served with warm milk and cubes of frozen espresso. Child-friendly. Daily, 4pm-1am. $$
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Pahang Penang Perak
Time Out Malaysia Eating & Drinking 2017 115
Malacca & Surrounds
Geographer Café 83 Jalan Hang Jebat (06 281 6813/ www.geographer.com.my). Geographer Café is itself a historical artefact. A traditional Malaccan shophouse preserved over the years, it’s now a watering hole for backpackers. The laidback atmosphere and chill playlist make it a good hangout spot. Try the tom yam soup or curry laksa, but the menu generally leans towards Western favourites. Pork-free. Credit cards accepted. Mon-Fri, 10am-1am; Sat-Sun, 9am1am. $$$
Kelantan & Terengganu
International Discovery Café 3 Jalan Bunga Raya (06 292 5606/ www.discovery-malacca.com). The eclectic and eccentric Discovery Café spans three floors and is decorated with a mishmash of antiques. With its central location and reasonable prices, it’s popular with backpackers but it’s also simply a great spot to kick back with a beer. There are dart boards, pool tables and cable TV as well. Pork-free. Daily, 9am-12midnight. $$
Kedah & Perlis
Chinese Hoe Kee 4, 6, & 8 Jalan Hang Jebat (06 283 4751/012 623 8431). Massively popular Hoe Kee is where it’s at, if you’re looking for chicken rice balls (chicken rice moulded into ping pong sized balls, the state’s unofficial signature dish). Endure the long wait (bring an umbrella!) and you’ll be ushered into the spacious interior, designed like a traditional Chinese house. Service is brisk and the chicken rice balls are some of the best you’ll find in Malacca. Child-friendly. Mon-Fri, 9.30am5.30pm; Sat-Sun, 9.30am-7pm. $
Johor
Kopitiam Donald and Lily’s Corner Ground floor, 16 Jalan KSB, Taman Kota Shahbandar (fb.com/ donaldandlily). With a new location and a glowing yellow signboard advertising the shop, the new outlet is easy to find. Gone are the wooden planks of old, this new place is airier and the food quality remains the same. Try the cendol and taukua rojak. Pork-free. Child-friendly. Tue-Sun, 9am-4pm. $
East Malaysia
The Baboon House 89 Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (06 283 1635). Kaya Kaya Café If you’re looking for gourmet burgers 32 Jalan Tukang Besi,(018 984 and ice cold beers, The Baboon House 5351/fb.com/kayakayacafelol). is for you. This pet-friendly café Dutch brick walls with sits in a carefully refurbished a two-storey mural shophouse, with lush depicting the story of greenery and unique Kaya Kaya, as well as décor everywhere. the history of Malacca, Travellers bent on in one swipe of a authenticity will y isn’t h p ra g paint brush will leave frown upon having Photo d in this you impressed with burgers in a Unesco allowe rant the artsy, all-over-theu heritage site but the rave resta place décor. Serving reviews convinced us that mainly pasta with an it’s worth a try. A feast for all-day breakfast menu, the the eyes as well as the stomach, food presentation is as good as the The Baboon House is festooned with food. If you’re an Elvis fan, you’ll be art, tropical flowers and antiques, and delighted to find a Malaccan take houses a refreshingly lush and leafy on his favourite sandwich – the inner courtyard. Malaccan Elvis where bananas, bacon Child-friendly. Credit cards accepted. and peanut butter are sandwiched in Mon & Wed-Sun, 10am-5pm. $$ between two fluffy pancakes drizzled in chocolate sauce. The Daily Fix Child-friendly. Daily, 8am-6pm. $$ 55 Jalan Hang Jebat (06 283 4858/ fb.com/thedailyfixcafe). Locahouz Forget Jonker88 and make your way 8 Jalan Bukit Cina (019 679 3993/ into KK Souvenirs, where you’ll be Facebook: Locahouz). able to zone in on The Daily Fix Put this on your café-hopping list if through the delicious smell of coffee you’re planning to make a trip down wafting out. Skip the oft-hyped south to this historical town. There Western breakfast and order the is an array of whimsical paintings Local Pandan pancakes instead. The that deck the walls, giving it a pretty fluffy pancakes come in a natural quirky vibe. Try the pork belly shade of green, thanks to the juice sandwich served on ciabatta. You can extracted from the pandan leaves, also find a nice selection of cakes and and are complemented with coconut desserts if the porky offerings are a and gula Melaka. Decked out in bit overwhelming. Nyonya antiques and vintage décor, Mon-Tue & Thu-Sun, 11am-7pm. sewing machines and beaten wooden $$$ cupboards, this colonial shoplot evokes a sense of nostalgia and is one Paddles and Beans of the prettiest coffee joints around. 2 Jalan KSB 1, Taman Kota Mon-Fri, 10am-11pm; Sat-Sun, Syahbandar (06 288 0368/fb.com/ 8.30am-11pm. $$ paddlesandbeans). If the thought of a Nutella hazelnut Cheap eats cheesecake tickles your fancy, then this is the coffee joint for you. Besides Hawker Clock Tower Cendol having a reputation of serving great In front of the clock tower, Dutch coffee, Paddles and Beans also Square, City Centre. has lunch sets ranging from the Some time ago, this popular dessert traditional-styled Nyonya laksa to the was sold out of a stall that looked like artisanal club sandwiches. a mangosteen. This is no longer the Mon & Wed-Sun, 12nooncase. The kitsch factor may be gone 12midnight. $$ but the crowds remain – no wonder, as the stall makes for the perfect Thats Coffee stopover if you’re on a walking tour 57-1 Jalan KL 3/8 Taman Kota around Malacca on a blazing hot day. Laksamana, opposite Bei Zhan (fb. Cendol aficionados argue that there’s com/thatscoffee). better cendol to be found elsewhere, Maintaining elements of Malaysian but you can’t deny this place’s legacy. culture and tradition, this spacious Halal. Daily, 10am-6pm. $ coffee joint located on the first floor has a clean and homey vibe. The Jonker Street owner’s love for travel paints the walls, while his coffee focuses on taste Jalan Hang Jebat. Jonker Street is a long, crowded rather than art. Be sure to try ‘Coffee thoroughfare showcasing the street Cubee’, a Thats Coffee signature
food of Malacca. You’ll find stall after stall selling every imaginable gastronomic delight; if it’s edible, they’ll have it. Candied fruits, fried radish cakes and steaming dim sum are all very good, but a must-have is the sinful, syrupy cendol, a mountain of ice slathered with gula Melaka and coconut milk.
KL & Surrounds
that diners can play, be it cards or their Ice Cream Tower. It definitely keeps the fun factor alive especially if you can indulge in comfort food like chicken chop and braised pork rice. Mon-Sat, 7am-4pm. $$$