Sideways: Melaka

After the constant reminding from Paul, I am finally writing up about the rest of the melaka roadtrip we did a few weeks back. The first and most memorable part of the trip had already been featured in the Teo Soon Long Chan review done in June. There are definitely more gems in Melaka with regards to good food.

The very first place where we had lunch was at Bibik Neo - a peranakan restaurant.

Bibik Neo
4 & 6 Jalan Merdeka
Taman Melaka Raya
Tel: 06 281 7054

WADA rating: 43.5 +23.5= 67 pts
QPI: 7+ (can't remember how much but its cheap for lots of fresh seafood)
WFI: B (Free corkage!! but BYOG and BYOB)

What's Good
Ponteh Ayam
Lovely chicken bits tossed in a appetizing sourish sauce. An appetite-whetting experience.

Assam Squid
Once again a very appetizing dish that is very over-the-top on the sour factor. Not the most modest of dishes but it works wonders for the appetite. Kudos on the fresh factor too.

Squid with Petai in Sambal Sauce
Hot ! Hot! Hot! After that sourish appetizing dishes, this dish turns up the heat with its exciting array of spiciness that is well balanced off with some lime acidity freshness. The pungent petai adds another extra weight to the mist of aromas. Try this!


What's Not

Ladyfingers in Sambal
Too simple and the dish is not integrated. Its basically just steamed ladyfingers and a plump of sambal chilli.

Other Dishes Tasted

Nanas Prawns - Okay but not impressive. Mild flavours for such a semi- curry like dish.
Duck with Salted Vegetable Soup - Good sourness and mild meaty flavours.

Comments

Nice rustic ambience and authentic furnishings. Doesn't feel like a tourish trap at all. Good value for money and one thing they can do well is bring out the sourishness and spiciness expected of peranakan food. Delightful to visit but didn't blow me away.

Wine Pairing Done

NV Heidsieck & Co. Bluetop Monopole
WADA rated 83+pts
Fresh citrus flavours with green apples. Good length with a gentle grip on the palate that slides away nicely. Off-dry with some sweet apple notes. This is absolutely fabulous with the spicy peranakan food. This champagne not only provides lot of drinking fun but also has a magical cleansing effect that neutralises the heat.

Pairing Suggestions

At first, I thought that a sweet white or rose would pair the best with perankan food but after having champagne with it, I think it is a perfect match. Absolutely lovely and fun.

To Satay or Not to Satay?

In between the Bibik Neo lunch and Teo Soon Long Chan dinner, we managed to squeeze in another stop at an amazing out-of-this-world satay shop. There will be no ratings as this is a very unqiue one of a kind satay. They used to be situated at Jonker st (Chinatown) but have since moved to this obscure coffeeshop in the midst of a residential district. V difficult to find. I can't even remember how to get there.

Made in the traditional hainanese way with pineapple stirred into the sauce, this shouts Yummy yum! Succulent with tumeric dominating. Extremely fragrant with slight sweetness in the meat. Its perfectly marinated to perfection. Whether it be the chicken , pork, chicken heart, pork stomach or whatever intenstines that can be skewered on a stick, they prepare it fresh and all taste superb. The satay sauce is just amazingly quaffable with light savory sweetness from the pineapples and some other fruits and vegetables thrown in. There's a twang to the sauce that goes so mwell with the satay.