MELAKA, Aug 15 — When in Melaka, dropping by Jonker Street is a must, right? For the historical buildings, the one-way streets, the hipster cafés and the throngs of day trippers and weekend tourists.
(One or more of the above might not, in fact, be attractions.)
Parking can be a challenge, however, to put it mildly, so many have turned to newer cafés and coffee shops in less crowded areas such as Kota Laksamana.
For those who long for heritage without spending an hour looking for an available parking bay might consider heading over to the old neighbourhood of Bukit China. The rows of pre-war shophouses aren’t actually located on the iconic hill itself but bordering it, after the roundabout.
We headed here, to a quieter part of town bordering Jonker Street and Kampung Jawa, for the nostalgia-tinged ambience of Locahouz, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it café along Jalan Bukit Cina.
Or maybe not. You don’t have to be eagle-eyed to spot the shop’s entrance, which is emblazoned with signs, mostly made from pieces of the rescued or recycled wood. (The one that announces “Bukit Cina ♥” receives the most love from locals, naturally.)
On entering, one is greeted by red sheer curtains, a jet-black spiral staircase and a profusion of plants. Truly what better way to settle down than to begin with a latte while seated amid the lush greenery?
Certainly the hit of espresso helps as one peruses the menu, more varied than most cafés of its ilk. Where else could one enjoy kaya butter toast and Nyonya Chilli Garam Pork Pasta at the same table?
The one item that caught our attention was their homemade Pumpkin Mantou buns. In lieu of buttery brioche buns or the now commonplace charcoal burger buns, these lightly golden hued baos make for a more localised option.
Fillings include bacon and egg, honey mustard chicken, satay chicken with satay sauce, hot sauce pork belly and five spice pork belly. What we went for, given our predilection for caffeine, was the Coffee Pork Belly Pumpkin Mantou.
The presence of the coffee comes mainly in the aroma, but the sweet sticky glaze that coats the pork belly must have benefited too. With a side of mashed potato, this surprisingly felt like a light and comfortable meal.
By removing the inclination to overeat, the owners allow customers to dedicate an equal amount of attention to the dining space itself, specifically its eclectic décor. Retro bric-à-brac abound (par for the course with most Malaccan cafés nowadays).
Count the number of paper fans, Victorian lampshades, bakelite telephones and boombox cassette players while you sip on a second coffee — perhaps an Americano to help ease the digestion of your meal.
If the ornamentation seems all over the place, then surely it is by design. The joy of such cafés is that they need not subscribe to any notion of what is authentic or appropriate, be it the furnishing or the food.
An Italian espresso bar might offer a slice of biscotti with every cup. A café in Wellington might offer avocado and poached eggs with just about every dish on the menu. One ought to be well versed in the distinctions of O, C, kosong and kaw when ordering coffee or tea in a koptiam.
Yet when you are dining in a Melakan café, with everything that a mishmash of heritage and gentrification might entail, you know that anything goes really.
Hence lovers of pai kuat will enjoy home-style dishes such as the Spicy Pork Ribs Rice, I suspect. Near-tender braised pork ribs with more heat than its sauce might suggest, paired with sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes to help cool one’s tongue.
Or try the British inspired Fish and Chips... in Nyonya Sauce. A blast from the past where colonial flavours meet Peranakan cuisine, perhaps?
Choose between French toast smothered with fresh fruit and wild honey or homemade loh mai kai, filled with chicken drumstick meat, Chinese pork sausage and shiitake mushrooms — an homage in memory of the owner’s grandfather.
Anything goes and when it’s executed with love, it doesn’t have to be perfect to be memorable. Sometimes the taste of nostalgia doesn’t have to be clichéd; it can simply be just that — nostalgic.
After we paid and made our way to the door, we noticed the sea of Chinese red lanterns hanging from the ceiling of the front room. Auspicious crimson and good fortune gold.
Which struck us as a most excellent sign, for better days and greater things to come. Raise the red lanterns!
Locahouz
8, Jalan Bukit Cina, Kampung Bukit China, Melaka
Open daily (except Wed closed) 10am-6pm
Phone: 017-838 6005
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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