Pakcik Tom and Makcik Yam. Not all Thai Food restaurants are equal. All depend on their owners. Some seem to have a high taste but very few. Asal ada serai, bawang, ayam daging sotong udang dan berair macam sup.... That's what they call Tomyam.
In Melaka particularly Melaka Tengah I have tasted few famous restaurants. They are Ikan Bakar Malim, Naiman, Sri Melaka, Restoran Alai, and Tomyam Klasik. There is another one along Pantai Puteri, I cannot remember the name. But I can always "Remember The Time" by Jacko ok. Always in my mind :)
Ikan Bakar Malim
Well...there are 3. One in Cheng Height, 2nd in Ayer Keroh and last one in Duyong. I visited the first two. The restaurant is a typical Malay undecorated with not much invested for interior. As long as there are chairs, tables and covered roof, the owner will be happy to serve you. Maybe a litle bit of smiles will be an added value but not too much like McD or Pizza Hut. "welcome again", "thank you...." not really come out from their heart. I would rather like someone greet me like...ermmm... "dari mana bang? Or "masuk la bang, hujan kat luar..." if it's really raining outside. It sounds more friendlier than 5 star places.
Ok, back to my comment about Ikan Bakar Malim. It serves nasi campur, Thai foods, ikan bakar and roti canai. The main dish is of course Ikan Bakar but not really bakar because they wrap them with banana leaf and fry on a hot plate. But it's still acceptable anyway. If you really look for Ikan Bakar then go somewhere else like Umbai, Alai, Duyong.
The only dish which is acceptable to my appetite is Roti Canai. Softer than Kedai Mamak and served with Dal Saurce mixed with sambal. They have Murtabak but not recommended if you ever eaten Pak Din's in Kuala Lumpur. It's dry and tasteless!! In term of service, do not compare with Restoran Subaidah. All Mamak Restaurants are equally excellent in service. Fast and perfect except when kira-kira time. Charging you few ringgit extra not a big deal. Dalam hati.."Kedai mamak selalu tipu.....nak marah tak boleh". But if Malay cheats, report to Harian Metro or The Star.....hahahahahaha. Fact of Life.
What's not good (I dont want tu use the word "bad") about Ikan Bakar Malim is the staff especially Ayer Keroh Branch (MITC). I once had a dinner with my family next to its "drink factory". Few of them shouting at each other and laughing without bothering customers having their meals. I wanted to call the owner but no number was available.
The 4th time, probably the last, the service was extremely and totally unaccepatable at all. In the first place I wanted to bring my brother and his family to Naiman but its MITC branch was closed. I had no choice but to land at Malim's reluctantly. "Langkah Kiri" the Malay says. We ordered Nasi Goreng Cina, we got Nasi Goreng biasa. Nasi Goreng Ayam turned out to be Nasi Goreng untuk ayam. My Nasi Goreng Belacan also jadi Nasi Goreng biasa. Macam cerita P Ramlee. We'd been waited almost an hour to be served (didnt mind if there were many customers) and another half raising up and down our hands for complaints. Thank you Ikan Bakar Malim, well served. I would recommend the owner to properly train the staff well in order to compete with other operators. No more Ikan Bakar Malim, pretty bad experience.
Naiman
According to a friend of mine the first Naiman is located somewhere in Alor Gajah or Masjid Tanah. In fact I have never visited the "Head Quaters" but I will do someday. The other one is in MITC, Ayer Keroh. Used to be two but Bukit Katil's closed down already. I always go to MITC which is more comfortable and relaxing. Sometimes it's windy too so it's good for a family dinner or just for a cup of Kopi Jantan!
How to reach? If you come from Ayer Keroh Toll, take right at the first traffic light. Go straight ahead and continue 12:15 (a bit tricky roundabout) O'Clock. If you take normal 12:00 O'Clock it will bring you to Ancasa Hotel/MITC which is parallel with the main road to Naiman. If it does happen to you, just return to the same roundabout. Naiman is just few hundred meters from the spot. Don't speed and always keep left. Take the first junction then you will see Naiman on the right, an end lot of a long row of business premises. Lights up with an extended well renovated Malay decorative type "house".
It serves Thai and Malay delicacies. Most dishes well prepared, delicious, and appetising. Mederately priced and pretty fast in term of service. Kailan freshly cook with clear type Tom Yam (although I still prefer Tom Yam Chengmai by D'Nangka). My "Ikan Kembung Goreng 3 Rasa" always consistently cooked and never changed in taste. Even the drinks especially my favorite Watermelon juice is pure unadultered with "air sirap" :)
Monday, December 15, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Asam Pedas
Melaka is famous for its Asam Pedas, a local dish of unknown origin (please comment). The hotter or the sourer the better. It had not been in my list untill I migrated to Melaka. Most local I met say all commercially available Asam Pedas no longer Ori. So we are very unfortunate not be able to taste the Ori eventhough I prefer "Buy yang Ori". Unless........ you know someone of old age good at cooking the Real Asam Pedas. Marrying the local cannot guarantee you the priviledge either.
Anyhow, "tiada rotan, akarpun jadi". I have tasted few known for their Asam Pedas. Some say the best in town, some simply say.... "kau belum cuba yang satu lagi... :)". Personally speaking, if you come all the way just to eat Asam Pedas I would recommend any 2 of these spots.
One is located near Straits Meridian Hotel along Melaka Muar or AMJ Highway, just right after State Mosque on the left if you were driving from Alor Gajah. If you were from Muar, make a U-Turn under the flyover just in front of the State Mosque. There is an Apple Burger Restaurant next to the Hotel also serving Asam Pedas. But you should take the one located just futher up next to Apple Burger. Take the small side road just next to Apple Burger. It's more Gerai than a restaurant selling flying Roti Canai (Roti Canai Terbang) as well.
My favourite is always Ikan Parang (yang banyak tulang). I dont know what Oreng Putih call "tulang ikan". Fish bone is not the right word to describe Tulang Ikan Parang yang terlampau banyak.... :). Always ask for a side dish like ULAM (raw vegitable or herbs), sambal belacan and petai is a must for me. Pricewise? Reasonably graded and it's value for money.
While waiting for your Asam Pedas you can relex and enjoy a free show of Flying Roti Canai. You will be amused on how they twist and turn the Indian Origin Roti Canai flying like an UFO without dropping it down. They are very Profesional indeed. Some already appeared in International Competitions worldwide!!
This Gerai opens daily except for special known to the owner only. The also close when you go there, all lights are off and nobody there except you and the geng.....hahahahahaha. They operate after Maghrib until nobody would come or when all Lauk tinggal tulang. I have stayed in Melaka almost 2 years and yet never seen the owner who is rarely smile, dark skin, nicely built body wearing White Kopiah standing or walking except sitting on his chair issuing bills and change for customers. But nice guy for a small chat (dont think he knows Yahoo Messenger ever exist..), an expensive smile for you to snap on with your new Nokia. If you use Nokia....
The next spot will be Asam Pedas @ "Perhentian Kueh Kampung". Since Banda Hilir roads mostly one way, one can get lost easily. This one located at or closes to the intersection of Lorong Bukit Senjuang and Jalan Ujong Pasir. Best way is to open Google Map and search for "Jalan Ujong Pasir". This Asam Pedas is not for dinner. It opens in the morning but you can only order Asam Pedar during lunch time until 3 to 4 pm. Sometimes it finishes at 2pm, so you can see how popular they are. Pricewise it is on the high side. But if you drive expensive car, why you bother for that extra ringgit. It is even cheaper than driving around looking for next Asam Pedas. Tourist always carry more cash than local. During peak holiday seasons, you will be lucky to get a seat. So please bring along your tikar mengkuag or beach mat.
The recipe is actually owned by the father who recently decided to pass down to his son(s). Unlike Coca-Cola they may not have a written secret but I believe simply by showing how to cook and what to add at the right time, the successor may not get 100% perfect. A slight different in taste is noticeable. Maybe they use different brand of Cooking Gas :). People do change so does the food. Not to worry much, these two places are the best. The rest are glamourous only.
Anyhow, "tiada rotan, akarpun jadi". I have tasted few known for their Asam Pedas. Some say the best in town, some simply say.... "kau belum cuba yang satu lagi... :)". Personally speaking, if you come all the way just to eat Asam Pedas I would recommend any 2 of these spots.
One is located near Straits Meridian Hotel along Melaka Muar or AMJ Highway, just right after State Mosque on the left if you were driving from Alor Gajah. If you were from Muar, make a U-Turn under the flyover just in front of the State Mosque. There is an Apple Burger Restaurant next to the Hotel also serving Asam Pedas. But you should take the one located just futher up next to Apple Burger. Take the small side road just next to Apple Burger. It's more Gerai than a restaurant selling flying Roti Canai (Roti Canai Terbang) as well.
My favourite is always Ikan Parang (yang banyak tulang). I dont know what Oreng Putih call "tulang ikan". Fish bone is not the right word to describe Tulang Ikan Parang yang terlampau banyak.... :). Always ask for a side dish like ULAM (raw vegitable or herbs), sambal belacan and petai is a must for me. Pricewise? Reasonably graded and it's value for money.
While waiting for your Asam Pedas you can relex and enjoy a free show of Flying Roti Canai. You will be amused on how they twist and turn the Indian Origin Roti Canai flying like an UFO without dropping it down. They are very Profesional indeed. Some already appeared in International Competitions worldwide!!
This Gerai opens daily except for special known to the owner only. The also close when you go there, all lights are off and nobody there except you and the geng.....hahahahahaha. They operate after Maghrib until nobody would come or when all Lauk tinggal tulang. I have stayed in Melaka almost 2 years and yet never seen the owner who is rarely smile, dark skin, nicely built body wearing White Kopiah standing or walking except sitting on his chair issuing bills and change for customers. But nice guy for a small chat (dont think he knows Yahoo Messenger ever exist..), an expensive smile for you to snap on with your new Nokia. If you use Nokia....
The next spot will be Asam Pedas @ "Perhentian Kueh Kampung". Since Banda Hilir roads mostly one way, one can get lost easily. This one located at or closes to the intersection of Lorong Bukit Senjuang and Jalan Ujong Pasir. Best way is to open Google Map and search for "Jalan Ujong Pasir". This Asam Pedas is not for dinner. It opens in the morning but you can only order Asam Pedar during lunch time until 3 to 4 pm. Sometimes it finishes at 2pm, so you can see how popular they are. Pricewise it is on the high side. But if you drive expensive car, why you bother for that extra ringgit. It is even cheaper than driving around looking for next Asam Pedas. Tourist always carry more cash than local. During peak holiday seasons, you will be lucky to get a seat. So please bring along your tikar mengkuag or beach mat.
The recipe is actually owned by the father who recently decided to pass down to his son(s). Unlike Coca-Cola they may not have a written secret but I believe simply by showing how to cook and what to add at the right time, the successor may not get 100% perfect. A slight different in taste is noticeable. Maybe they use different brand of Cooking Gas :). People do change so does the food. Not to worry much, these two places are the best. The rest are glamourous only.
Banda Hilir
Banda Hilir (the word Banda spelt without 'r' as in 'Bandar' which means Town) a nice town to work and live. I moved here Feb 2007 from Kuala Lumpur as a single man leaving behind my beautiful wife Shairin and a handsome young man, Farhan and a little cute daughter, Hanna in clouded city of Kuala Lumpur.
Never in my mind to apply for a permanent Melaka Resident. It just happened unplanned during my first visit to Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall during 2006 December School Holidays when I was on Road Tour promoting my business at Jasin Stadium. Being a Nomad, I had to move from place to place whenever I saw a dollar sign floating in the air.
Teluk Intan, Shah Alam, Lumut just to name a few. In fact that's all I think... :) meeting people and ladies of the world were just part of our life. It's fun but not to be without my children and wife (the one and OnLy....hahahahahah..). We used to travel a lot before exploring every single major and slip roads of Peninsular Malaysia, from the very South to the very North as far as our Citroen ZX permitted to drive-in.
So, life unsettled having "fatherless children" I decided to look for something concrete as the Petronas Twin Tower evolving from unknown world for good. I awarded Banda Hilir as the winner after few negotiations with a nice land lady for a possible flexible 2+1 small business lot rental agreement.
Click here and there, here I am now in Banda Hilir, Melaka (some spell it as Malacca). At time of writing just being awarded as Historical City by UNESCO. None is easy in life! With a little bit of knowledge, money, courage, interest (not in term of convensional banking which is forbidden in Islam, :)) and family and friends' support, I continue my business legacy selling crystals and gemstones. Venturing slowly into gold and diamond.
HANNAMORI is my 'unregistered Trade Mark' with colourful wild butterfly "stationerily" flies over 'I'. Hanna is our daughter, a more Japanese than Malay in look. Big eyes, round face a talkative little young lady and like to shout whenever she feel unsaved by her brother, Farhan. As a 'Japanese' I wanted it to sound like Japanese. So I gave a call to my old friend who studied in Japan, married to Tall Japanese lady and even work for a Japanese Company just to know what "Mori" means. Thus the combined word simply means Flower in a Jungle or Jungle Flower. Whatever it is, that the name you have to look for whenever you come visiting Melaka @ Melaka Megamall, Banda Hilir. Lot C160, Heritage Gallery.
Never in my mind to apply for a permanent Melaka Resident. It just happened unplanned during my first visit to Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall during 2006 December School Holidays when I was on Road Tour promoting my business at Jasin Stadium. Being a Nomad, I had to move from place to place whenever I saw a dollar sign floating in the air.
Teluk Intan, Shah Alam, Lumut just to name a few. In fact that's all I think... :) meeting people and ladies of the world were just part of our life. It's fun but not to be without my children and wife (the one and OnLy....hahahahahah..). We used to travel a lot before exploring every single major and slip roads of Peninsular Malaysia, from the very South to the very North as far as our Citroen ZX permitted to drive-in.
So, life unsettled having "fatherless children" I decided to look for something concrete as the Petronas Twin Tower evolving from unknown world for good. I awarded Banda Hilir as the winner after few negotiations with a nice land lady for a possible flexible 2+1 small business lot rental agreement.
Click here and there, here I am now in Banda Hilir, Melaka (some spell it as Malacca). At time of writing just being awarded as Historical City by UNESCO. None is easy in life! With a little bit of knowledge, money, courage, interest (not in term of convensional banking which is forbidden in Islam, :)) and family and friends' support, I continue my business legacy selling crystals and gemstones. Venturing slowly into gold and diamond.
HANNAMORI is my 'unregistered Trade Mark' with colourful wild butterfly "stationerily" flies over 'I'. Hanna is our daughter, a more Japanese than Malay in look. Big eyes, round face a talkative little young lady and like to shout whenever she feel unsaved by her brother, Farhan. As a 'Japanese' I wanted it to sound like Japanese. So I gave a call to my old friend who studied in Japan, married to Tall Japanese lady and even work for a Japanese Company just to know what "Mori" means. Thus the combined word simply means Flower in a Jungle or Jungle Flower. Whatever it is, that the name you have to look for whenever you come visiting Melaka @ Melaka Megamall, Banda Hilir. Lot C160, Heritage Gallery.
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