Jonker's other trail, Melaka, Part 2

We tried a few more places at Jonker's but alas, the chicken rice spell could not be broken. We still ended up there.

The long queue at both Hoe Kee and Chung Wah was absolutely ridiculous- patrons were queuing under the hot sun, even under the rain.

We decided to have Hoe Kee for breakfast the next day, believing that we don't need to queue since we're early. Surprise, surprise, we still needed to queue, about 3 groups of people in front of us. We waited a short while and finally got in. To my disgust, there were plenty of seats available in the inner court yard- I'm not sure why they kept us waiting- to create the illusion that it's so packed even at 10 am??

Ordered minimal, since it was still breakfast time. Not allowed to order all with chicken rice balls, we had to take the normal chicken rice too. The loose chicken rice actually tasted better than the balls, it was more aromatic and less soggy. I feel that the rice balls here fared better than CW's. But the accompanying chilli sauce was not as nice as CW's.

The chicken (RM16) was very smooth, but the flesh lacked the sweetness and springiness of Chung Wah.

Andrew's request for vegetables (RM5)

A rather greasy plate of stir fried cabbage. Was just average.

A slow walk to the adjacent road led us to a purported famed wantan mee shop.

We were rather unsure about this place- it was empty and quiet. Only 2 tables were filled. But, this is the only wantan mee shop on this road, so it should be correct, no?
But we're here and we must try- so we had the wantan mee..

Looks old school, the wantan noodles was slightly bland and had a strong lard flavour. The noodles was slightly sticky and gummy, definitely not everyone's cup of tea. You can mix generous amount of chilli sauce into the wantan noodles to enhance the flavours- supposedly a special way of eating the wantan noodles here. I find the wantan noodles just average though.

Wantans were ok, goes well with the noodles.

Sun May Hiong satay was within acceptable walking distance from Jonker's, we still decided to drive over :p

Dont need much ordering, we just sat down and waited for the sticks of satays to be served..

You dont get much choice, they just plonk what ever cooked satay they have onto your plate and you can eat how much you wanted and ask for top-up when required..

The pork satay was scrumptious- the outer layer was crisp and slightly smokey, the meat was springy and very juicy.

Think their trick was to layer the pork satay- meat, fat, and meat- alternating it creates yummy burning of fats on to the meat. I liked this better than Ming Sate Hut.

Their satay sauce was wonderful too..

Rich and thick, this beautiful blend of peanut, spices, pineapple and starfruit sauce goes perfectly with the yummy pork satay. Delicious!

We tried the intestine, liver and chicken satay and concluded that the pork satay reign supreme!

Sun May Hiong Satay House is located at 50/50A, Jalan Kota Laksamana 1/1, Taman Kota Laksamana, Melaka. Open 11am-6pm. Close on alternate Tuesdays.

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice is located at 4,6,8, Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200 Melaka.

Kedai Makanan & Minuman Wantan Mee is located at 40, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Melaka. Open 7:30am- 2:30 pm.

Jonker Street, Melaka

Was in Melaka recently for a day trip, to celebrate my 2 friend's birthday with, what else, but whole day of all expense paid eating! lucky lucky guys :p

Thanks Andrew for the fantastic transport, we really felt we were in a private coach tour to Melaka, very nice indeed! hehe

We reached Melaka in time for lunch, and our first stop was the famous chicken rice ball at Kedai Kopi Chung Wah. My first try of this shop was when I was 17 years old, my friend's father, a Malaccan, said that this was the only place he'll have the chicken rice balls. The first experience was unforgettable. And I've been back on my every visit to Melaka.

So yes, I was not surprise when I saw the queue when I was approaching the shop. But wait was short, we managed to get seats quite fast.

The rice balls and the chilli sauce.. Compact rice balls coated with chicken oil, i used to just take this with the chilli sauce and I would be satisfied. Alas, I was sorely disappointed as the rice balls lacked the fragrance and flavours that used to impressed me. So was the chilli; it's merely spicy and not fragrant anymore.

I was never impressed with the chicken they served there.. And yes, it's still mediocre.

Next was dessert at Jonker Dessert 88

Their famed cendol with sticky, caramelised gula melaka was a hot item in this shop. How can one miss it?

Still as yummy as the last I had it. A little bit on the sweeter side though..

We walked over to Donald & Lily..

Read that it has a killer nyonya laksa. WF said they're famous for the cendol too (the normal, non caramelised version). It was already nearing tea time and we were lucky to get the final 2 bowls of laksa. The waiter suggested us to try their other nyonya food (pongteh, assam fish etc), but we already had lunch and just wanted to snack here...

Looks absolutely gorgeous, this bowl was definitely sinful. The creamy, thick santanish soup was enticing and not overly rich. I usually don't take nyonya laksa as it's just too rich in flavours. But Donald & Lily's version was surprising smooth and goes down really well with all the fresh ingredients (juicy see ham included :p).

We had some Tau Kua Rojak

Francis said it was weird. So I tried. It was ok actually, warm bean curd, chopped cucumber and pineapple tossed with prawn sauce ala chee cheong fun style. I guess it's an acquired taste? I didn't find it terribly impressive though nearly every table has a plate of it.

Cendol to cool us down.. Too sweet, but the gula melaka was very fragrant.

Kedai Kopi Chung Wah

18, Jalan Hang Jebat ( beginning of Jonker walk) , 75200 Melaka.

Jonker Dessert 88 (Museum Cafe)

88, Jonker Walk, 75200 Melaka.

Donald & Lily

Back of Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (or back lane off Jalan Hang Jebat), 75200 Melaka.