Melaka: must eats

Melaka is another popular foodie destination in Malaysia. The UNESCO world heritage area is full of restaurants, cafes and street food stalls and we tried to sample as many of the local dishes as we could (as always!).

Satay celup

Satay celup is all the rage in Melaka (we queued for an hour to get a table). Each table has a boiling pot of satay sauce in the middle and there are rows and rows of different skewers to cook in the sauce. Each skewer is 1 RM (20p), whether it's tofu, vegetables or meat, and so there's no need to hold back (and we didn't!). Once you've worked your way through the skewers on offer, the staff will bring over some more premium items to the table (big prawns, squid etc.), all for the same price. This was a fun dining experience and the sauce was so good.

Capitol Satay, 41 Lorong Bukit Cina, Melaka

Cendol

Similar to the ais kachang that we tried in George Town, cendol is another popular shaved ice dessert. This one comes with gula melaka (palm sugar syrup with a caramel taste), coconut milk, green jelly worms and, you guessed it, red beans. Cendol is a really refreshing and light dessert that's the perfect break from walking around in the sun (just hold the beans!).

Jonker 88, 88 Jalan Hang Jebat, Melaka

Laksa

There are lots of variations of laksa across Malaysia, and Nyonya laksa is the soup of choice in Melaka. It's a mild coconut curry soup served with fried tofu puffs. As someone who doesn't like coconut curries (I know, I know...), I can't vouch for this, but Colin assured me it was delicious.

Jonker Night Market, Jalan Hang Jebat, Melaka

Chicken and rice balls

Hainan steamed chicken is a favourite in any Chinatown, but this one was something special. The chicken was so moist and the rice balls were great dipped in chilli sauce.

Famosa Chicken Rice Ball Restaurant, 28–30 Jalan Hang Kasturi, Melaka

Nyonya pineapple tarts

We could only find these little tarts in boxes of 20, which turned out to be the perfect amount because they are so delicious. These traditional Melaka pastries have a crisp base topped with sweet pineapple jam. We polished off the lot!

Tian Hup Seng Biscuit Company, Jalan Hang Jebat, Melaka

For more information, see my guide to Melaka.