Day 3
For breakfast, we paid a visit to an old dim sum shop (now new because they have moved to a new location), Ban Hong Xiang Dim Sum which serves the best dai bao (big pau) I've ever had. Not even the KL ones can match this dai bao and we usually bring home 20 at a go (or more) every time we are in Melaka.
This is one of the few times we have their dim sum. Their dim sum are pretty standard. Not the best and definitely not the worse with some items that I really enjoyed.
Their loh mai kai is absolutely delicious. The rice cooked to perfection and the minced pork tasty. There is a piece of chicken (which I think is rare these days) hidden in that gem of a mound too.
Their chee cheong fun was a bit thick, not too great.
The 2 golden buns above was my favorite at the shop.
It was a baked char siew pao which is also known as chan pao. The baked exterior was delicious with the char siew filling. Now I know what else I should cart home when I visit again!
My Melakan uncle (who lives in Melaka unlike my Melakan mum) recommended that we visit a homemade traditional Nyonya bak chang place nearby so off we went to tapau some home.
There were some turns we had to make and we had to pass Bukit Cina before we reached the place.
Bukit Serindit Chang is located at 106-E, Bukit Serindit. The phone number is written on the card. Do give them a call before going over as they may not be open all the time and have stock if it's approaching festive seasons.
An uncle welcomed us into his porch where it was obvious that it doubled as the workspace for the couple's business.
The area was very clean and neat.
Bamboo leaves soaking.
The uncle was nice enough to let us try one before we bought some. It brought back memories of bak chang that my aunts used to make. The blue tinge of the bunga telang (butterfly pea flower) and the taste of candied melon, five spice powder in the generous amounts of pork was nostalgic and immediately we knew, we had found a hidden Melakan gem!
LC brought some home for his mum and aunt - a trip down to Melaka was planned right away for more!
Despite being stuffed and very full, we rolled ourselves to the last food location on my list - Heng Hong Tin Kee on Jalan Tengkera. It's quite easy to find, it's right next to Hotel Tengkera and there's plenty of carpark in the open air area beside the hotel.
Heng Hong Tin Kee was empty when we arrived - it was just after breakfast and not quite lunch time yet.
Hainanese mutton soup. The minute the bowl was placed on our table, the smell of herb and gamey mutton wafted around. Don't be put off by the smell though, it is actually very delicious.
They were very generous with their ingredients. There were chunks of mutton, beancurd sticks, taufu pok and black fungus. All these ingredients came together with a mixture of herbs to make a delicious, flavorful soup.
There is a ginger chilli dipping sauce for the mutton but I felt that it was good on its own or with a dash of soy sauce.
I am not a fan of loh mee but my parents love it. Thick yellow noodles in an egg sauce topped with julienned carrots, cucumber, pineapple and onions are finished off with a dash of limau kasturi juice, squeezed before eating.
Heng Hong Tin Kee's however was delicious! This was probably the best loh mee I've ever eaten. The eggy sauce was well seasoned and the spritz of lime completed the dish.
We were in luck that day because they were making chicken rice balls for a festival - steamed chicken and chicken rice balls were available for order. It is not on their menu all the time. We were actually watching them roll the rice balls from where we were seating.
The steamed chicken was tender and the soy sauce had oil from the chicken so it made the dish tasty.
The chicken rice balls were compact and seasoned well. I could eat it on it's own even. They were probably better than the commercialized ones you get at Chung Wah and Hoe Kee at Jonker Street. Skip the line and eat at Heng Hong Tin Kee instead.
This ends the 3 Day Melakan food journey. I think my parents will think twice before allowing me to drag them around next time. We all got a little rounder after that hehe.
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Contact info and review links for all food mentioned in this post are as below:
Ban Hong Xiang Tea House (Has now moved to these coordinates: 2.214058,102.239509, Address: Jalan Kesidang 3/2, 75250 Melaka, behind Petronas Tun Perak) : Hungry Go Where, Noweating, Malaysia Most Wanted Food
Bukit Serindit Chang House - Address: 106-E, Bukit Serindit, 75400 Melaka, Contact number: 012-282 7293
Heng Hong Tin Kee Restaurant Hainanese Food: Malaysia Most Wanted Food, Rebecca Saw