Tag: food lover

Malacca Activities – Top 20 Things to do in Melaka

Post author By melakatour
Post date June 22, 2016
No Comments on Malacca Activities – Top 20 Things to do in Melaka

This article was originally about top 10 things to do in Melaka but later it was upgraded to top 20 things to do in Melaka. The reason behind this is very simple as there are plenty of things to do in Malacca. It is one of UNESCO world heritage sites in Malaysia, so historical sites are on the menu. Food and local culture of Melaka is also unique.

Things to do in Melaka

Thus, keep this top 20 things to do in Melaka list for you in case you cannot remember them at spot. You will find it handy when in Melaka.

1. Get enthralled at A Famosa Resort

Let’s begin the journey from past to present. Whether you are a history lover or not, A Famosa Resort is nice place to visit. It won’t take too long to reach the resort. You will be there in one and a half hour if the journey began from Kuala Lumpur.

A Famosa Resort offers accommodation and theme parks including Safari Wonderland, Water Theme Park (also referred as A Famosa Water World), Old West (Cowboy Town). You can also have fun with different fun activities in the resort including Achery, Horse Riding, Paintball, Rock Climbing, Go Kart, Cycling, Paddle Boat, Pony Riding, Horse Carriage, Target Shooting Fishing.

You will find it a great place whether you are visiting alone or with the family. 20 things to do in Melaka list without A Famosa Resort will be incomplete.

2. Take a Trishaw Ride

Fast moving cars, bikes and planes are fun but the slow and colorful vehicle Trishaw offers you a unique travelling experience. Getting around Melaka in a Trishaw offers you a sort of experience where you move about scenery of the city like. The best thing about the Trishaw ride is that you would be able to take pictures as you move. The colorful carriage sort of vehicle reminds you of the horse carriages.

3. Explore Cheng Hoon Teng Chinese Temple

Old is Gold. You would love telling your family once you are back that you visited the oldest traditional Chinese temple in Malaysia that belongs to the seventeenth century. You can probably impress your Buddhist friends too that you know a little more than them about their culture! After all you have seen the once robed effigy of Guanyin with your own eyes in the temple.

4. Look into The Stadhuys

The Red Square or the Stadhuys is a Dutch architecture that takes the visitors on a trip to 1600’s. You will find Oriental buildings and a Museum of Ethnography in the Stadhuys. You can find daily routine items and goods as well as the bridal cultural items in the Stadhuys. The glory of past of the Malaccan people is evident for the costumes in the Red Square, so visit to The Stadhuys is one among the best things to do in Melaka.

5. Get on the River Cruise Melaka

Melaka River connects the two parts of city as well as past to the present. The river flows besides streets and you will remember the sails besides Jonker Street from where you could see the Ferry Wheel too. The specially designed boats float on the river between streets like a shadow of Venice. So, don’t forget to try River Cruise Melaka in your 20 things to do in Melaka list.

6. Explore Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum

The Chinese-Malay rich families left behind them a culture that is center of attraction for the tourists. Baby Nyonya Heritage Museum located behind the Jonker Street is a worth visiting place. One can see rooms, ceilings, wall and doors of the old houses telling about the rich architecture of the ethnic group.

7. Cheng Ho Cultural Museum

The Cheng Ho Cultural Museum is maintained by a very warm staff that guides you about history of the place. Cheng Ho was a legend and the museum offers his history and fabulous maritime exploits. You can also find literature on Chinese maritime here in the museum. Don’t forget to watch the 5 minute video on the history of Cheng Ho in the museum.

8. Shop in Jonker Street

Fun begins at Jonker Street but is never ends. The street is not as crazy as the water world in the A Famosa Resort but the fun is no less when you shop and dine with your buddies. History and culture can be experienced at their epic in the Jonker Street Melaka. Weekdays are fun but Saturday Sundays are the must have experience in the Jonker Street.

This street is so famous that now it is being referred as Jonker Walk Melaka Experience. There is also a Jonker Walk gate when this street will start. Without a visit to Jonker Street your 20 things to do list will always be incomplete.

9. Visit the Malacca Sultanate Palace

Paintings, art depiction and the furniture of Sultans of Melaka can be found in the Malacca Sultanate Palace. The city had been home to Malay, Buddhist, Christian and Dutch cultures. This building of Muslim era is located near the St. Paul Hill. The building is made of wood totally and it is amazing to find that there are no nails used in it. The gardens beside the palace also reminds you of how gardens used to be in the old time.

10. Stopover Christ Church

The Malaccan Churches had been home to Christians from different lands. Visit the church for its architecture and the history. The Church has been redesigned. You would love the spacious halls and the touch of local Melaka culture. It is a spiritual and historical trip to be in the Christ Church Melaka.

11. Flora de la Mar Maritime Museum

It would be nice to go to the Maritime Museum in Melaka where you can see the Portuguese ship called Flora de la Mar, which was sunk in the Melaka shore long time ago. There are many historical ships and ship related parts but the colorful depictions of the sea routes and sea trade are worth seeing particularly. The museum is within the walking distance of Jonker Street The Stadhuys.

12. Try Nyonya Food

Less chopped and more tasty Nyonya food is a must try experience in Melaka. After all you cannot stay hungry all the day especially when there is a great fusion food available. The Nyonya food in Melaka offers you a mixed taste of eastern and western dishes. You should try some of the unforgettable dishes like Asam Pedas, Curry Fish head (with sauces and salads), Otak-Otak, prawns soups and much more. A meal is not complete without Cendol (Melaka desserts) in Melaka.

For food lover, trying Nyonya food should be on top in best things to do in Melaka list 🙂

13. Stop by Kampung Morten and have a Snapshot

The Kampong Morten is a great place to stop by for a selfie or a family group photo. The place is great resort and educational development that guides the visitors and tourists about cultural way and traditional life in Malacca. The place is a living encyclopedia of Melaka.

14. Catch up on Portuguese History at A Famosa Fort

A Famosa fort is the 16th century wonder remembrance of the Portuguese arrival in Malaysia. Not enough is left of the fort, but the front still stands. There are canons placed in front of the fort too. The fort is one of great places to test your camera skills since it offers view of a historical place with background of sharp blue shy and green trees.

15. Melaka Wonderland Theme Park

You may forgive yourself for not having been to Melaka Wonderland Theme Park, but your kids will not. It is a great place to visit in all the seasons, but summers are cooler in this Theme Park. Thrill rides and speedy water slides are the best fun services of the place. The park is surrounded by a natural recreational forest spreading over 360 hectares.

16. Have a Homestay Experience

There is more than one reason for having a homestay in Melaka. Although it is nice to be in a hotel, yet the homestay is a better experience since you get a more comfortable environment. Normally the homestay sates are a little higher. But you can avoid bug bites of some old furniture’s in hotels by staying in the local residences as a paying guest.

17. Visit Amazing Malacca Butterfly Reptile Sanctuary

The fauna of Melaka is attractive for both the locals and the tourists. There is a Malacca Butterfly Reptile Sanctuary that can be found in Ayer Keroh, which is also one of the best Malacca tourist attractions. It is an 11ha jungle area that is home to species of reptiles, butterflies and insects. You can see amazing sizes and colors of butterflies in the sanctuary. Another thing you are going to surely appreciate is the well maintained area that does not let your interest decrease at the place.

18. Melaka Zoo – The Second Largest Zoo in Melaka

Wanna visit one of the largest Malaysian Zoo’s? Melaka Zoo is second largest of its kind in the country. The zoo is a safari place where the visitors are introduced to over 1200 animals, most of which roam freely in the park. You will love to find over 200 animal species in the zoo that could not be probably covered in biology book too. You can bet your friends after visiting the Melaka Zoo that deer barks too! (Barking deer is an endangered species kept in the zoo).

19. Sri Pogyatha Vinoyagar Moorthi Temple

The rich Malaccan culture is not only home to the Muslim, Christian and Buddhist cultures but you will also find some great Hindu cultural buildings as well. Posters, paintings and carvings of elephant head creatures (Ganesh) tell you that the place belongs to the Hindu deity Vinoyagar. The place tells you about one of finest use of colors in Hindu traditions especially the Chitty community that arrived here 600 years ago.

20. Climb the 110 meter Menara Melaka

Riding the Menara Melaka should be either first or the last thing to do in Melaka. Reason? It offers you a 360 degree view of the city that should either serve as an introduction to the city or a review of the places you visited.

This is a great place for you to see a 360 degree panoramic view of the city. Believe it, aerial views of the city are great especially when you can circle over the tower to have a comprehensive view.

This 110 meters high tower or Menara does not make you dizzy, so take a ride and have an amazing 360 degree view of Melaka.

Lemon Tree Restaurant at Melodies Garden, Johor Bahru

Post author By melakatour
Post date February 9, 2014

Lemon Tree Restaurant (N1.49135 E103.76201) is located along Jalan Bedara, Tmn Melodies, Johor Bahru. The restaurant is situated in a residential area since 11 years ago, and most of their customers are regular…
The owner – Mr Jeffery Bong said he surveyed the area before starting his restaurant and like the trees in front of the shop lot very much. And because of the trees stories, he named the restaurant as ‘Lemon Tree’, a popular song which was famous by Fools Garden, released on the year 1995 and became a major international hit in 1996.

The setting of the restaurant is simple and cozy, with retro ambience. The warm lighting made the guests feel comfort while dining in the restaurant…

The piece of bread evenly covered by tuna and nicely wrapped with cheese, the slice of cucumber and baby tomato provided extra refreshment to the appetizer, these Bruchetta were nice!

After the appetizers, each of us have a homemade mushroom soup served by the restaurant.

The flavorful mushroom soup was nice, creamy, but not starchy, I can taste the mushroom started from the beginning till the end…the bowl of mushroom soup was just nice for a person.

Next, there were two 12″ pizzas were served. Tropical Hawaiian and Island Seafood Pizza.

The Mixed Fruits Salad was the following dish…kind of like the foods arrangement by the owner – Jefferey Bong, because the refreshing fruits salad was served after the large amount of cheese loaded into our stomach…:)

The fruits salad was prepared with the fresh fruits, and don’t forget the special dressing by the Chef Jeffery, therefore it definitely cool us down for the ‘part 1’ foods session…

After a short break, the ‘part 2’ began with 2 spaghetti, appeared on the table quietly…
The Spaghetti Hawaiian and Spaghetti Seafood Alio-Olio.

Both spaghetti were delicious! The Spaghetti Hawaiian was served with hams and with sweet sauce, and the Spaghetti Seafood served with lots of seafood…especially the big prawns. We like the taste of the both spaghetti.

Before the we could finish the spaghetti, the New Zealand Air Frown Rib-eye presented!

The steak served in the medium well doneness and the black pepper sauce was separated, which give a choice for those who like the original beef taste and those who like with the sauce.

The a bit char grilled steak was succulent, it could be better if serve in medium rare with the taste of meat juice…but this is my personal preference and it may not suitable for all of us, well arrange by the Chef! You will be surprise by the reasonable price of this steak, find out yourself! 🙂

The Chef did serve some of the local delicacies on the following after having such a nice western cuisine, that were the popular Lemon Tree Special Fried Rice and the Mee Mamak.

As I recalled, the Lemon Tree restaurant caught my attention few years ago from some of my friends comments on their nice and simple fried rice, as a fried rice lover…I was a bit late to try out but never regret on it!
The fried rice was fragrance and yummy, served on the perfect moist level and never too dry to enjoy it! The plate of fried rice served together with a fried chicken wing, ham, cheese, fried egg and the sauce. It can be a filling dish for lunch or dinner.
According to the Chef…the combination of fried rice was a advise from a regular customer who visit the restaurant 3 times a week, the customer requested to has more stuffs beside the fried rice and Chef Jeffery ‘tailored made’ the dish as what he need, surprisingly the dish sell very well from the kitchen…that’s the reason Jeffery named it The Special Fried Rice of Lemon Tree Restaurant!

The Mee Mamak was an enhanced version from the local mee goreng where easily available in most of the mamak shop. But the Lemon Tree’s version was slightly different, it topped up with many veggie and fried to the perfect taste…which mean not too sweet or salty. It was an eye opening for me to taste the mee mamak in the western food restaurant.

After all the scrumptious meal for the dinner, the lovely desserts surfaced…
The special edition of Tiramisu and the Chocolate Lava.
I’m not a dessert person but the desserts on that evening ‘seduced’ me too much! Haha!

The Tiramisu was made in 3 types of coffee and with the unique cheese cream. The Wow factor was on the first bite! Not overly sweet (as peoples are more health conscious nowadays), and it was a surprise for me!

The chocolate lava cake was made from the pure 70% of dark chocolate, it won’t be overly sweet…no worries! And the so called ‘Lava’ will not ooze from the cake once you cut it due to the high density of the chocolate cake.

I believe the two desserts above will easily drive the girls crazy! It will become the favorite for the desserts lover!

We were satisfied for the dishes served by the restaurant that evening. Especially with the reasonable prices. The prices for the dishes above are within RM5.50 and RM49.00.

Lemon Tree Restaurant had expanded their dining area to the next door. According to Jeffery, the new wing is cater for private function or catering services, 20-30 persons.

The Chef – Mr Jeffery Bong was a executive chef of one of the 5 stars hotel in Singapore, he decided to came back Johor Bahru to start his own business 11 years ago. He wanted to serve his customers with the quality foods and a reasonable price, in fact…it’s a good news for the western food lover in Johor Bahru. The restaurant had been through more than a decade, and Jeffery continue to provide the best cuisine to his customers from day 1 till now…

Do drop by the Lemon Tree Restaurant if you are happen in Taman Melodies area, I believe you will find what you like!

Tags Chef, Executive Chef, food lover, food restaurant, Haha, Jeffery Bong, Johor Bahru, Lemon Tree Restaurant, Mixed Fruits Salad, Mr Jeffery Bong, Singapore

Tourism Malaysia

The Brazzo Restaurant and Lounge at Taman Ponderosa, Johor Bahru.

Post author By melakatour
Post date July 28, 2013

The Brazzo Restaurant and Lounge (N1.51800 E103.78205) is located at Jalan Poderosa 2/1, next to UOB Bank of Taman Poderosa. The atmosphere of the restaurant is cozy and relax, nice ambience!

The warm lightings really made us felt relax and the air-conditinal was cold…it’s a good place to enjoy your meals!

The air-condition was also cold enough to cool us down in the hot sunny day…
After waiting for about 10 minutes, the first dish served on our table was their Sesame Garden Salads.

It served in the organic savory leafy vegetable with mayonnaise-based Creamy dressings. The light salads to stimulate the appetite as the first course of our meal and we like the Special sesame taste of the dressings, and not forget the nice cherry tomatoes.

The second dishes was the Ahi Tuna (Yellow Fin Tuna) – One of the Signature dish of Brazzo.

The seared Ahi Tuna (30% cooked) served with the special sauce, vegetables and the tasty mashed potatoes.

We tasted the ‘Charcoal Grilled’ Ahi Tuna for the first time within Johor Bahru area, I like the sesame seeds very much! The fresh tuna melted in our mouth with nice aroma, it made a Must try dish to me! And please don’t forget to finish the nice mashed potatoes and the juicy cherry tomatoes.

Before we can finish the Ahi Tuna, the third dish served…The Kurobuta Prime Rack on-the-bone (300g)(another Signature dish of the restaurant)

“Kurobuta Pork is the most highly prized pork in Japan and comes from the ancient breed of pig known as Black Berkshire. The meat from the pure oriental strains of Black Berkshire, found in Japan, is regarded as the highest quality pork in the world.“

Some knowledges from friend : “Conventional farm-raised pigs
tend to lack the incredibly tasty fat that heritage breeds have
maintained, and which keeps their meat juicy, tender and, yes,
expensive. But if you’re a true fan of pork, heritage is worth every
succulent bite.“

It was my first time trying the highest quality pork in Johor Bahru, it served with the special sauce and it was nicely grilled on the outside and remains succulent inside. This piece of pork gave the different taste from the ordinary pork that available locally. Kind of like the taste…It was a nice experience for us but it can be more perfect by provide more moist of the meat.

The forth dish was Milk Fed Veal Rack (300g) – Signature dish of The Brazzo

“Veal is the meat of young cattle (calves), as opposed to beef from older cattle, Milk Fed Veal was took from calves that are raised on a milk formula supplement. The meat colour is ivory or creamy pink, with a firm, fine, and velvety appearance. They are usually slaughtered when they reach 18–20 weeks of age (450-500 lb). “Milk-fed” veal calves consume a diet consisting of milk replacer, formulated with mostly milk-based proteins and added vitamins and minerals.“ Source from here.

Our Milk Fed Veal Rack was served with the medium rare doneness. As you can see the pinkish on the meat, it easily melted in our mouth and the ‘charcoal grilled’ aroma filled up every corner in our mouth! The veal was tender and succulent, this 300g veal took us at least an hour to enjoy it! With the small little cut of Blue Cheese, made this savory Perfect!
It’s a Must try dish for beef lover, Delicious!

The fifth dish was – French Rack Of Lamb (Signature dish of The Brazzo)

“A rack of lamb or carré d’agneau (though this may also refer to other cuts) is a cut of lamb cut perpendicularly to the spine, and including 16 ribs or chops.“

“Rack of lamb is often “frenched”, that is, the rib bones are exposed by cutting off the fat and meat covering them. Typically, three inches of bone beyond the main muscle (the rib eye or Longissimus dorsi) are left on the rack, with the top two inches exposed.“
Well, we were not so particular as other food lover to measure the 2″ 3″ of it. Haha!

The Rack of Lamb was well grilled on the outside and it had the medium doneness inside, which gave the reddish pink, browned, and crusty. The seasoning complemented the lamb but not dominate it. We can’t stop ourselves after the first bite! No conversation between us during that moment unitl the racks finished…

2 sticks of asparagus wrapped by bacon served together with the Rack of Lamb, and no matter how full you are…you must finish this Nice bacon! Tasty!

All the above meats were imported, and the prices of the 6 types of Singatures dish are between RM50-80. Exclude the Kobe beef.

We were satisfied with all the Signatures dish which served on our table!
The Western Cuisines serve in Brazzo are different from the common western food restaurant in Johor Bahru, you will have more chances to explore the different type of western cuisine in this restaurant and their Specialty is “Charcoal Grilled”. It was a sumptuous meals with the reasonable price! Thanks to Mr Sean Lauw – The friendly owner of The Brazzo.

The Brazzo do serve attractive lunch set in the noon time, they have total of 9 different sets all serve with coffee or flower tea for Only RM12.90 nett.
Beside this, they serve beers and other alcohols in the lounge, this naturally turn into a nice cold place to escape during the hot sunny day! 🙂

With the environment, friendly services, quality foods and affordable prices….it’s a Excellent dining Restaurant! Do drop by if you around the Ponderosa or Taman Molek area, I believe you will surprise with the food of The Brazzo Restuarant Lounge.

Tags Black Berkshire, food, food lover, food restaurant, friendly services, Haha, Japan, Johor Bahru, Sean Lauw, The Brazzo Restuarant Lounge, US Federal Reserve