Amazing Auntie Lee's Nonya Restaurant
Posted on 04/12/2011
Address: 385 Jalan Ujong Pasir, Malacca.
My eating & travel partner once again hit the ball out of the park with his recommendation that we have lunch at Aunti Lee's. We were only stopping overnight in Malacca on our way to K.L. and had a brief window to make our way to the restaurant somewhere along Jalan Ujong Pasir.
The restaurant is on the main road of Ujong Pasir. Quite a few people on the food blogs express their feelings that Auntie Lee's makes the best Nonya food in town.
We arrived at eleven-thirty, just before the lunch hour. The place was empty so we strolled through the dining area out into the covered courtyard kitchen area. Aunty Lee was busy chopping and slicing this table of chiles, shallots, spring onions and peppers when we found her.
Since reservations are a must when eating here, and since we had called from the hotel that morning to no avail, Dominic begged her to cook for us an early lunch. His powers of persuasion worked once again (remember Goh Swee Kee?), and she agreed to oblige "the visitors all the way from Canada."
To top it all off, we were both wanting ten bags each of Antie Lee's curry powder. She makes both for meat and seafood. However, she had already sold out her last batch. Dominic again begged her to sell them to us, as the locals to whom she had sold her last batch could surely wait until she made some more... Once again his powers of persuasion worked! It has been over a year since then and I have been milking my hoard of curry powder.
Prawn Sambal Petai MR15.50.
I have had this dish many times (usually Indonesian preparation) since trying it here first. This particular dish will always hold the number one place in my mental ordering of prawn sambal petai dishes. The rich, reddish sambal coats the sauteed prawns perfectly, as the fresh petai adds the usual distinctly pungent aroma.
Nyonya Chap Chai MR12.50.
"Chap Chai" means 'mixed vegetables'. Good eating.
Fish Kari MR15.50.
This Asian fish is swimming in a fiery red home-made curry sauce along with ladie's fingers and tomatoes. In my Asian travels so far, only Muthu Fish-head Curry rivals this special fish curry preparation.
Cincalok Omelette MR 12.50.
There is something about true 'homestyle' cooking that brings a smile to my face. This egg dish inlaid with fermented small krill fish & gloriously adorned with green scallions & red/pink chiles is one of those all-time or old-time favorites that never goes out of style. I find it is also the perfect accompaniment to the above dishes, or it would be excellent as a stand-alone lunch with rice.
Yours truly relishing first-class Baba Nonya food. As they say, this is the best Nonya restaurant in Malacca. I would at least say it is the best home-style Nyonya restaurant. Then again I have yet to find a fine-dining Peranakan restaurant somewhere with which to compare.
Long live Aunty Lee's Nyonya Restaurant!