Melucca

Nyonya cooking, Melucca

A walk across the bridge on the way to Melucca’s busy China town; on the left looking down river out to sea is the old fort. Originally Portguese, then Dutch, then English, this hump commanded the harbour.

Water monitor, malaka river

In the river, reptile heads are held above the surface. Too short and blunt for crocodiles, and the flicking toungue gives away its owner; a water monitor hunting rats and water birds. Orioles fluting in tamarind trees, pester-power tuk-tuks pink-painted and sparkly to catch the eyes of 2-year old princesses tinkle with toddler pleasing music, tour ferries chug up the river with cargos of sightseers. Melucca has an “up-and-coming” feel to it. It is probably a very good place to buy real estate.

We finally discover a nyonya restaurant that is not closed for the holidays. This is a shabby back room with access to the river. We settle on wobbly furniture on the tow-path, feet from the malaka river’s thick brown liquid and read the laminated plastic menu sipping cold Tiger beer.

We go for squid in dark soy, and a slow-cooked curry. This cuisine rivals Thai food. It has the same flavour “architecture” with the salt, sweet, sour and chilli base. Then it has extras such as lime leaf, coriander, galangal etc. Both dishes are utterly delicious and are polished off in short order.