Limbongan Hailam Kopitiam (海南咖啡店)

No. 8 Kompleks Niaga Limbongan

Jalan Kristal Merah 1

Taman Limbongan Jaya

75200 Melaka

Coordinates: 2.204192, 102.221421

(Please note: The coordinates given are an approximation) 

Day four in Melaka and we set out early towards Tengkera in search of authentic local breakfast fare. This time we took our car and our quest took us along Jalan Tengkera headed in the general direction of Pantai Klebang.

large crowds even past 9am

it was a busy morning

waiters catching their breaths

We got to Limbongan Hailam Kopitiam a little after 9:00AM but the breakfast crowd was still in full swing. We managed to snare a table and promptly ordered each a pair of half eggs with toast; I sampled the coffee while Cat opted for her usual Iced Tea.

breakfast of champions!

for each of us

perfection

more perfection

our beverages

final parting shot

What can we say? The large crowd gathered here came for a reason. Besides serving what we can attest to be the best eggs and toast ensemble we’ve had in a while, the coffee was brewed to perfection. And did we mention the entire breakfast hardly cost us RM15? 

Min Chong Hygienic Ice Cafe

43 Jalan Bunga Raya

Kampung Jawa

75100 Melaka

Coordinates: 2.197659, 102.251122

Barely two hours after our branch, and partly due to all the walking we did after that we found ourselves famished again. Thankfully the area we were exploring held a myriad of choices when it came to eateries.

We were drawn to this diminutive hole-in-the-wall staff because of its name: Min Chong Hygienic Ice Café. Serving primarily ice shaving and ¹Rojak this stall claims to use ‘hygienic’ ice for their shaving . Are they trying to say other establishments are 'unhygienic'? (laugh out loud!)

¹mixed vegetable salad served with thick spicy peanut sauce

hole-in-the-wall

unassuming

we came for the cendol

old-school!

 We both ordered a bowl of ice shaving each and a plate of Rojak which in actual fact resembled ²Pasembur. for dessert Cat added a ³Nyonya Chang.

²a Malaysian salad consisting of cucumber, potatoes, beancurd, turnip, bean sprouts, prawn fritters, spicy fried crab, fried octopus or other seafoods and served with a sweet and spicy nut sauce

³a Melaka Peranakan cuisine with a distinctive sweet and savory taste with a patch of blue glutinous rice, which is colored by blue pea flower juice.

cendol 

mine came with extra red bean

thirst quencher

rojak or pasembur?

delectable

home made nyonya chang

Min Chong towards a Fong Yong rather than a Longhouse 86 style of shaved ice which suited us just fine. The Rojak slash Pasembur was delightful and the Nyonya Chang decidedly home made. For sure Min Chong more than qualifies for the classification of the everyday food for the everyday man?

Lorong Jambatan

Kampung Jawa

75100 Melaka

Coordinates: 2.197521, 102.250602

After our excellent late breakfast or brunch at Kok Keong we resumed our journey to the pedestrian bridge at Kampung Jawa.

According to The Star newspapers locals call it the “Ghost Bridge” because during Japanese rule (1942-1945), severed heads of local Chinese businessmen killed by the dreaded Kenpeitai (military police) were hung along its pillars.

the lane leading to the bridge

Reaching the lane to the bridge we came across a small locksmith shop run by an elderly man who we came to know later was a third generation Malaccan. We bet his father and grandfather before him would have experienced the horrors of the Kenpetai during the brief Japanese occupation.

tools of the trade

engrossing

a master craftsman

it was our honour

once even featured in an exhibition 

We never got to ask his name, mainly because we were engrossed in his craftsmanship and attention to detail. There was no key he could not duplicate, to the point that I even had my car keys duplicated as well (you never know you might need a third spare, I guess?).

We then got to the pedestrian bridge aptly named Lorong Jambatan (Bridge Lane) on Google maps. A brief chill ran down my spine as I tried to image the severed heads hung here.

finally got here!

severed heads

view of the church from the bridge

tranquil

until a cruise boat passes by

finally got to the other side

Crossing the bridge to the other side we found another master craftsman, this time a barber in a barbershop frozen in time! Cat walked ahead to explore the area while I stayed back to have me a good old fashioned haircut and the must-have ear cleaning service that always comes with it.

apparently it was a busy day

I had to wait my turn

ear cleaning!

can hardly wait my turn

blast from the past!

If you wish to go back in time this area called Lorong Jambatan will definitely serve as a time tunnel to Melaka’s past.

Restoran Kok Keong (板底街芋饭肉羹汤)

11 Jalan Kampung Pantai

75200 Melaka

Coordinates: 2.196764, 102.249720

After all the glorious food that we’ve having the past few days we wanted to make an effort to walk off the calories this morning. We left our budget hotel and planned to walks along Jonker Walk until we reached the riverside, and from there we planned to walk the entire length of the river or for as far as the path along the river took us.

First walking along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock we headed to Jalan Tokong until its end, and proceeded to Jalan Tukang Emas. We then headed north east along Jalan Hang Kasturi and then south east along Jalan Kampung Pantai meaning to get to pedestrian bridge at Kampung Jawa.

the typical diminutive restaurant

the signboard says something else?

busy, busy

But before we got to the bridge we were enticed by a diminutive restaurant that seemed to be well patronized. We walked in and promptly ordered two servings of their house specialty, the 豬肉羹 which Cat could only roughly translate as pork soup or pork stew.

the 'pork stew'

the unique yam rice

fiery chilis

time to eat!

Quite similar to ¹Bak Kut Teh, this particular variant of the pork stew is full of flavor  and coupled with their unique yam rice presents quite a unique experience.

¹a Chinese soup that literally means "meat bone tea", and at its simplest, consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a complex broth of herbs and spices (including star anise, cinnamon, cloves, dang gui, fennel seeds and garlic) for hours. Additional ingredients may include offal, varieties of mushroom, choy sum, and pieces of dried tofu or fried tofu puffs. Additional Chinese herbs may include yu zhu (玉竹, rhizome of Solomon's Seal) and ju zhi (buckthorn fruit), which give the soup a sweeter, slightly stronger flavour. Light and dark soy sauce are also added to the soup during cooking and garnished with chopped coriander or green onions and a sprinkling of fried shallots, and usually eaten with rice.

We then continued our mission to walk off the calories gained the past few days, as well as newly acquired ones!

Dong Fung Coffee Shop (東方煮炒)

122 Jalan Temenggong

Kampung Banda Kaba

75000 Melaka

Coordinates: 2.194981, 102.254062

Truth be told we had actually intended to have dinner at another venue located at Lorong Bukit Cina, but as luck would have it the long queue put paid to our plans.

some other time then?

Walking along the same road we turned east along Jalan Temenggong we stumbled on a food court.  We need to explain something: here in Malaysia the definition of food court is very loose. From a large premise the size of a small indoor stadium the Malaysian food court can also mean one shop lot housing a few stalls. In the case of Dong Fung Coffee Shop it was the latter.

diminutive coffee shop

with local talent wokking away

a food court nonetheless

pork satay!

in case we were still hungry

To our pleasant surprise they sold pork satay here as well, and like the stall at Huang Du the stall here also sold meatier chunks.  We promptly ordered twenty sticks of the pork satay, and as if to emulate my efforts at Huang Du a large bottle of Tiger large soon followed. Cat also added a plate of Spring Rolls.

don't worry, we came on foot

Cat loved her spring roll

oo la la

finger licking good

one last shot for good measure

The pork satay was just as juicy and tasty, while Cat completely enjoyed her Spring Roll. With dinner coming in at under RM30 Dong Fung Coffee Shop definitely serves the everyday food for the everyday man.