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:
As you can see, even the main sign is blocked by a lamp. Obviously, this restaurant thrives from word-of-mouth, and it's reviewed in almost every Melaka blog out there. Impressively, it's ranked 13th on tripadvisor, and holds very high regards within the tourist community.
It's a cozy feel inside. There are no hosts, and you don't get any welcoming greetings at all. There was a waitress working on something outside the door, but she coolly ignored me as I stepped in. For the uninitiated, you would be intimidated. The feeling is sort of extreme... in Portuguese Settlement, you get too much attention, while here in Nancy's, you get no attention at all.
I wasn't sure what to do. Stand around and wait? Or step inside hopefully someone will say hi? Obviously, it's silly to stand there like an idiot while the diners stare at you like a blur sotong. So I wandered in bravely.
Inside is a Nonya kueh stall. Aha! Now I understand, maybe the restaurant is open for people on the streets to come in to buy kuehs, so the waitresses don't assume you want to eat at the restaurant. I never got to know the real reason for the cool treatment because I didn't check eventually, but I wish there were more warmth.
Anyway, the only person that looked in charge was the cashier lady on my left, so she would be the first person I thought I should speak to. However, she was busy with two groups of customers queuing for payment. I noted that customers conversed with her in English. Also note that I think I have been standing in the restaurant for like 5 minutes without any hint of being greeted.
Finally, after she was done with her cashing, I interrupted and asked in Chinese '有没有位？‘ (Any seats) She looked at the monitor above her. (Wow! There's actually a CCTV showing all the available seats in the restaurant. It looks like the restaurant has two levels.)
She said (in English) 'No seats in front?'
I wondered 'Actually there were a couple of empty tables, but I thought it's most polite to be led to a table.'
I then said 'Oh yeah, you mean I should just seat myself. Ok!'
So blur me and my brother quickly went outside and sat ourselves on the table. The waitress scuttled over and handed us the menu to look over.
I then realised that this is the modus operandi in Malaysia. You don't actually need a host to guide you to seats. Whether you were in Portuguese Settlement, Secret Recipe, Hawker Centre or <insert restaurant>, the script for customers is to just settle at any empty tables, and you will be served. I think it saves the trouble of the restaurant to have to look for tables for you, it 'outsources' the job of looking for tables to the customers themselves, you just play musical chairs. Hence, you can't blame the waiters if you can't find a table, you find it yourself!
(Anyway, this is not always the case, sometimes, when the restaurant gets too crowded, then they have no choice but to intervene and control the tables, but in this case, there were empty tables, so they leave it to you to seat yourselves. For Malaysia-virgins, take note!)
After placing the orders for food, I asked for recommendations for drinks. The waitress coolly said 'Try the plum juice.' Good recommendation in fact, the plum juice tasted like guava, with a hint of sourishness. It tasted like the same plum used in the mango juice drink in the Portuguese Settlement.
The food arrived quickly while we were waiting. It was like a mini-Singapore in there. I know because of the impeccable English spoken, and the table behind me was talking about the hawker centre at Hock Lim, and everyone was so polite and friendly. I smiled at a number of them for solidarity - it was a great feeling. ;)
We ordered the kang kong. Nothing actually quite special - I actually think it's not spicy enough. As you can see, the sambal is of the more watery style, and I think they added more fish sauce, so it's actually still tasty. However, nothing fantastic, you can get the same taste in Singapore.
This is the Fried Egg with Cinchalok. Cincalok is as Melakan as it can get, as it is originated from the area.It's fermented prawn, water and salt all mixed together, so some people would not be able to stand the fishy smell. We tried the egg and found it ok, not as fishy as we thought it would be. Actually, it was not even fishy at all, instead it's very salty - as cincalok is made from lots of salt also. In fact, I kindof hope there's a little fishiness so it would feel like cincalok.. lol. Basically, it just felt like very salty fried egg. Otherwise, it's fried nicely though, as you can see it's done quite fluffy.
I heard this was also famous here - the Lo Bak, or Wu Hsiang. It's served quite generously actually about 3 pieces for a portion. Otherwise, nothing too 'Hsiang'.. quite ordinary. It tasted kindof flour-y, not enough meat, but you can taste the crunchy carrots and vegetables inside, so you get sort of texture. Worth a try here, because it's traditional nonya fare.
My brother didn't get his Debal Curry fix from Portuguese Settlement, so we ordered Chicken Curry here. It is truly nice - doesn't look appetizing but it's shiok. It's spicy, the meat is tender and well-cooked, and once you start, you cannot stop. The curry is not thick at all, but the taste is salty and stingy that you just want to keep savouring it. I ended up finishing all the gravy because I could not stop. Goes well with the rice!
The restaurant is also famous for Salted vegetable and duck soup, but we were really full and can't eat anymore. You can try it out and let me know the feedback. If you want Salted vegetable and duck soup in Singapore, I think there's a good one near Coronation Shopping Centre.
Anyway, after you are finished with the meal and satisfied, you go back into the kueh area and make payment at the cashier. Of course, if you want dessert, you could order some kueh, or cendol to eat in the dining area.
After a satisfying meal, the kuehs don't look that much appetising anymore.. lol
Anyway, I heard that they're quite good too. The total meal was satisfying and tasty, up to our expectations, and the total cost was about MYR40 - totally worth it!
My brother standing at the exit - his expression is priceless!
Verdict:
Nancy's Kitchen - Sadly, IMHO, I would say nay. It's good I admit, but it has built up a reputation that it must live up to, and the shoes now are too big for Nancy to fit into. It's good Melakan Nonya fare, but nothing which is extraordinary that you can't get in Singapore; that you must travel all the way to Melaka to get the fix. However, if you are in Melaka and can't find anything else to eat, and Nancy's Kitchen happen to have empty tables, it's surely an option. Otherwise, I would suggest go scout the streets for Fried Kway Teow, Sotong Mee, or BBQ seafood. While we were walking along Jonker, we found tons of interesting foods like Fried Ice-cream, Smelly Tofu and Fried Potato Slices. However, it is very affordable (Ivin's Singapore is very expensive) and you can order a large feast without burning a whole in your pocket, and it's good quality food - family friendly too. You don't need to worry your child will run into the hazardous road.
Last word: Nancy's Kitchen is terribly crowded for lunch and dinner during weekends and you MUST make reservations. If you fight that hard to get a table for the weekend, you will be disappointed. This is all IMHO.
January 2016 update: Nancy has moved!
13, 13/1, 13-2, Jalan KL 3/8, Taman Kota Laksamana, Seksyen 3, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia
Take note before you make a trip there - even though I gave a nay... ^-^
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:
As you can see, even the main sign is blocked by a lamp. Obviously, this restaurant thrives from word-of-mouth, and it's reviewed in almost every Melaka blog out there. Impressively, it's ranked 13th on tripadvisor, and holds very high regards within the tourist community.
It's a cozy feel inside. There are no hosts, and you don't get any welcoming greetings at all. There was a waitress working on something outside the door, but she coolly ignored me as I stepped in. For the uninitiated, you would be intimidated. The feeling is sort of extreme... in Portuguese Settlement, you get too much attention, while here in Nancy's, you get no attention at all.
I wasn't sure what to do. Stand around and wait? Or step inside hopefully someone will say hi? Obviously, it's silly to stand there like an idiot while the diners stare at you like a blur sotong. So I wandered in bravely.
Inside is a Nonya kueh stall. Aha! Now I understand, maybe the restaurant is open for people on the streets to come in to buy kuehs, so the waitresses don't assume you want to eat at the restaurant. I never got to know the real reason for the cool treatment because I didn't check eventually, but I wish there were more warmth.
Anyway, the only person that looked in charge was the cashier lady on my left, so she would be the first person I thought I should speak to. However, she was busy with two groups of customers queuing for payment. I noted that customers conversed with her in English. Also note that I think I have been standing in the restaurant for like 5 minutes without any hint of being greeted.
Finally, after she was done with her cashing, I interrupted and asked in Chinese '有没有位？‘ (Any seats) She looked at the monitor above her. (Wow! There's actually a CCTV showing all the available seats in the restaurant. It looks like the restaurant has two levels.)
She said (in English) 'No seats in front?'
I wondered 'Actually there were a couple of empty tables, but I thought it's most polite to be led to a table.'
I then said 'Oh yeah, you mean I should just seat myself. Ok!'
So blur me and my brother quickly went outside and sat ourselves on the table. The waitress scuttled over and handed us the menu to look over.
I then realised that this is the modus operandi in Malaysia. You don't actually need a host to guide you to seats. Whether you were in Portuguese Settlement, Secret Recipe, Hawker Centre or <insert restaurant>, the script for customers is to just settle at any empty tables, and you will be served. I think it saves the trouble of the restaurant to have to look for tables for you, it 'outsources' the job of looking for tables to the customers themselves, you just play musical chairs. Hence, you can't blame the waiters if you can't find a table, you find it yourself!
(Anyway, this is not always the case, sometimes, when the restaurant gets too crowded, then they have no choice but to intervene and control the tables, but in this case, there were empty tables, so they leave it to you to seat yourselves. For Malaysia-virgins, take note!)
After placing the orders for food, I asked for recommendations for drinks. The waitress coolly said 'Try the plum juice.' Good recommendation in fact, the plum juice tasted like guava, with a hint of sourishness. It tasted like the same plum used in the mango juice drink in the Portuguese Settlement.
The food arrived quickly while we were waiting. It was like a mini-Singapore in there. I know because of the impeccable English spoken, and the table behind me was talking about the hawker centre at Hock Lim, and everyone was so polite and friendly. I smiled at a number of them for solidarity - it was a great feeling. ;)
We ordered the kang kong. Nothing actually quite special - I actually think it's not spicy enough. As you can see, the sambal is of the more watery style, and I think they added more fish sauce, so it's actually still tasty. However, nothing fantastic, you can get the same taste in Singapore.
This is the Fried Egg with Cinchalok. Cincalok is as Melakan as it can get, as it is originated from the area.It's fermented prawn, water and salt all mixed together, so some people would not be able to stand the fishy smell. We tried the egg and found it ok, not as fishy as we thought it would be. Actually, it was not even fishy at all, instead it's very salty - as cincalok is made from lots of salt also. In fact, I kindof hope there's a little fishiness so it would feel like cincalok.. lol. Basically, it just felt like very salty fried egg. Otherwise, it's fried nicely though, as you can see it's done quite fluffy.
I heard this was also famous here - the Lo Bak, or Wu Hsiang. It's served quite generously actually about 3 pieces for a portion. Otherwise, nothing too 'Hsiang'.. quite ordinary. It tasted kindof flour-y, not enough meat, but you can taste the crunchy carrots and vegetables inside, so you get sort of texture. Worth a try here, because it's traditional nonya fare.
My brother didn't get his Debal Curry fix from Portuguese Settlement, so we ordered Chicken Curry here. It is truly nice - doesn't look appetizing but it's shiok. It's spicy, the meat is tender and well-cooked, and once you start, you cannot stop. The curry is not thick at all, but the taste is salty and stingy that you just want to keep savouring it. I ended up finishing all the gravy because I could not stop. Goes well with the rice!
The restaurant is also famous for Salted vegetable and duck soup, but we were really full and can't eat anymore. You can try it out and let me know the feedback. If you want Salted vegetable and duck soup in Singapore, I think there's a good one near Coronation Shopping Centre.
Anyway, after you are finished with the meal and satisfied, you go back into the kueh area and make payment at the cashier. Of course, if you want dessert, you could order some kueh, or cendol to eat in the dining area.
After a satisfying meal, the kuehs don't look that much appetising anymore.. lol
Anyway, I heard that they're quite good too. The total meal was satisfying and tasty, up to our expectations, and the total cost was about MYR40 - totally worth it!
My brother standing at the exit - his expression is priceless!
Verdict:
Nancy's Kitchen - Sadly, IMHO, I would say nay. It's good I admit, but it has built up a reputation that it must live up to, and the shoes now are too big for Nancy to fit into. It's good Melakan Nonya fare, but nothing which is extraordinary that you can't get in Singapore; that you must travel all the way to Melaka to get the fix. However, if you are in Melaka and can't find anything else to eat, and Nancy's Kitchen happen to have empty tables, it's surely an option. Otherwise, I would suggest go scout the streets for Fried Kway Teow, Sotong Mee, or BBQ seafood. While we were walking along Jonker, we found tons of interesting foods like Fried Ice-cream, Smelly Tofu and Fried Potato Slices. However, it is very affordable (Ivin's Singapore is very expensive) and you can order a large feast without burning a whole in your pocket, and it's good quality food - family friendly too. You don't need to worry your child will run into the hazardous road.
Last word: Nancy's Kitchen is terribly crowded for lunch and dinner during weekends and you MUST make reservations. If you fight that hard to get a table for the weekend, you will be disappointed. This is all IMHO.
January 2016 update: Nancy has moved!
13, 13/1, 13-2, Jalan KL 3/8, Taman Kota Laksamana, Seksyen 3, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia
Take note before you make a trip there - even though I gave a nay... ^-^
Try Big Nyonya (previously known as Kelvin Delight) next time you go Melaka.
ReplyDeleteSorry I mean Kenny Delight
ReplyDeleteThanks. Will try it out next time!
ReplyDeleteI'm just worried about the parking - easy to find parking?
Awesome! I went to Nancy Kitchen during my 2 days trip to Melaka, and I didn't have the chance to taste it. It was full house and the lady wasn't 'choi' us. I was standing between the kitchen and living hall. Saw all your photos remind me to write my blog about it. I totally forgot about my trip blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip ;)
Thanks for the coverage Gary! Check out our post on Nancy's Kitchen Malacca here!
ReplyDeleteHappy Travels Everyone!
Tom,
2bearbear.com
Locals never like this place because there are better Nyonya restaurants in Melaka.
ReplyDelete