Upon a recommendation by a fellow friend, I dropped by Odeon Western Food at Melaka Raya.

He told me that this restaurant was actually a family business, which the recipe started by his grandfather and now made and sold by his uncle.The fish and chips here are indeed something new for me. The batter was cooked with eggs instead of the usual flour. This makes it really special, as usually fish fillets are deep fried, but this one suits me much more as it is pan fried instead.

The fish is made of fresh fish, as it has chunks of layered meat unlike many which were frozen and processed. Just squeeze a lime on it and the taste is heavenly.

It is also served with mixed vegetables, coleslaw and fries.

I am not sure if many non-Malaccan would know this place as it seemed like a hidden gem, but I would highly recommend it.

Came by this restaurant after I walked to the more famous Capitol, but found out that it was closed that day!

So after a heavy dinner, I still wanted to satisfy my cravings for Satay Celup. I was recommended by the hotel lobby that Ban Lee Siang was nearby and so I went.

The restaurant was packed with people even at 9pm, but I still managed to find a place to sit.As I was not hungry, I did not take so many sticks of satay but just enough to fill my cravings. I took an assorted of varieties from seafood to vegetables to quill eggs. All of these were taken from the refrigerator nearby in which many people were hustling and bustling to get their favourite satay.

The peanut sauce was boiling by the time I came back and so I just dipped everything into the pot. After a while everything was cooked (and some overcooked). The secret of satay celup is always the sauce, and this one did not disappoint. It was flavourful and aromatic. Full of the peanut goodness as the sauce was thick and rich.

My favourite would be the kangkung as it absorbed much of the peanut sauce, making it an excellent but strange combination.

The only problem with this restaurant is that it does not give you a new pot when you first take a seat. Like in many Malaysian restaurants, ignorance is bliss.

Despite the less than conservative name, Handsome Seafood Restaurant actually does serve some handsomely tasty seafood.Came by to try the seafood as recommended by a local Malaccan, but what I would like to highlight is the crab.
The crab came last, after all the other dishes came, so apparently it was saved for last.

The butter gravy that came with the crab was the dry-ish type, not the typical wet claypot type. The crabs served were the big type, which I am fond of. Once I cracked open the shell, the crab meat was firm and flavourful, which indicates that the crab meat was very fresh. The butter gravy seeps into the shell, giving it a very nice mixture of crab and butter flavour. The butter gravy was very rich and tasty, I literally ate it just like that since it was too dry to be dipped with fried mantou.

It was so delicious that we ordered for another 1 more kg, which in the end was a very satisfying meal.

When in Melaka, one thing that I will not miss eating is the popiah, specifically Bunga Raya Popiah. This humble stall is in front of a departmental store near Jonker street. And be ready to wait for 30 minutes for your popiah as many of the buyers will tapau 10 or maybe 20 pieces each. Yes, it's that massive! What makes this popiah so different from the rest is definitely the fried PORK LARD. It's so sinful but delectable that it's the core thing that makes it so special. Of course, the ingredients are fresh and prepared on the spot. When eaten, beware of spillage as it's juicy and packed with loads of the usual popiah ingredients, just tastier and more satisfying!

Went to Malacca for an on-site visit recently. By the time I'm done with work, it was already night. I was looking for a place to try chicken rice balls, a signature dish from Malacca.

I was informed that a restaurant along Jonker Street opens quite late so I decided to pay them a visit.When I arrived, there was quite a lot of foreign tourists which usually isn't a good sign. However, the shop interior was decorated very nicely, with many old pictures of the shop, celebrities who ate here before and many historical pictures of Malacca.
The staff were nice and friendly, as they ushered me and my colleagues for a nice cozy table.Of course, we ordered half of a steamed chicken, with chicken rice balls. It did not take long to arrive, around 15 minutes. The steam chicken was served with soya sauce and garnished with parsley on top. Upon the first bite, I found that the chicken was not too bad, but it was below my expectations. It was not as smooth as I thought, as these type of quality of steamed chicken can be found in some parts of KL. With the gravy, the chicken was better, and it goes well with the rice balls.

The rice balls were special to say the least. The oily chicken rice were compacted into ping pong sized ball shaped. However, I found that it was too compacted, and I had to press the rice ball apart so I am able to mix the gravy from the chicken with the rice. The chilli they gave was also too bland and not enough chilli flavour.I also tried the cendol, which is made with 'Gula Malacca', which is a thick caramalized sugar which is very aromatic. The cendol was decent, as the fragrance of the gula melaka brings the best out of this dessert. However, the ingredients used which includes red bean, corn and the cendol jelly itself doesn't taste very fresh as it was too soft and soggy for my liking.

I am sure I can find better places for chicken rice balls, but since it was late I guess I had no choice but to settle for this shop. Decent, but below my expectations.