the locals. Hence, they have some European ancestry in them, and most of the people here are Catholics. Even the food has some Portuguese influence - that's why the best stuff here are baked - which is an European type of cooking! The Portuguese settlement is unusually festive during Christmas and some Saint Feasts celebration during June/July.

After the feast we have had near the sea, we took a walk along the houses in the Settlement.

The streets were all lighted up. These lights are actually outside the residences. I'm not sure whether it belongs to the private residences or they were set up by the government, but it's really nice to see all these lights - much more original and creative than Orchard Road.

Melaka Series: J & J, Portuguese Settlement Seafood

One thing that should not missed when visiting Melaka is a visit to the Portuguese Settlement, even if it is to just catch the sunset. The sunset boasts one of the most beautiful views in Melaka...

It's not difficult to get here. It's about 15 minutes by car from Melaka Town itself. For people who are driving, here's a map to show its location:

If you have GPS, key in Jalan Darango. I use Sygic and it's quite accurate at sending me to the location. I think there shouldn't be a problem for Tom Tom users as well.

You can easily come here by Taxi, and it shouldn't cost you too much though. It's located at a crowded and touristy area, so you need not be too concerned about safety. It's a nice and quaint settlement.

Fried Oyster in Melaka - Sin Yin Hoe Resataurant

Had to force myself to write another episode... if I don't continue to write, how am I going to showcase all this food I have tried? Most importantly, I think my views will really provide some inputs whether people will visit a particular place.

Today's episode is about a Fried Oyster stall I have tried in Melaka.

I have always been a fan of Fried Oyster (Or Luak, Or Ah Jian) - ranging from the gooey kind in Taiwan, to the crispy kind in Singapore. Personally, my brother and I prefer the crispy kind, and we used to get our fix from Jalan Berseh Food Centre (Level 1) Singapore - that's where we used to stay and the Fried Oyster is really good. We still patronise the stall now and then, but have cut down the visits due to health reason (it's really oily and we don't want to clog our arteries too much). When my grandmother passed away in June 2012, my brother bought the fried oyster as supper to console the family - the taste remains good. 

Anyway. I have digressed. Today I'm going to showcase the Fried Oyster I have tried in Melaka.

In Melaka, most of you should have heard of the famous Fried Oyster along Jalan Bunga Raya - Boon Leong. My brother and I visited the stall last year and it was crowded even on a Thursday. The stallholder wasn't particularly friendly as well - business was good and he was busy churning the oysters. We didn't get a chance to try it because the queue was super long, and we were full from our visit to the Portuguese Settlement (that's another story).

This visit, we heard that there was a Fried Oyster stall just near our hotel, and most importantly, it's tasty and the auntie who tends the stall is friendly. It's located at the end of Lorong Hang Jabat.

Anyway, we didn't have much difficulty finding it...

And the sign above says...

Melaka: Klebang Coconut Shake - Yay or Nay?

This visit to Melaka, I decided to pay a visit to Klebang to try out the famed coconut milkshake.
Have you heard of it yet? It's pretty famous and has been recommended by tons of blogs - it has even been given attention by the media.

I'm not going to put any links here, you can find out more about it by doing a google search for 'Klebang Coconut Shake'.

It's a little out of the way from Melaka Town, so you'll need to take a taxi or drive on your own. In my case, I drove out on my own from Singapore, passing by the stall for lunch first, before heading for the hotel in town.

Is it worth it? Well, more about that later...

The GPS was extremely useful at locating it. It's position next to a Caltex Petrol Station. For people with GPS, put a POI for Caltex Klebang, Melaka. Once you see the petrol station, you'll be able to spot the stall. The stall on the main road is for takeaways, turn in into the little junction for the eat-in canteen.

Voila! This is the carpark where you'll park your vehicle. I went there on a Thursday, so it's spacious and empty. I heard it's extremely crowded on weekends.