Tasting Malaysia

L left his job last week after he completed his 3 months' probation because the final offer was too low for the kind of shit and hours he puts in. He's not the kind to slack - in fact putting in 120% - and has done a great job so far, judging by his regular customers. Plus his colleagues like working with him and he has formed an unlikely 'brotherhood' with the Chinese and Indian cooks who are the unsung heroes of many ristoranti. I told L better things await as it's a blessing in disguise. Things always happen for a reason, and I believe for a good one.

We took the chance to get away for the weekend and planned an impromptu culinary escapade to Malacca and KL - L's virgin trip to Malaysia. The VIP coach of Luxury Tours was fabulous; imagine reclinable roomy leather seats, personal TV screens and plenty of leg space ($34 to Malacca & $48 from KL). I've always enjoyed Malacca for its food and have a list of must-trys for L's tastebuds awakening. Also recently Malacca is officially recognised as a heritage site by UNESCO and the local tourism authority is now busy building an airport to cash in on this new-found status.

Anyway once there, we wasted no time and walked from Hotel Equatorial past the A Famosa fortress to the stunning red-facade Christ Church while fighting off the garish trishaws touts who were trying to get us to take a ride in their loud vehicles. L was irritated becos he being the angmoh always kana harassed. We found Jonker Street easily and somehow my antenna led us to our first makan pitstop - my favourite Teochew restaurant in the world - Restaurant Teo Soon Loong Chan.

Being a kitschy little hole in the wall, it can be quite hard to find in a small lane off Jonker Street. Everything about it is so authentically old skool; the garish 50s decor, the outdoor kitchen at the entrance, the non-fuss service and best of all, there's no menu. The jolly Uncle Tan would recommend dishes to customers by pointing out the ingredients on the side counter.

I remembered the feast of 10 dishes on my last trip with my W&D foodie kakis and wanted to order so many more this time but Ah Pek stopped me at the 4th dish ('enough enough for you 2!' he quipped in mandarin). Dammit! Already famished from the 4-hour ride, we slurped on the signature velvety oyster mee in a thick savoury black gravy while chomping on crispy bits of deepfried softshell crabs (heaven!), fried seafood roll, vegs with sambal and or-nee (yam paste) with pumpkin for dessert. The smiling Ah Pek was a very good PR manager (like L) as he went about chatting with customers. I doubt they get many angmoh guests so he seemed extremely curious about L.

Be warned: there are only 9 tables so advance reservations are a must for big groups (we called and pre-ordered the 10 dishes from S'pore the last time!). Other signature dishes to try are the roasted duck, suckling pig, steamed pomfret fish, bitter gourd w braised meat, and prawns balls.
Address: 55 Jalan Hang Kasturi (second cross street) 75200 Melaka.
Tel 06-282-2353. Closed Mondays.
Visit their charming old skool website at www.tslcmalaysia.com to see the VVIP guests from S'pore.

Restaurant Keng-Dom Sdn. Bhd.
In the evening, we trotted down to another fav ristorante at Malacca - Keng-Dom which was an old skool eatery that has recently been renovated by the looks of its mint-condition floral wallpaper. It is on the ground floor of a shophouse within walking distance (3mins) from Hotel Equatorial. I love the auntie waitresses (their warm and efficient service beats the shit out of any 5-star fine-dining crew). The food's also outstanding; just ask the motherly lady manager for recommendations. Try the beef and pork rib curry pies, homemade tofu in crabmeat sauce, 'tong poh lok' (roasted pork loin in a gorgeous sauce served with steamed buns - bestest!) We went back twice and the aunties served L their secret spicy chilli sauce which they don't usually serve to guests. Thumbs up!

Address: 147/8/9 Jalan Melaka Raya, 75000 Melaka
Tel: 06-282-6409. Open daily 11am to 2.30 pm, 5.30 pm to 11 pm.

Chop Chung Wah Chicken Rice Balls
Proudly serving the signature chicken rice balls since 1973, this got to be the best chicken and rice balls eatery in Malacca. There's always a long queue even in the early morning or during late lunch hours. I say, go early in case they run out of chicken! The smallish kampung chickens are succulent and juicy, all quickly and expertly chopped up and drizzled with some fats, sesame/soy sauce. We had a half chicken and 3 plates of balls. The coffeeshop is non-descript compared to the colourful facades and screaming adverts of other similar eateries. They don't need any printed accolades from celebs and ambassadors - clearly word of mouth works very well for this humble joint. (It is immediately on the right of the roundabout after you cross the river from Christ Church)

Address: Lorong Hang Jebat. Open daily 7am to 3pm.

Jonker Dessert (Sin Sing Cendol)
Forget about the other cendol stalls in Malacca. This is da bomb and mother of cendols! The gula malaka is pure liquid gold which they drizzled liberally over the pile of shaved ice. Again, you can find it easily from the perpetual long queue on Jonker Street. They also got other good desserts like the ABC ice-kachang (which i thought was ABC stout!). Can also takeaway and eat at your own leisure.

Address: 88 Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Street), 75200 Melaka
Tel: 016-631-4288. Open Tuesday to Thursday 11am to 10pm, Friday-Saturday till 11pm, Sunday till 9pm. Closed Monday unless PH.

Mr Choo's popiah cart
Best popiah - fresh or fried. L and I were determined to find his holy grail after a failed attempt on day 1 and finally tracked Mr Choo's cart down outside Geographic Cafe at Jonker Street. Apparently he's there from 4pm every day. he's lost a lot of weight and is more wrinkly than before but you can see the man takes great pride in his rolls. L asked for extra spicy and the old chap happily painted his popiah skin in red!

Besides a great place for pigging out, Malacca has also many interesting sights such as the Maritime Museum (in the form of a Portugese ship), viewing tower, oldest Chinese temple in Malaysia, its charming Chinatown zone, quaint local shops and guesthouses. So if you have time for a makan weekend, this is it. Now move your arse!