Malacca One Day Trip

Honestly if it's not been my group of colleagues, I wouldn't be traveling to so many places around the country for some good food and fun activities. It's been such a great year and we've been going to Penang to run together and just recently we were in Malacca on a weekend for a day trip. Traveling in a group of friends is so much fun!


One of the much talked about food to try in Malacca would be the Chicken Rice. They are special because the rice are served in a shape of a ball. And the place which most people reckoned to be the best would be this shop called Chung Wah which is situated at Jalan Hang Jebat, at the starting point of the famous Jonker Street.

I don't think anyone will miss this shop as you can obviously see a very long queue outside the quaint little coffeeshop. We were there just before 11am and we had to queue for almost an hour just to get a table.



And just right in front of the shop, there's a local delicacy shop called "Sam Shu Gong" selling all sorts of local products such as coffee powder, biscuits, spices and also Durian Chendol! While waiting in line for the chicken rice, I bought a few durian chendol for everyone (who eats durian). Well, it wasn't the best durian chendol I've tasted but at least it's cooling on a warm day while waiting in the queue. Don't forget to get a few packs of their 3-in-1 coffee powder as they are very good and worth buying!


Once we got a table, the ordering process is really a quick and easy one. Someone would take your orders and usually it's just ordering the chicken and then how many plates of rice balls. For drinks, we ordered the lime barley which is a twist to the normal barley. The lime adds a zesty taste to the drink which I love.


There is only one man doing all those chopping and he must be really tired after so many hours. We ordered a whole steamed Hainanese-style chicken and the rice balls comes in 5 for each plate and it's the size of a golf ball. I'm sure it won't be sufficient for those who have a big appetite. One reason you should not over order is that there are so many things you can eat on the same street and so don't over eat at one place.

While it's an interesting concept to be having chicken rice balls instead of the normal rice, it's not something that I find worth queuing up for an hour or two. The chicken is flavourful but not silky smooth. Eating here has to be brief and quick as people are waiting for the tables outside and you won't feel comfortable to hang out here to chat. The bill comes up to about RM6 per person. I would suggest that if you have not tried this place, give it a go and I'll only come back if I don't need to queue more than 30mins.

Chung Wah Coffee Shop
18, Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia
Open Daily: 7:30 am to 3:00 pm

After a chicken rice meal, you can just take a stroll along Jonker Street if you're interested in shopping. The things that you can get here includes souvenirs, antiques, some clothes and accessories but most of the shops here are selling these keychains and small items which sometimes you couldn't resist buying.

Of course we do have a second round of eating. We came to this shop called Jonker 88 where there is Asam Laksa, Chendol, rojak and Pai Tee available. It's a self-service outlet where you have to queue (yeah it's all about queuing here in malacca) and get your food and then look for a table at the back of the shop. The seating capacity is limited, so I suggest you get someone to look for a table and the others to queue for food.

I had a bowl of Asam Laksa and then a bowl of chendol. While the Asam Laksa is tangy and spicy, very much unlike the Ayer Hitam asam laksa I had in Penang, it's quite nice because I like the spicy taste with a pinch of lime juice. However, it's not the best. Food tastes average here but it's the company of friends and the spirit of trying the local food that exceeds the importance of the quality of taste.

And lastly, along the streets, you'll find stalls like this selling grilled cuttlefish. They are not cheap but they make a good snack if you have a bottle of icy cold beer in hand. On every Saturday, there's also a night market which starts at 6pm where you can start shopping and eating all again too!

By the time we got back to KL, it was past 12 midnight and we headed straight to Murni at SS2 for supper!

L.Table @ 1 Utama Shopping Centre

Every week, I've been going out for shopping with mom. Two weeks ago, we happened to be in 1Utama to check out the furnitures at British India and after much shopping, our stomachs are growling and it's time to eat.

It's good to see 1Utama has been revamped where the old wing has been renovated and more new shops are emerging. The old wing now should be called the NEW wing! Haha.. now I'm confused. Anyways, I was here at Lavender bakery a month ago and was tempted with their beautiful display of bread and cakes. I bought a few to try and managed to spot the restaurant inside the bakery and I vow to return.



L.Table is the food & beverage section of Lavender where the name simply means "Lavender Table" and not meant to be pronounced in French. What I liked about this place is that the deco is very chic, modern and spacious. It spots an open kitchen where you can see the chefs at work and its menu is western/continental with a few dishes on the local delights.



While waiting for my food to be served, I asked the staff if I got get some bread from the bakery section and then have it at the table and they allowed it. It's nice of them to allow us to do so. I wanted to try the charcoal doughnut which I shared it with mom. It's something special because we don't get to eat "black" breads that often! haha...

The wine bucket attached to the table is really nifty.

Feeling generous, I ordered a whole bottle of Prosecco for both of us instead of just a glass. One glass is at RM25 but the whole bottle is just RM125. Of course I could finish a bottle! I think the waiter was quite shocked when I told him I want to get the whole bottle. He asked "What's the occasion?" I said, "shopping is an ocassion!"



For starters, there's a choice of soups and salads. I ordered their recommended seafood tomato soup with puff pastry (RM18). I love the puff pastry as it was very fluffy. The puff pastry absorbs the tomato soup well and both of these compliment each other. Though there's not much seafood in my soup, it's still acceptable to me. There's nothing extradionary about the taste of the soup but what I liked best is the pairing with the puff pastry.



We really wanted to try the Portobello Mushroom Burger but sadly it's not available that day. I was really disappointed. Mom had the Ham & Cheese Ciabatta (RM18) where it comes with some salad and a bowl of french fries. I felt that the fries were a little to thin. I would have been more satisfied if they used the thick cut fries rather than these McD-sized ones.



I have fond memories of the Lavender outlet in Johor Bahru which serves food when my aunt brought me there for the very first time donkey years ago. At that time, she strongly recommend me to try its chicken rice which was supposed to be one of the best around. This time, I came back and try the Hainanese Chicken Rice (RM18) again to see if it's any good.

To be honest, I was not disappointed. The rice was well cooked and fragrant. You could see the quality of rice here differs from the RM5 chicken rice out there. The chicken is also tender but it's not as good as the ones I had at Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice in Singapore or the ones at Chatterbox in Meritus Mandarin. The sauces is very important and they do serve a good chilli sauce with ginger and also the black soya sauce.



Overall, I'm quite satisfied and the price tag is quite reasonable for once-in-a-while chicken rice cravings. It went pretty well with glass of prosecco. Who would have guessed that prosecco could be paired with chicken rice? Hmm...

I think the prices here are pretty reasonable. They have some really interesting pasta dishes such as the Black truffle tagliatelle (RM35), Pappardelle with duck stroganoff (RM22) and also a Miso black cod (RM40++). They also serve Moet & Chandon if you want something more luxurious and also a few wine labels by glasses and bottles. Price starts from RM22 a glass. The set up is very spacious and you won't feel like you're eaves dropping on others' conversations. A pretty good place to hang out with reasonable prices.

After a hearty meal, it's time to go home.