Bunga Raya Popiah, Melaka

Continuing on with my Melaka food posts.

There is one food item that I'd definitely not leave Melaka without eating it at least once -

.

.

.

Bunga Raya Popiah

Ah, the legendary Bunga Raya Popiah. One is never enough :p 

I'd often refer popiah as an "Asian Burito". Popiah is essentially a spring roll, if I were to directly translate it from the Hokkien dialect to English, it'd be "thin biscuit". 

The filling of popiah in Malaysia typically consist of various shredded veggies such as shredded cucumber, braised yam bean, tofu strips, then slathered on with sweet sauce and chilli, rolled up, sliced, and served! Popiahs are typically vegetarian, but the ones in Melaka are typically laden with pork lard - which gives it the extra crunch and oomph!

And my favourite place for popiah is definitely Bunga Raya Popiah! This humble little stall only sell one item - Popiah! Their popiah is definitely pricier compared to other places, but I feel their price is justified by the fillings - their popiah is packed full to the brim, full of the crunch from the pork lard! I'm dreaming of this popiah as I am typing this 😋

Head's up that it gets really busy on a weekend! Be prepared to queue as people tend to buy in bulk, and there are only two uncles manning the booth, doing all the rolling and wrapping. The best is to arrive when they just open, around 12:30pm. You may request for less chilli/no chilli/extra chilli while making your order. 

Bunga Raya Popiah

120, Jalan Bunga Raya, 

Kampung Jawa, 75100 Melaka

Business Hour: 12:30pm - 5:30pm

Donald & Lily Nyonya Food, Melaka

Whenever I visit Melaka, I have a few "standard" eateries I'd visit without fail. One of them is Donald & Lily, a Nyonya food restaurant serving simple yet delectable Nyonya delights! 

Donald & Lily has been around since around 1980, operating just as a small stall back then, but has since evolved and now occupies an entire shop lot at Taman Kota Syah Bandar! It is just about 5-10 minutes' drive from Melaka old town area. Parking there is a breeze - lots of parking lots, and no parking touts nonsense...yet. (please remain this way).

Who are Donald and Lily, you might wonder? They are the husband and wife team that owns this shop. You will see their portraits around the interior of this shop. Donald & Lily is only open for breakfast/brunch/lunch from 9:30am to 3:30pm. Do come early to avoid disappointment, as I've read many reviews claiming that some of the popular food items get sold out post-1/2pm!

Because of the restrictions imposed during MCO, the seating capacity of Donald & Lily has been reduced. It has always been a popular place and now with the limited seating capacity, expect to wait if you arrive at peak hour (after 12pm!). 

It used to be a self-service restaurant where you order and pay at the counter, but I noticed that the waiters are now taking orders from the table instead, from my two visits during RMCO (Once in July, and once in September).

The Food

There are only a few items on the menu of Donald & Lily. Expect the usual Nyonya Food suspects such as Nyonya Laksa, Mee Siam and Popiah. One food item that really caught my eyes (& taste buds and my heart) is Nasi Ketuk Ayam Rendang, which literally translates to "Knocked Rice with Chicken Rendang".

Nasi Ketuk Ayam Rendang RM12

My theory on why it's called Nasi Ketuk - the chicken was cooked till so tender it slides off the bones easily, as though it has been "ketuk"-ed many times :p Do yourself a favour and order this dish, please! This is definitely my favourite dish there - the rendang and sambal were fragrant and not too spicy (for me, I recognise my spiciness tolerance as "mild"). ON TOP OF THAT they used the blue rice (rice infused with blue pea/butterfly flower!). Always thought that rice tastes better when it's cooked this way :) 

Nyonya Laksa RM9

Rich. Creamy. Fragrant. Not toooo spicy. I love this. Nuff said.

There's also the extreme/premium version of Nyonya Laksa with seafood that is seemingly rather popular too, served only on weekends here at Donald & Lily. Never tried it before and probably won't be trying it out anytime soon, as I'm not too much of a fan of seafood.

Cendol RM5.40

This is by far my favourite cendol in Melaka, simply because it's not too sweet and the gula melaka used isn't too thick unlike some very famous place along Jonker Street ahem. But taste is subjective :) What I like might not be the same as what you like! And do share with me what's your favourite place for cendol too! 

I've been to Donald & Lily countless time, and they've never failed to disappoint me so far :) But again, taste is subjective. Try at your own risk!

Donald & Lily

No. 16, Jln KSB 1, 

Taman Kota Shah Bandar, 

75200, Melaka

Opening Hours:

Wednesday - Sunday, 9:30am - 3:30pm (Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donaldandlily/ 

The Jiong Guesthouse, Melaka

When it comes to budget accommodation, Melaka does not fall short of choices - you can stay in many decent place for less than RM20 per pax. The Jiong House is one of the many budget accommodation in Melaka that did not disappoint us. We came across this place through booking.com, and we decided on The Jiong House because of its location and price! 

The Jiong Guesthouse is located next to the Melaka river, along the same row as The Old Merchant. We choose to stay here because of its close proximity to Jonker Street (about 5 minutes walk away), but away from the hustle and bustle of the main streets. There are no reserved parking for guests, but street parking is aplenty just outside The Jiong House. Don't forget to purchase and display your parking coupons on your car's dashboard on weekdays!

The interior was quirky and cute, with pastel colour being the main "theme" of the place. There are three stories guests and chill out at the common area on the ground or first floor. However, as the property is located next to the river, the mosquitoes can be a huge nuisance! The common areas are not air-conditioned, so the doors and windows are opened all the time. Though the management do burn mosquito repellent from time to time, it wasn't strong enough to keep all the pesky mosquitoes away.

Messages and notes from guests plastered the walls on the ground floor.

Guests can fill up their water at this little self-service coffee bar, and make coffee/tea.

The room rate of The Jiong House includes a simple breakfast in the morning - toast with kaya and margarine and a cup of coffee/tea. A simple and light breakfast is what we need in Melaka, as people tend to over-indulge themselves in the local delights in Melaka :P
View from the back entrance of The Jiong House.

We booked a quad room with air-conditioning for RM70 a night, which is only RM17.5 per person per night! It's definitely a steal (and we got a simple breakfast too!)! We were really satisfied with our room - it was clean and comfy, space was sufficient for us to maneuver around. They even provided us with a towel! Our room was facing the main road instead of the river side and we managed to get a good night rest.

Our room is located on the top floor, and the staircase is a little steep (bear in mind this is a traditional old-style house), so people with mobility difficulties might find it hard to travel up.

The only qualm I had about this place was the toilet. All rooms do not have an attached toilet/bathroom, and there were only one toilet and two bathrooms, which are located on the ground and first floor. So if the place is at full occupancy, there might be a wait during "peak hour". The toilets are kinda old too. It is clean, but....think about the toilet at your grandmother's place, that's what it feels like. :P There is hot water and a functioning (but not too efficient) toilet bowl, but, think grandma home's toilet. You'll know what I mean.

The Jiong House is definitely my go-to budget place in Melaka. If you don't mind sharing a (more traditional) toilet, and perhaps climbing up the stairs! There are dorm rooms, air-conditioned rooms, and fan rooms here at Jiong House, I'd really recommend getting the air-conditioned room as it gets rather hot and humid in Melaka!

The Jiong House
76, Jalan Kampung Pantai,

75200 Malacca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jionghouse/

Tipsy Bridge Authentic Street Cafe, Melaka

My latest bar hopping venture in Melaka brought me to this cute little bar that serves affordable drinks, Tipsy Bridge. It is located just a stone throw away from The Old Merchant.

Why Tipsy Bridge? (My personal assumption is) Perhaps because The Tipsy Bridge is located along this charming lorong that leads to a bridge? In fact, the name of this street is Lorong Jambatan! Took this picture during the day time when it is still bright.

By night time, the shutters of the shops are pushed aside, and the street was adorned with high stools and tables. 90s music filled the quiet streets, bringing some live to the area. It feels as if we got transported back in time!

We arrived here just slightly after 8pm, and the place was still relatively empty. There's a bar area inside the compound, but it was very limited as the compound was rather small. It somehow reminded me of the bars in Spain, where the indoor compound of the bars tend to be smaller and 'open', and most patron would be sipping their sangria outside, "el-fresco" style.

We decided to go 'el-fresco' as well and enjoy the cool night breeze. We noticed that each table has one of this record disc. Flip it over and tadaa!

Here's the menu!
Price wise is really affordable, especially during happy hour (7pm-10pm)!

Every day, Tipsy Bridge has a special offer, which changes every month. Do refer to their Facebook page for the daily offers!

It was Mojito night during our visit (RM15 for a Mojito, all-night long) so I decided to roll with Mojito (RM15), and my friend opted for Tipsy Frog (RM12 Happy Hour, RM15, Normal Rate).
Drinks are pretty decent, not ratio of alcohol to non-alcohol was fine despite the price tag. I was worried that the drinks would be watered down because of the affordable price tag but they proved me wrong! Don't expect sophisticated drinks like the ones at The Old Merchant though!

If you're looking for an affordable place to grab a drink and chill with your friends in Melaka, I'd highly recommend Tipsy Bridge. Extra brownie points if you're a fan of 90s music too! Really, the vibe was awesome. There are live bands too on certain nights I heard.

Only qualm is...I went there once at 7pm and it wasn't open yet huhu :((((


Tipsy Bridge Authentic Street Cafe
No 14, Lorong Jambatan,

Kampung Pantai, Melaka

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Cocktail-Bar/Tipsy-Bridge-Authentic-Street-cafe-2309980392580581/

Business Hours:
7pm-3am

Other bars in Melaka
1. The Old Merchant

The Old Merchant, Melaka

The Old Merchant is Malacca's first speakeasy bar, located along the quaint riverside of the Malacca river, which is just 3 minutes walk from Jonker Street.

The back alley of The Old Merchant - truly picturesque!

I stumbled upon this place on Facebook (thank you AI and algorithm for the advert) and I was hooked by their happy hour promo (RM55 for a jug of cocktail), which seems like a pretty good deal.

There are two entrance to The Old Merchant, one is from the main road of Jalan Kampung Pantai, the other is from the river side.

The riverside entrance. You'll have to enter through the toilet! You will see a few tables and rattan chair set-up by the riverbank. You can enjoy your drinks there too, if you don't mind the humidity!

I was dazzled by the charming interior of The Old Merchant. It was a mix of traditional and modern design - which really bedazzled me.

The Old Merchant's signature backdrop - the Chinese characters literally translate to "White People's Herbal Tea" LOL!

 Happy hour menu.

The Old Merchant serves creative cocktails with a local twist and quirky names - there are more drinks choices which I did not take a picture of, but you can sort of get a gist of what the menu entails! According to the server, the drinks priced at RM30 are the "easy drinks" (ie lower alcohol content, sweeter taste). 

I decided to settle on the Made for Nyonya (RM30) as recommended by the server for a sweet, fruity & refreshing drink.

Made for Nyonya (RM30)

Three words - I love it. I've always been a fan of passion fruit so this drink was perfect for my taste buds. It was what I expected - sweet, fruity & refreshing! The kaffir lime was an interesting addition that gave the drink a truly Malaysian finish.

I dropped by The Old Merchant some time again with another friend to try out their RM55 Happy Hour promo. This was The East India Company if I am not mistaken. It was a fruity drink as well (sorry my memory was fuzzy for this drink) but I remember really enjoying it as well.

My verdict? The Old Merchant is definitely a place I'd drop by if I am ever at Melaka for a drink to cool myself down. I am keen on trying more of their drinks the next time I drop by!

The Old Merchant

88, Jalan Kampung Pantai, 

75200 Melaka

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theoldmerchant/

Business Hours:

Tuesdays - Sundays 6pm-1am

Closed on Mondays

Other bars in Melaka: 

1. Tipsy Bridge