Malacca (or Melaka) is the historical state of Malaysia, a place with rich heritage and culture. If you want to experience the old world charm without sacrificing too much of your modern-day luxuries, Malacca would be the perfect place for you.

In this travel guide, the Evilbean explores Jonker Street, Malacca and filters out only the BEST CAFES and STREET FOOD that are worth the calories. This is not your usual guide, this is the ONLY HONEST GUIDE you will need for your trip to Malacca!

1. Best Hotel + Best Chocolate Cake - Hatten Hotel

If you are wondering where to stay, I would highly recommend Hatten Hotel. The lobby is big and posh, the room is clean, AND THEY HAVE RAIN SHOWER. OH GOD I LOVE RAIN SHOWERS.




The absolute BEST THING about Hatten Hotel? Their chocolate cake. I swear, their chocolate cake ranks as one of the top few in my list. And guess what? It's (technically) free!

All you have to do is to head up to their rooftop bar and just pretend it's your birthday. 



Seriously, you have to try their chocolate cake. 

2. Peranakan Food - Amy Heritage Nyonya Cuisine


Just behind Hatten Hotel a Peranakan restaurant that is immensely popular. I would highly advise that you make a reservation before going down to Amy, because the restaurant was FULLY BOOKED when we were there. They reject all walk-ins when they are full. Thus, to avoid disappointment, reserve your seats at least 2-3 days before you head down.

Why are they so popular? Long story short - the founder Madam Amy Koh is a famous chef that has won many accolades for her authentic Nyonya cuisines. 




3. Cheesy Prawn Meehoon at Restoran Tong Sheng (东升园海鲜家)
Head over to the restaurant opposite Amy for some seafood and their famous "Cheesy Prawn Meehoon".








I love steamed eggs and I love Otah. Therefore, I had to order a plate of this to try even though I knew that we were going to have difficulty finishing this. 

Nonetheless, this is exactly what you would expect it to taste like, so no surprises here. The portion is very generous for a small - we were playing Scissors-Paper-Stone to see who has to finish up the few pieces of otah that were left.

Overall, given the queue time, price, and food quality, Tong Sheng is not really a must-go place in Malacca. Unless you have a lot of time to spare, I would suggest that you skip this food stop if you have to queue for more than 30 minutes.



We headed over to Jonker Street the next morning for a day of cafe-hopping!

4. Breakfast + OOTD - Kaya Kaya Cafe





Finally, a dish that was actually pretty good. The Salted Duck Egg Spaghetti was a dish with diced chicken breast cooked with curry leaves, chilli and salted egg yolk. It was bursting with flavours and the medley of salted egg yolk and the spices was pleasing all my senses. I actually rated this dish a #4evilbeans on my Instagram @evilbean (Follow me! Link opens in new window!). 

The ambience here is to-die-for. It's a perfect place for you to read a book, busk in the sunlight, breathe in the freshly produced oxygen from the plants around you while being comforted by the calming sounds of the wind chimes.

Food wise, however, it was not that spectacular. Maybe it's just a case of us ordering the wrong food, because I have read some really rave reviews for their dishes. We will definitely visit Kaya Kaya cafe again though, because life is all about second chances.

5. White Melaka Cheese Cake - Ola Lavandaria Cafe

Exit Kaya Kaya Cafe and make about 10 steps in front of you for your next cafe stop - Ola Lavandaria Cafe.



A few reviews have claimed that Ola Lavanderia Cafe probably serves the best cheesecake in Malacca. Well, you can now add Evilbean to that list of endorsement. 

Light yet creamy, perfect layering of the cheese and berry flavours, and a nice crispy cookie crumble base, this is a cheesecake to-die-for!


6. Coconut Ice-Cream/Shake - Bikini Toppings 


Yeap, you don't need to go all the way to Bangkok for some really good coconut ice-cream anymore. Plus, you gotta admit, the name is quite kinky. 



I had to do a double take at where they drilled the holes... (NOT THE NIPPLES, my dirty mind thought)


Having a coconut ice-cream in the sweltering weather (with temperature reaching 36 degrees!) of Malacca is pure pleasure. Honestly, I don't know if the weather bumped up the Evilbean rating for this ice-cream+coconut flesh dessert, but it totally felt like a #5evilbeans for me while I was eating this. SO GOOD.

So gonna try out their Bikini Shake the next time!


7. Take a stroll down Malacca River

Burn off some of that calories by taking a stroll down the scenic Malacca River.






8. Relief the heat with bitter tea - Halle Suite House (中国华佗涼茶館)

You can choose to relief from the heat in 2 ways:

- Fat way: EAT ALL DA ICE-CREAM
- Healthy way: Drink some herbal tea




9. Blue Dumplings???






10. Mini Pandan Pancakes - The Daily Fix



You might miss this cafe if you are not paying attention - The Daily Fix Cafe is hidden in the back of a souvenir store! 










11. Try out coffee from 13 states of Malaysia - Calanthe Art Cafe


If you love coffee as much as I do, then this cafe that lets you have a taste of coffee from THIRTEEN states of Malaysia is a must-visit.







12. Beautiful Hot Chocolate - Eat At 18








13. Root Beer Espresso - Locahouz


I love root beer. Anything that is mixed in with root beer sounds enticing. But what about Root Beer mixed in with Espresso? Will they really go well?







14. Owl Ice Coffee - Backlane Coffee


Head over to Backlane Coffee for another great place to take #OOTD photos!






You should have noticed by now just how much the cafes in Malacca love their plants. Photosynthesis is EVERYWHERE.

And of course, the #OOTD shot that you came for at their backlane:







15. BEST CAFE IN MALACCA - The Baboon House


If I have to pick out the best cafe in Malacca, I would think The Baboon House wins the title hands down. 



As soon as you enter, you would be greeted by a myriad of weird, spooky decors. We were fortunate to be seated at the indoor courtyard. The cafe had a certain charm to it. I felt very relaxed in there. 

As I look around, I saw paintings lining up the wall, huge bunches of joss sticks that had finished burning in the potted plants, and red lanterns juxtaposing against the bright daylight. When we were there, there was also a cute resident cat lying restlessly on the chair.

There is a no-photography policy in here, but here's a photo from another website that brilliantly captured the essence of the courtyard:



They are famous for their burgers, and trust me, they were AWESOME! Like #5evilbeans awesome. Pair your burgers with their Somersby Cider for maximum "shiokness" (pleasure).



The mysterious vibe, the no-photography policy, the burger and the resident cat makes this place a MUST-GO when you are in Malacca. This was truly a one-of-a-kind place that felt different from all the cafes that I have been. You would be a baboon to not visit this place at least once in your lifetime.



- Give these a miss:



There are some blogs that recommend the following places, but I thought that they were not really that good in my opinion. You can definitely give them a miss if you do not have time.

a. Hainanese Chicken Rice - Chop Chung Wah

Situated right at the main entrance of Jonker Street, this chicken rice shop is perpetually seen with long queues no matter what time you go.






After standing under the sweltering sun for almost 2 hours, all I could say is MEH. These are not that good to justify the queuing. 

b. Dim Sum - Restoran Rong Mao





Again, some food and travel blogs recommend this place for good dim sum. But honestly, the dim sum were average at best. I would rather spend my calories on some other food.

---

And that concludes Part 1 of my guide to the Best Cafes and Food in Malacca! 



Stay tuned to Part 2 of my Malacca guide as I tell you more about the BEST Jonker Street Night Market/Street Food + Colourful Rickshaws + Supermarket Must-Buys!

Related post: Heading over to Penang soon? Check out my Penang Cafe and Street Food guide!

My mom has worked really hard throughout her life.

As the oldest sister in the family, she shouldered the burden of raising her brothers and sisters since young, sacrificing the opportunity to go to school just so she can bring some money back home.

Even after she was married to my dad, she did not enjoy a blissful marriage. Somewhere along the line, the relationship between my mum and my dad soured. Being a strong, independent woman, she decided to work night-shift so as to avoid as much contact as possible with my dad. That also meant that we did not get to see her much for the most part of our lives. Whenever my sisters and I wanted to plan for a family outing, my mum would not be free because of her work schedule. Even when we could gather, it was always just 2-3 hours, before she leaves for work at night.

When I was in my early twenties, my dad suddenly stopped contributing to the household. My mom, once again, had to shoulder the burden of raising us almost single-handedly. She took on two, sometimes three jobs, and slept less than 4 hours a day for at least 10 years, just so we could go to university.

After slogging her guts out for the past few decades, my sisters and I finally graduated from our studies and stepped into the corporate world. Just when she thought she could finally get her well-deserved rest and fulfill her dreams of flying around the world... she started getting intense pain around her stomach. She could not eat, and worst, she could not even drink water because it would be extremely painful.

Awhile after Chinese New Year, she was admitted to the hospital. The doctor found tumours in her womb, which have spread to her intestines...

I still remembered that day, when I first saw my mom on the hospital bed - weak, pale and with needles protruding out of her frail arms everywhere. The first thing she said when she saw me?

"刚好以为可以享福了..." (Just when I thought I could finally enjoy...)

I tried so hard to hold back that overwhelming rush of emotions and comforted her (something which Aries do very well): "不会有事的." (Everything is going to be alright)

My mom has been one that has never wanted anything. Because of her strong facade, we always thought that she is okay. However, after this happened, I realised that my mum has never been pampered.

As I am typing this, I recalled that when I was young, I used to love arcades. I would always pester my mom to bring me to arcades, despite daytime being her rest time since she worked the night shift. She would then find an empty game machine and just fall asleep on it while I spend at least 2-3 hours playing... My mom is seriously the greatest.

As a woman, my mom has never gotten any jewellery from anyone. I thought that getting my mom a piece of jewellery might make her feel like a princess, or at least, the blissful feeling of owning one.



Honestly, if you have shopped online, you would not need any tutorial for this jewellery e-store because the procedures are similar. But I am going to tell you why you should shop for jewellery online.

3 Reasons Why Shopping for Jewellery Online is the Best

1. Shopping for jewellery physically can be daunting

Let's face it, us guys have zero knowledge about jewellery. The only thing that we probably know is that the bigger the carat, the happier our fiancee/wife/girlfriend/mom.

To me, jewellery shops have this huge force-shield that makes it daunting for me to enter. "Will I appear stupid? What should I ask? What am I even going to do inside?" 



Shopping online solves the shield problem. 

Firstly, the user interface on the SOOKEE e-store is clean, neat and intuitive. 



You would know which section to navigate to at first glance.

When I was shopping for the gift for my mom, I came across a lot of terminology that I did not understand. What is colour? How will the cut or clarity affect the diamond?

Thankfully, the e-store has included lots of helpful prompts and guides for noobs like myself. 



If I still need more help, there is a live chat button at the bottom right corner that will connect you straight to one of the professionals. How awesome is that?

2. You get to customise and see how it will turn out

The unique point of the SOOKEE e-store is that it is Singapore's first customisable diamond ring store. If you are proposing to that special girl in your life, trust me, your diamond ring NEEDS TO BE SPECIAL. You can also tell your fiancee this:

"I customised this diamond ring for you, because the one and only in my life needs to have the one and only ring"



- GIA Certificate

Another feature of the online store is the ability to view the GIA Certificate online. This is a certificate which gives you an accurate description of your diamond, and ensures that you are making an informed choice before committing to the purchase.



The advantages of buying a diamond with a GIA certificate are:

1. You will know exactly what you are buying. Every important factor you need to know about the diamond is described in the certificate.

2. The seller knows exactly what he/she is selling to you so as to avoid any misunderstandings in the future.

3. If a diamond comes with a GIA certificate, you will not become a victim of buying a synthetic diamond. Yes, there are real man-made diamonds that hit the market back in 1977. Currently, average jewelers have no way of telling if a diamond is natural or man-made.

4. Purchasing a GIA certified diamond will simply provide you with much more confidence and value.

- Engrave Preview

This is another cool feature which can only happen online - the ability to preview your engravings on the ring. 


You can even choose the font you would like your inscription to be in!

3. Free Delivery + Insurance

The third reason why you should purchase from SOOKEE is their attention to after sales service. Not only do you get complimentary courier delivery and insurance with every order, you are also assured with an in store 7-day exchange policy at SOOKEE outlets. 

Plus, they are really pretty! My mom didn't want a diamond ring, so I got her a beautiful gemstone pendant that is adorned with 10 side diamonds that are approximately 0.04ct. 




My mom didn't want to have her photo taken, as she has since lost most of her hair to chemo. Nevertheless, I could see that she was really happy to receive it, from the glint in her eyes. The necklace also took some attention away from her balding head! This has to be one of the best gift I have given her so far. Thank you SOOKEE for the wonderful piece of jewellery!

EXCLUSIVE SOOKEE ESTORE PROMOTION FOR MY READERS!

Create your own diamond rings, pendants or earrings for yourself or gift them to a loved one! Simply use my personal promo code "joey$100sookeeestore" at https://www.estore.sookee.com/ for $100 off your SOOKEE customised diamond rings, pendants or earrings.

Valid with diamond settings above $500, till 30 Sept 2016.

There is nothing funny about this Spider Pig Burger though. In fact, this is a dish you might want to relish in quiet thoughts because OH MY GOD SO GOOD!
Hungry Heroes gets almost a perfect rating from the Evilbean, and that is partly because I am a comic-book nerd + meat-eater, and the meat served here are gorgeous.

Cafe Rating (out of 5 Evilbeans):
  (4.5)