A Ramadhan Getaway
Two weeks into the holy month of Ramadhan, we decided to take a short break from the concrete jungle of Kuala Lumpur. Our favourite Airbnb Superhost, Victor, managed to secure a place for us, and after a leisurely two hour drive south, we arrived in Melaka City.
Since it was already lunchtime, we headed straight to Baba Charlie Café. From its humble beginnings in a narrow, inconspicuous lane making traditional Nyonya kuih, Baba Charlie has grown into a full café serving a wide range of Nyonya dishes.
Nyonya — descendants of Southern Chinese settlers in maritime Southeast Asia
Kuih — bite sized traditional snacks or desserts
Lunch at Baba Charlie Café
Hunger pangs meant we forgot to film the menu, but trust us — the selection was extensive. After a quick scan, we settled on:
- Ponteh Chicken Rice Set — RM7.90
- Chili Garam Fish Steak Rice — RM23.90
- Assorted beverages
Pongteh — braised meat with potatoes in fermented bean paste and soy sauce
Chili Garam Fish — Nyonya style baked fish with chilli paste
The best part? No service charge. Our meal came to a very reasonable RM38.30 (≈ USD9/EUR8).
Kuih Shopping Spree
Of course, no visit to Baba Charlie is complete without kuih. We bought ten servings’ worth of our favourites for RM40.50 (≈ USD10/EUR9). Among them were:
- Ang Koo — red tortoise kuih with mung bean filling
- Kochi — glutinous rice flour with coconut and palm sugar
- Kuih Lapis — colourful steamed layered pudding
- Pulut Tekan — blue tinted glutinous rice with kaya
- Seri Muka — glutinous rice topped with pandan custard
- Talam — steamed coconut milk and rice flour kuih
Each piece was a reminder of why Melaka remains the heart of Nyonya heritage.
Highly Recommended
We highly recommend Baba Charlie Café to anyone wanting to experience authentic Nyonya cuisine and traditional sweet cakes. It’s a must visit whenever we’re in Melaka.
(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)
📍 Location:
Baba Charlie Cafe - https://goo.gl/maps/krHkdE1YPH1vG76n8
We do what we can to support local businesses, and it's always good to know that everyone here observes all related SOPs, it helps make us feel safer and reassured.
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