Melaka: Nyonya Food at Ole Sayang

This is the second time we're visiting Ole Sayang. It was highly recommended and by far, the best Nyonya food we have ever tried in Malacca.

On our last trip and this trip, we tried a few others also within walking distance from Hotel Equatorial, but all pales in comparison to Ole Sayang. Hence, we were pretty determine to try it this time again, and convinced our group of friends to have this feast on one of our free days.

So there we were, 7 of us, on our feast at Ole Sayang! 

Unlike our previous trip to this restaurant, we didn't have to queue up to get a table this time. However, it was still pretty crowded. 

Like most Nyonya restaurants, decor was pretty simple, with a taste of how the old Nyonya and Baba house looks like in the olden days. 

A simple 1 page menu. We ordered 7 dishes, all large-size. I could so feel that we were all starving... I mean starving for a good meal.  

Ayam Pong Teh - Chicken in Brown Sauce, is probably one of the most popular dish in Nyonya Peranakan cuisine. 

I don't know why we ordered two different kinds of Chicken, but doesn't this Chicken Kari looks yummy? This is the specialty of the day. It really taste yummy. You can seldom find such rich, yet non-that spicy curry taste in Singapore. 

The next dish - Assam Fish, is the most expensive dish for the entire meal - RM70. I am a fish lover, so this is one of my favourite dish. It's sourish, more than spicy, just right for my taste bud.

One of my other friends who went on a separate visit to Ole Sayang to try this dish, commented that it was below her expectation. I'm not sure why. But I really like this Assam Fish as it goes really well with white rice.  

The easiest way to differentiate between good and bad Asian food always lies with the soup. This Itik Tim - Duck Soup with salted vegetables is the proof of good Nyonya Food. 

It's tastiness is the evidence that the soup has been "boiled" for long hours. 

The Otak Otak, is slightly different from the other Nyonya restaurants. The Otak here is steamed, something not very usual back home in Singapore. Not sure if I'm correct, but I read somewhere that authentic Nyonya Otak is steamed instead of BBQed. You can see the soft juicy texture in the photo, as different from the Seri Nyonya @ Hotel Equatorial (in my previous post).

We were all very satisfied with the meal. We didn't have space for the Chendol. But well, Chendol - something that you must try in Malacca, I'll share it in my next post on where you can find good Chendol. 

The Keropok is something that I will not leave the restaurant without. RM10 for a pretty big pack. 

Damage: RM237.20 for 7 pax. Per person about S$14.
Where can you find so much delicious food at such a price in Singapore?

Snew's Rating: 4.3 / 5

Restoran Ole Sayang
(House of Nyonya Food)
198-199 Taman Melaka Raya
75000 Melaka
Tel: 60-6-283 1966 / 60-6-283 4384
Close on Wednesday
Lunch: 11.30am - 2.30pm
Dinner: 6pm - 9.30pm




On the same stretch of road, there are at least 4-5 Nyonya Peranakan restaurants. We tried Banya on our first day. After a massive jam from the Ayer Keroh toll to Hotel Equatorial, we didn't have much luck finding good food at 4+pm. This turns out to be one of the worse Nyonya food we tried, despite being famished for taking lunch at such timing. The Itik Tim is practically tasteless. The Chap Chai wasn't well-cooked.

Two years ago, we also tried Makko. Someone told us it's not bad, but if you have tried Ole Sayang, you probably would want to give this a miss too.

If you have other good Nyonya Peranakan food around the area to recommend, please leave me a comment. We have heard of the acclaimed Aunty Lee in Ujong Pasir, which is a pretty small home-cook Nyonya food restaurant that requires reservation. We didn't have a chance to try it. Do let me know if you have tried it, or any other that you recommend.


Continue On...

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Hotel Equatorial, Melaka

Hotel Equatorial, Melaka

We stayed at Hotel Equatorial, two years ago, for Church Camp as well.
This time, the experience was much better. The rooms are all newly refurbished. Food served during the function was also better. In fact, we were rather torn between going out in search of good local food, or staying at the hotel for the food that was catered.

Hotel Lobby is simple, yet has a modern touch after reburbishment. Nothing too fancy, yet has its own style.

Room is pretty spacious, with a sofa and a small balcony too. Definitely able to fit an extra bed. This is a lead in category - deluxe room.

This is the view from the balcony of our 10th floor room. Although I won't say it's a fantastic view, but at least, there's a portion of the pool and could see have some partial view of the city.

The pool on the 4th floor is not very big. However, it's pretty cosy to swim, and we saw a number of families enjoying themselves at the pool area.

Children's Pool.

There's a gym and tennis court in the hotel as well. It's pretty uncommon for hotels to have tennis court these days, isn't it?

Snew's Rating: 4 / 5
Clean and well-kept hotel are not too easy to find these days in Malaysia. Despite not being a new hotel, the refurbishments done are worth applauding. The quality of food served is one of the better ones that you can find in the vicinity. The service is also worth commending. With the good location and quality, I would definitely recommend this hotel to guests visiting Malacca.



Seri Nonya Restaurant @  Hotel Equatorial

Located at the third level, this was one of the restaurants recommended by the pastors. We didn't manage to try the last time, so we just want to give it a go, since it's located in the hotel.

I really like this traditional Peranakan decor of the restaurant.

Can you relate to all these? I really feel so Peranakan when I stepped into the restaurant.

There were 5 of us, including a friend who's feeling a bit under the weather, hence, we didn't order too much food.

The popiah has a different taste from the ones in Singapore. I can't really explain what is the difference, but I feel it's tastier than those in Singapore. You don't need to add chilli to it, already very tasty.

The Sop Itik Tim, aka Duck Soup with Salted Vegetables is not too bad, but I feel it's still a bit blend.

In case you think we are pretty much of a vegetarian, no, we have Chicken Curry as well. The taste is a bit different from those in Singapore, with a thicken coconut milk taste.

Damage: RM109.50 for the 5 of us, and 5 dishes. Each person less than S$10. Can you believe it? But of course, we did not order a lot, or the more pricey dishes. There's also because we all had a filling buffet breakfast and tea break.

Snew's Rating: 3.8 / 5

I would say that the Nonya food at Seri Nyonya Restaurant is above average. However, I think the one at Ole Sayang is much better. There are so many Nyonya Peranakan Restaurants in Malacca, and even around Hotel Equatorial. I will be posting on Ole Sayang one shortly. Stay Tuned!


Seri Nyonya Peranakan Restaurant
Level 3, Hotel Equatorial Melaka
Bandar Hilir
75000 Melaka, Malaysia
Opens Daily
Lunch: 12pm - 2.30pm
Dinner: 6.30pm - 10.30pm


Continue On...

Melaka: Nyonya Peranakan Food at Ole Sayang

Melaka: Jonker Street

Melaka: Stadthuys & Surroundings along Melaka River

Melaka: Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock