Drove up north 2-hour drive to a small town in Malaysia known as "Melaka" or "Malacca". Spent 2 days with my family for a short holiday. This was my first ever overseas holiday with my entire family. We are not the type of famiy who would go for a holiday annually. When we were younger, we always went to chalets in Singapore and furthest to Sentosa. Other than day trips to JB for makan and shopping, this was the rare occasion for us. It was a good timing I suppose - brother's going to serve the nation soon and sister's starting her new job after completing her degree. Holiday's pretty fun. I was the 'holiday leader' to give directions, knowing where to go, etc...
Happened that besides my first trip there 14 years ago with my school for a history trip, I went there for a day trip with my doctors (work-related) and a 3-day trip with a bunch of friends last year, I just visited the town last month to check out the possibility of holding our church camp there next year. A fren R who grew up in the small town, revealed to us that the town was named after a tree called "Malacca". That tree is found at Afarmosa.
Food Recommendations:
1) Ole Sayang
Peranakan Nonya food, located just a 5-10 minute walk from Hotel Equatorial where we stayed. We got a little lost when trying to find our way there but nevertheless, we did! My favourite was the prawns with plum sauce and the otah.
2) Capitol Satay
Almost went to the street "Ong Kim Wee" for satay celup (pronounced 'che-lo'). I ate there on my trip last year. However we happened to see the recommendation on Malaysian TV that Capitol's satay celup was nice, we decided to give it a try. Surprisingly it was very near the hotel too! Either a 15-20 minute walk or a 5-minute drive from hotel. For the chilli-faint-hearted, this isn't the place for you. I recalled how Marxx could 
not eat but could only look at us as we ate. Satay celup is like steamboat but dipping food placed on satay sticks into a pot of satay sauce. The sauce is rich in peanuts and some special mixture of curry powder. Food is cooked in the satay sauce. You are charged according to the number of sticks of food you eat. The stall has been in existence for 3 generations!! Good place for supper even when you are hungry at 2am!
not eat but could only look at us as we ate. Satay celup is like steamboat but dipping food placed on satay sticks into a pot of satay sauce. The sauce is rich in peanuts and some special mixture of curry powder. Food is cooked in the satay sauce. You are charged according to the number of sticks of food you eat. The stall has been in existence for 3 generations!! Good place for supper even when you are hungry at 2am! 3) Chicken Rice Balls
The famous dish of Malacca! Its quite ashamed if you go and not eaten the chicken rice balls. When I first ate it, I was quite embarrassed that the 5 'fish balls' placed in a plate in front of me, were the rice balls itself! The rice balls are not the one big ball we see in Singapore. The rice balls are like the size of fish balls we find in Singapore, hence my mistake in recognising it. Chicken is not the type that were injected with chemicals. Its the kampong chicken! (Don't understand how my daddy can tell the difference!)
Besides eating, we also visited the usual tourist spots and shopping at Makohta Parade. Getting excited since church camp will be there next year!!
8 other thoughts:
oh... i feel so ashamed, for i have been to malacca once (only for 1 night) but never came across the chicken rice balls :( neither the satay celup which looks/sounds so nice! *sigh*
its ok quop, you can come join us for church camp next June! am sure you'll have a good time of learning from God's word and having fun with fellowship and the food!! ;)
you want to be careful issuing casual invitations like that, cos i just might do something crazy and take it up! :p the trip i'm making next month to KL is primarily to attend a wedding dinner where i don't actually know anyone except the bride, whom i've never met... hmm, do you know of anything i should eat there to ensure i don't return ashamed?? hehe.
i think an aus friend of mine went on an arpc camp in the last few years or so. i still find it quite amazing that it's cheaper for SG churches to hold their camps in malaysia or other overseas places, than to do it locally. and you stay in resorts/hotels/"nice" accommodation! but i guess on our island, we have a lot more land to choose from :)
hee quop I trust (and hope!)that you won't do anything not edifying :P
As for KL, the place is too big for me to recommend, ie. lotsa good food! ;) you can try this food street in Chinatown. I can't remember the name of that street but you can ask around. Its pretty famous! Lots good food there but be careful to get exhorted if they think you are not local.
SG churches hold camps in malaysia not totally becos of cost. Its partly to bring pple out of the country so that they won't be distracted by work, etc back home. I guess Malaysia is our neighbour so its good for a not-too-far-yet-not-too-near place :)
quop you can try shadow's recommendations. too
thanks ~wb for that reference to shadow's recommendations :)
yes quop, you must try baskin robins ice cream. this is my 'ritual' every trip. i will forsake all concerns of putting on weight and indulge myself with 2 scoops of that :P
and bangsar is a nice place to chill out at night. its like holland village in singapore (if you know...)
wah no way i'm flying 8 hrs to eat baskin robbins when i can drive 8 mins and eat it here! lol. but my mouth sure water already after reading the description of all that yummy yummy food on shadow's site... (cheers ~wb)
what do u mean by anything not edifying? u fear i'll play up at the dinner isit? no lah... i shy shy one. dunno anybody so will sit quietly with pasted smile on my face :p oh and i think u mean "extorted"? for i would be happy to receive any exhortation :)
fair point abt the camps - SG being so small i guess u do need to go oversea to be "away" :)
holland village... i know of the place, and think i went there once in daytime, but my knowledge goes as far as a name and not as to significance of the name. can't rem. if i've been to bangsar b4... will have to try and get some locals to take me around to the spots worth visiting and dining at... man i'm sure going to be dreaming about food tonight!
Hi. Hope you don't mind me commenting. Seems I'm not very welcome with my comments on quite a few blogs.
Kampong Chicken is a lot sweeter and the meat is tender and yet has a spring when you bite into it. Normal chicken you get in Singapore (fresh) lacks that spring, and when you steam or boil it, it tends to fall away from the bone pretty fast, and the meat becomes very soft. The difference is in the flavour. Plus the skin is also a giveaway - boiled kampung chicken (from M'sia I dunno about other countries) has a bright yellow skin even after you boil it, while the coop farm bred types are a lot paler. Maybe it has to do with the sun or lack of it.
*suntanned chicken with sunglasses struts around*
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