MALAYSIA
PENINSULAR MALAYSIA – WEST COAST •• Melaka lonelyplanet.comsweet-and-spicy gravy; RM3) while the third
whips up a fantastic laksa (RM3).
Indi Ori (%282 4777; 236 & 237 Jln Melaka Raya 1;
dishes RM1-15; hbreakfast, lunch & dinner) Mmm,
Indonesian Padang food: just like the real
thing but without the flies. Favourites include
avocado juice with chocolate sauce (RM4.50),
and Sekotang (hot ginger with egg yolk, sweet
cream and peanut dumplings; RM6).
Medan Makan Bunga Raya (btwn Jln Bunga Raya &
Jln Bendahara; dishes RM2-6; hbreakfast, lunch & dinner)
When you hear the sound of the meat cleaver,
you’ve reached ‘Hungry Lane’, known for
Indian-style curry-pork rice and gula melaka
(palm sugar) during the day.
Newton Food Court (Jln Merdeka; meals RM3-15;
hlunch & dinner) Get Chinese in the main hall
and halal food at the back of this clean food
court under an elegant Malay-style roof.
oPak Putra Restaurant (56 Jln Taman Kota
Laksamana; tandoori from RM5; hdinner, closed every
other Mon) This Pakistani place cooks up a va-
riety of meats and seafood in clay tandoori
ovens perched on the sidewalk. Side dishes
of veg are around RM5 and a mango lassi
costs RM4.
Capitol Satay (%283 5508; 41 Lg Bukit China; meals
RM5-10; hTue-Sun) Capitol is famous for satay
celup (a Melaka adaptation of satay steam-
boat). Stainless-steel tables have a bubbling
vat of satay sauce in the middle and you dunk
skewers of okra (ladies’ finger) stuffed with
fish, tofu, Chinese sausage, chicken, pork,
prawns and bok choy, and side dishes of
pickled egg with pickled ginger.Selvam (%281 9223; 3 Jln Temenggong; meals RM7;
hbreakfast, lunch & dinner) Melakans love this
Little India banana-leaf smorgasbord. There’s
a choice range of tasty and cheap curries and
roti, plus a Friday afternoon vegetarian special
with 10 tasty dishes for only RM6.
Vegan Salad & Herbs House (%282 9466; 22 Jln Kubu;
meals RM10; h8.30am-4pm Fri-Wed) This spot offers
healthy uncooked, crisp vegetables, brown
rice set lunches and wholemeal bread buns.
Kampong Portugis (hdinner) In the east-
ern part of the city, 3km from Town Sq,
is a small community that claims mixed
Portuguese–Indian ancestry. This otherwise
nondescript neighbourhood caters to the cu-
rious tourists with food stalls and a number
of clunky Eurasian restaurants. At weekend
evenings, Restoran de Lisbon (meals RM30)
is known for its chilli crabs and devil curry.
At any other time of the week, Medan
Portugis has a variety of food stalls, serving
many of the same dishes at seaside tables.
Take town Bus 17 or the Panorama Melaka
tourist bus to Kampong Portugis and walk
towards the sea.Drinking
During the weekend night market on Jonker
St, the happening bar strip on Jln Hang Lekir
turns into a street party closed off to traffic.
Medan Portugis, in Kampong Portugis (see
above ), has cheap beers and sunset views.
The alleys in the backpacker ghetto off Jln
TMR have lots of watering troughs.
Voyage Travellers Lounge (40 Lg Hang Jebat; i)
Melt into a wicker chair with a snack and
a beer and chat with the friendly regulars.
Patrons can use the internet for half an hour
for free.
Pure Bar (591-A Jln Taman Melaka Rayal; h5pm-
2am) This has become Melaka’s most fun
bar–nightclub, popular with locals.Shopping
A wander through Chinatown, with its quality
assortment of clothing, trinket and antique
shops, will have you wishing for more room
in your pack. Dataran Pahlawan (Jln Merdeka) and
Mahkota Parade Shopping Complex (Jln Merdeka) are
Melaka’s two megamalls, the former being the
larger and more fashion-conscious and the
latter being better for practical needs such as
a pharmacy or camera shop.
If you stop by the Top Spinning Academy (79
Jln Tokong; h10am-4pm), be prepared for a veryDON’T LEAVE MELAKA WITHOUT
TRYING... Cendol Shaved-ice treat with jellies,
coconut milk and Melaka’s famous cane
syrup(^) Laksa The regional version is distin-
guished by its coconut milk and lemon-
grass-infused broth
(^) Nonya pineapple tarts Buttery pastries
with a chewy pineapple-jam filling
(^) Popiah An uber–spring roll stuffed with
shredded carrots, prawns, chilli, garlic,
palm sugar and much, much more
Satay celup Like fondue but better;
dunk tofu, prawns and more into bub-
bling soup to cook it to your liking
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