Tag / Melaka
Almost everyone remembers about field trips back in the school days, a bunch of classmates all lined up going into the school bus heading to some mysterious destination you haven’t been before, with a promise of a bit of learning and a whole lot of fun. A day where you get out from the monotonous classroom and head towards something that is a little more unexpected.
Yeap, our trip to the Mamee Double-Decker Factory and Mamee Jonker House was quite a lot like that. A fun filled day that brought back a lot of memories.
and we arrived at Mamee-Double Decker Factory in Melaka
We gathered at the Mamee office at Subang Jaya early in the morning, and like the school children, were ushered into two tour buses on a two hour journey to the Mamee Double Decker factory in Melaka.
To be honest, I was pretty excited about this trip, Mamee has been an integral part of my childhood, and to be able to see what it is behind this Malaysian brand in person was a bit like a dream come true to me. I mean, I was going to meet Mamee Monster too, if I got to tell my 7 year old self this, he’d be so happy!
how noodle and paste are prepared and cooked, by hands
We witnessed how mamee noodle were made if it was done manually by hand, starting from raw flour, the chef expertly pull and fold the dough like traditional la mian noodle.
Next was the process of cooking the paste. Starting with quality ingredients such as turmeric, lemongrass, garlic, and curry leaves, the mixture is blended then cooked with palm oil before going through another step of blending. According to the staff, the factory uses a very similar process to prepare the paste you find in every pack of Mamee Chef. (which I wrote about here)
Mamee Chef Curry Laksa was also rated as one of the top 10 Best Instant Noodles in the world for 2014 by theramenrater.com
the Mamee Chef and Mamee Monster assembly line, impressive!
We then took a tour to the factory as the first ever group of public “tourists” that has access to take pictures. Usually other visitor are not allowed to take pictures.
This is the machinery behind this instant noodle brand that penetrates some 4.2 million (out of 5.47 million) household in Peninsular Malaysia. The production line that makes Mamee Chef, for example, costs some RM 80 million in investment, very impressive.
What struck us most about the factory though, is how clean it is!
You know how some people say if you’ve seen the kitchen of certain restaurants, you won’t eat the food? This is the exact opposite of what I get from Mamee’s factory, it’s so clean and efficient that I would have zero problem recommending this brand those who has the highest hygiene standard.
You can visit facebook.com/mymameechef for more info.
#MameeChefDay
I finally met Mamee Monster at Mamee Jonker House
Then we boarded the very same bus and went to Mamee Jonker House.
Yeap, there’s a Mamee Jonker house at none other than the most famous street in Melaka – Jonker Street (well it’s called Jalan Hang Jebat, officially).
Mamee Chef, one of my favorites!
This is also where we got to meet everyone’s favorite instant noodle mascot – the Mamee Monster!
I gotta say that I’ve always imagined the monster to be a little bigger, then again, I think I’ve grown a little the past 30 odd years, haven’t I? It sounds silly, but it was a cool experience!
Pinky showing off some souvenirs you can purchase at Mamee Jonker House
I really like the idea of Mamee Jonker house, a place where you can purchase a variety of Mamee products as well as souvenirs such as t-shirt, key chain, and so forth. There’s also a mini version of the assembly line showing how the instant noodle and Mamee Monster is made.
I made my very own custom Mamee Chef cup noodle
There are also two activities on the 1st floor which you can participate. We “custom made” our own Mamee Chef cup noodle by painting the cup and picking our own mixture of ingredients. The cup is then sealed and we got to take it home – a real customised version that can I can actually pour boiling water, wait for 3 minutes, and eat!
There’s also a “class room” where you get to make the instant noodle from start to finish, but that process will take about 90 minutes and we didn’t have the time for this activity, unfortunately.
Mamee Jonker house is also a restaurant, serving Mamee Noodle and other dishes
At the rear half of Mamee Jonker House is also a restaurant, serving quite a good variety of dishes such as Mamee goreng, Mamee laksa, and even halal version of the famous chicken rice ball. I tried all three of these dishes and they certainly did not disappoint. Prices are pretty reasonable too.
We reluctantly left at about 5 in the afternoon. It was a fun filled trip and I certainly think that they should do more tours like this especially for school kids. I know the 7 year old me would certainly love it! You can visit Mamee Chef for more info.
#MameeChefDay
Malacca Peranakan food, or better known as Nyonya cuisine to most, is one of the very few truly Malaysian food hailed from the state of Malacca, and to a slightly lesser extend, Penang too.
The Legacy of Malacca Peranakan food spread
This brand of food evolved from the blend of Chinese and Malay cuisines through the inter-marriages between the Chinese migrants and local Malay during the 15th and 16th centuries. The usage of Malay spices with Chinese ingredients, or Chinese herbs with the more traditional Malay ingredients are among the unique points of Pernakan food.
Guest chef Florence Tan at Paya Serai, PJ Hilton
While there are various Nyonya restaurants to be found in Klang Valley (in PJ there are Ah Tuan Ee, Bibichick, & Nyona Restaurant all at SS2), there isn’t usually any place where you can sample many different Nyonya dishes at the same time.
kuih lapis, pai tee, kuih koci
But for the month of June, 2011, we’re in luck. PJ Hilton have guest chef Florance Tan featuring her Pernakan food at Paya Serai, and I was among the fortunate ones to be invited to sample the spread just late last week.
popiah basah, nasi kembuli, acar awak
All the usual suspects are there, pai tee, popiah basah, and a selection of Nyonya kuih as appetizers, with pai tee and popiah made fresh right in front of you too, I particularly love the kuih koci, and while the popiah doesn’t come with lard like this one at Jonker street, they are yummy too. There’s also very “kao” and rather spicy laksa lemak too.
sambal jantung pisang, ayam pong teh, udang goreng asam
I know my mom will love the acar awak, a type of Peranakan salad.
There’s also sambal jantung pisang (banana flower with shell fish), ayam pong teh (a chicken dish in clay pot), udang goreng asam (similar to my asam prawn recipe but with more spices). All these dishes go very well with the nasi kembuli (rice with ghee, cinnamon, cumin powder etc).
the buffet spread at Paya Serai remains, in addition to the peranakan food
If you think that’s a lot of dishes, well, they are but one of the 4 buffet lines at Paya Serai. There’s also the usual raw food & salad bar with prawns, oysters, etc. Pastry, Chinese/Malay food (there’s even tempoyak – fermented durian), Western food, and so forth. The Pernakan food is but an addition to what is already usually available.
ulam, KY & Haze, laksa lemak, and tempoyak (fermented durian)
The Legacy of Malacca Peranakan at Paya Serai runs from now till 30th June, 2011. The buffet spread is available for lunch at RM 68++ for adult & RM 45++ for child. Dinner at RM 75++ & RM 45++ for child. Opening hours are from noon to 3pm for lunch, and 7pm till 10:30pm for dinner.
For those who want to get up close to Chef Florence Tan at the exclusive private dinner on 14, 15, and 16th June and have a chance to learn the culinary tips from the good chef, the event is priced at RM 150++ per person. Make your reservation if you’re interested ya!
Address:
Paya Serai
Hilton Petaling Jaya
No 2 Jalan Barat
46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.10235, 101.64087
Tel: 03-7955 9122
On the way to Singapore for Oasis concert last Sunday (which was awesome!), we made a pit stop by the historical town that is Melaka to refuel our stomachs.
When it comes to Melaka, there are a few types of food unique to the town: chicken rice balls, satey celup, popiah with lard, and cendol with gula melaka. We planned to make the most of this very short stopover by stuffing ourselves with as much as possible.
there’s a perpetual queue in front of the restaurant
I have previously tried two other chicken rice ball places in Melaka (all within walking distance), Chung Wah was the first I went, and while tasty, the place rather warm and a little too busy. On the other hand, my experience at Famosa Chicken Rice Ball was just not really good enough for me to write an entry about the restaurant.
Among the 3 places, Hoe Kee has the best and most comfortable seating areas (some sections air conditioned). While we had to wait for some 10 minutes to get a table, food was served within 5 minutes, so the overall waiting time wasn’t long at all.
chicken rice balls, cabbage, asam fish
Since it was already 1pm and we haven’t even had breakfast, we basically ordered everything the server suggested. Chicken rice balls for 5 person, asam fish, vegetable, 4 coconuts, and extra 15 rice balls (RM 6).
The half a chicken (RM 16) we got was very smooth and the meat really tasty, there were also plenty of chicken gizzards and liver which provided a different flavor to the chicken that goes very well with the soft but firm rice balls. Poor man’s pate, anyone?
Kim, Gareth, Horng, Amanda, KY
The Asam Fish (RM 30) came quite a bit later, which proved to be a nice timing since the very strong tasting curry wouldn’t work well with the milder flavored chicken if you have them in that order. The hardcore sourness and spicy nature of the dish might not suit everyone, but I really liked it.
Hoe Kee Chicken Rice is located at Jonker Street (Jalan Hang Jebat)
We ate so fast and so much that there wasn’t any stomach space left except for a bowl of cendol at Jonker88. It was dilemma looking at the popiah stall while being absolutely full, but alas, we made the decision not to have the possibility to puke in the car on the way to Singapore.
Lunch came to RM 77.20 in total, including the 4 coconuts (RM 16). That works out to be around RM 15.50 per person, pretty decent price for a very satisfying lunch at a comfortable environment.
Address:
Hoe Kee Chicken Rice
4, 6, 8 Jalan Hang Jebat,
75200, Melaka
GPS: 2.195441,102.247943
Tel: 06-283 4751 / 012-623 8431
After watching the Astro AEC program (channel 19) “Our Root” on the Baba and Nyonya cultures featuring Kelvin the noob on Sunday. We decided that it would be fitting to have some Nyonya food for dinner to celebrate his success in dodging the grandmother’s “got bring gf back or not?” question on satellite TV. So we headed to Ah Tuan Ee’s Place in SS2.
“jiu hu char” or fried mengkuang with dried cuttle fish
There are actually no less than 4 Nyonya restaurants in SS2. The others are Restaurant Bibichick, Melaka Street, and well, Nyona Restaurant. I have sampled them and they were all pretty decent.
Ah Tuan Ee’s Place has a much more refined interior decoration and a nicer ambiance comparing to it’s counterparts. The illustrated menu is especially helpful if you are not familiar with traditional Nyonya food.
nice ambiance and illustrated menu
For the three of us, we ordered a “jiu hu char” (fried mengkuang with dried cuttle fish), sambal salted fish, egg plant with sambal, and fried asam prawn to go with steamed rice.
“jiu hu char”, sambal salted fish, egg plant with sambal, fried asam prawn
The food were pretty good, especially the super simple dish that is the salted fish sambal that goes very well with white rice. The egg plant was a little too oily, but the prawn and “jiu hu char” dishes reminded me of my mom’s cooking, it was great. (My mom isn’t a Nyonya, but Penang Chinese cooking is similar in many ways). It was a pretty good meal.
Ah Tuan Ee’s Place is just a block from SS2 Square
The food were good, however, the price isn’t very economical. I guess you do have to pay for the nice ambiance after all. The meal for 3 costs us RM 77, that includes a 10% service charge and the 5% government tax.
Address:
74, Jalan SS2/72
Petaling Jaya
47300 Selangor
GPS: 3.118673, 101.625810
Tel: 03-7957 2915
When it comes to food in the historical town that is Melaka, there are a few items that you must never miss. Kinda like the Char Kueh Teow and Laksa in Penang, the must-eat items in Melaka are Satey Celup (video!), Chendol, Poh Piah, and of course, perhaps the most famous of all, the Chicken Rice Ball.
very old school set up, with marble table
Chung Wah restaurant (中华茶室) is one of the very first, and regarded by many, the best chicken rice ball restaurant in Melaka. It is also perhaps the most accessible one, with a paid car park just right beside the building, across from the St. Paul’s church (another must visit place in Melaka).
The place is always packed during weekends, and almost impossible to get in during festive seasons. After fighting through a small crowd to get our table, we ordered a middle portion chicken meat with 2 plates of chicken rice balls (5 balls per plate)
chicken, rice balls, and chili, we’re all set
The chicken came with only one style, white chicken, since this is a pure Hainanese restaurant, no roasted or BBQ variety. The meat was smooth and tasted rather good, with sufficient flavor in all departments. The chili that is so important to any chicken rice dish was actually very good, has a kick in it while retaining a savory pepper aroma, addictive. The main attraction, the rice balls themselves, were somehow rather cold, but otherwise tasted pretty good. It is like having Bak Chang made of chicken rice, an interesting experience if you haven’t tried it.
Chung Wah restaurant is right at the end/beginning of Jonker Walk
The meal for two was about RM 13-14, RM 8 for the chicken, and RM 1.50 for a plate of 5 rice balls.
Address:
Kedai Kopi Chung Wah
18, Jalan Hang Jebat,
75200 Melaka
GPS: 2.194969,102.248576
