My recent road trip to Malacca had brought my adventurous soul to explore the Nyonya flavours in town. Unfortunately many shops were closed on Wednesday, but luck was our side, and we managed to discover a homey place that serves real authentic Peranakan dishes.
Nyonya Taste Cuisine in Taman Kota Laksamana
The shopfront might look ordinary, but once we stepped into the restaurant, we were totally blown by the beautiful, time-forgotten paraphernalia that literally transported us back to the glorious Peranakan years.
Kueh Pai Tee
I was excited to begin my gastronomical experience here as the humble chef had prepared many interesting home-cooked Peranakan dishes for us. Everything from the sauce to the pastry here was handmade from scratch using traditional recipes passed down from one generation to another.
For instance, the Kuih Pai Tee featured a very crisp top hat shell that did not turn soggy despite of being generously filled with moist savoury turnip. The shallot crisps garnishing with a dollop of fiery red chilli sauce added a delicious kick to the spicy-sweet combination. So addictive!
Chicken - Garlic Fried Chicken
My personal favourite dish which kept me hooked is the marinated chicken tenders deep-fried with garlic cloves. Although I don't usually like the pungent garlicky stench, I was surprised that the garlic fried chicken actually exuded strong aroma of spice and savoury goodness. No hints of pungent smell at all! The overall dish was delicious and I loved it.
Pajelis Terung
If you love something milder, the blanched brinjal drenched in sweet curry gravy is great to go with a hot bowl of white rice. For the more adventurous palates, I'd recommend the Asam Fish dish laden with very rich, tangy tamarind-based sauce which was well-absorbed into the tender and moist fish.
Fish - Asam Empat Rasa
Pork - Hati Babi Bungkus
Next up was another "forgotten" Peranakan dish, as we seldom see it served in most restaurants nowadays because of the painstaking process of making the meatballs. The pork meat and liver were minced thoroughly, then wrapped in very thin layer of pig's caul (Pork membrane).
The texture reminded me of Chinese waxed sausage, but it was a softer and moist version. The flavour was very unique, and best paired with homemade fresh chilli sauce and steamed turnip slices. If you'd like to try this dish, advanced booking is required.
The texture reminded me of Chinese waxed sausage, but it was a softer and moist version. The flavour was very unique, and best paired with homemade fresh chilli sauce and steamed turnip slices. If you'd like to try this dish, advanced booking is required.
Omelette
Homemade Pineapple Tart
Ending our sumptuous feast, we also tried the homemade pineapple tart, a festive favourite pastry of mine. I enjoyed the light, crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth texture without being overly buttery for my liking. Plus, the pineapple paste was nicely done at the right level of sweetness.
Meet the humble owner of Nyonya Taste Cuisine :)
Verdict:
1. If you are feeling nostalgic and looking for old Peranakan charm, Nyonya Taste Cuisine is definitely a great restaurant to visit.
2. Surprises are aplenty here, as it serves many traditional Peranakan dishes that you may not have seen elswhere.
3. Recommended: Garlic Fried Chicken, Hati Babi Bungkus, Pineapple Tart
Nyonya Taste Cuisine
15, Jalan 3/11,
Taman Kota Laksamana,
Seksyen 3,
75300 Melaka,
Malaysia.
Contact: 012-638 9915 / 014-661 5170
Email: rubysong64@yahoo.com
Facebook: fb.com/nyonyatastecuisine
Thanks for sharing. I hope it will be helpful for too many people that are searching for this topic.- selena gomez
ReplyDelete