Day Trip to Malacca

Last Saturday, H and I made a day trip to Malacca with Jasmine and Colin since it was the Good Friday weekend. Not sure if you guys heard but there was massive traffic jam on Friday at the checkpoints due to the long weekend. That's kinda expected but I wouldn't want to be caught in it. So if they actually suggested going on a Friday, I would've politely declined haha. Luckily we made a one-day trip because 1) there was no traffic jam, 2) the highway in Malaysia was smooth all the way and 3) no jam when we came back to SG too!

Colin very kindly picked H and I up at my place at 5.45am and *ahem* missy here only had 2 hours of sleep while H had an hour more than I did haha. He not shy ah, the moment he got into the car, he slept ALL THE WAY till we arrived in Malacca. While I had an unpleasant one hour of sleep just before we reached our destination because the 3 of us were chatting away happily haha.

First stop:

Dim sum for breakfast at Loh Yong Moh Restaurant! There was a queue which consisted of 3/4 Singaporeans but we managed to get a table in 20 minutes. It was really come-and-go, everyone left when they were done with their meal thus the fast turnover!

This is one of the oldest dim sum restaurant in Malacca so don't expect anything fancy. That's everything they have on their menu. Anyway, servers will be walking around with a selection of dim sum on a huge tray and you just pick whatever you want!

Portions are pretty small and we had a budget of RM35 to work within because we didn't manage to change money in Singapore and the only money changer we spotted in Malacca wasn't opened yet hahaha.

Anyway, MUST ORDER the 大包! It's so juicy until the gravy flows out hahaha but even the 包 itself is also very nice! I'm such a carb person. Oh yes, the glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaf was also good. And I don't even like glutinous rice.

All the info you'll need and address you can google.

After breakfast, H and I parted ways with Jasmine and Colin for a while as they went to the malls to run some errands. We decided not to follow because it was H's first time to Malacca and we wanted to explore the old town.

I love all these old shophouses... Very 有味道. Malacca is a very small town still dominated by the Chinese and it is nice to see all these oriental decorations and signboards hanging around. We also lost count of how many antique shops we past by but ahhh, no vintage fashion shops haha.

Wearing H's current favourite tshirt because I wanted something comfortable and easy to move in.

Super dressed down because hellooooo, we are in Malaysia yo.

The weather was so unbearable we had to seek refuge in a cafe 

till it was time for lunch when we will meet the duo again!

No air-con in the cafe but it was SO cooling already!

Shelter is the next best thing after air-conditioning.

I don't know how these people do it. The queue started at 9+am for what's supposedly the best chicken rice in town and it only got longer during lunch time. SIAO! Never eat chicken rice before is it??? The weather was so freaking hot and the coffee shop has limited seats which means you have to wait an even longer time till it's your turn. I would never queue under the sun. I don't think ANY chicken rice is worth having me perspiring profusely and getting a tan.

Lunch was nyonya food! I loveeee nyonya food but this restaurant we went to (cannot remember the name), the food wasn't spicy at all. Total bummer :((((( We ordered the set menu for 5 pax + an additional dish and finished everything.

It was also over during lunch Jasmine pointed out that H and I eat the same way - spoon on left, fork on right (I eat everything with fork, even rice), and we dug a hole on our mountain of rice, eating from middle to outwards hahaha.

Whereas Jasmine and Colin hold their fork and spoon the normal/correct way and they flatten the rice before eating.

Funny, isn't it? ;)

On top of all these, we also had a pot of duck + salted veg soup (bad), vegetables, assam fish and nyonya kueh for dessert.

Additional chendol for dessert!

We were supposed to go for massage after lunch but we were late so they gave up our slots. 

Believe it or not, ALL the other massage parlors were full that day too.

So we went window shopping in the malls and chanced upon... *ding ding ding* 

An empty massage parlour! 

Ahh, one hour of sleep! 

H and I were walking zombies by then already so getting to lie back and doze off was a luxury!

Then it was time to eat again!!

We had lok lok for dinner, which is also known as satay celup!

It was between the 2 most popular in town which was either Capitol or Ban Lee Siang. 

Ban Lee Siang gathered better reviews, 

seems cleaner and they have more seats so a decision was made!

There are two Ban Lee Siang side by side.

Rumoured to be opened by 2 brothers who fell out with each other.

We ate at the one on the left with the 100 Plus logos on the signboard!

Initially, we queued at the restaurant on the right 

then we noticed people going over to the other side

which prompted us to check the address. 

45E Ban Lee Siang is the one on the left so we hurried over.

Satay Celup must know:

1) Each pot of satay sauce on the table stays there from the start of dinner service till the last customers. Yes, it will Not be changed and patrons cook food in the same pot the whole evening.

I KNOW RIGHT.

Jasmine and I were debating when we were in the queue if they are changing the pot or not and no...

We were brought to a dirty table and witnessed the servers cleaning up, topping up the satay sauce, and... THAT'S IT.

Erm, if the customers before us double dipped their food, I REALLY DON'T WANT TO KNOW.

So I would advise you to go early at 5pm when they open haha.

2) I believe they reuse their satay sticks because the sticks are of extremely good and sturdy material which doesn't make sense if they just throw it away when most customers (us) don't eat from the sticks. We used fork to push the food onto the plate before eating.

3) Each stick is only RM0.80 and the four of us had 101 sticks! That accounted to approximately S$10/person! Cheaper than eating steamboat in SG definitely!

The 2 big chillers on the left side of this picture are where you take your food!

After the very heaty (both physically and internally) dinner, 

we bought tau sar piah from the shop beside the restaurant.

"Jing Yuan Biscuit and Bakery"

Small and addictive!
32 little ones for RM10.50, around S$4?

I highly recommend!

Then we went for a walk down the Jonker stretch and called it a day.

Extremely smooth ride back to SG = sleeping all the way (especially H. He's hopeless) hahaha.

Luckily we had Colin who slept 8 hours before the trip.

If both of them have to depend on either H or I to drive, we sure die hahahaha.

Short but very fun trip, I don't mind doing this again as long as I get to be the sleeping passenger! ;)