Road trip to Melaka

A couple of weeks ago I went on a road trip to Malacca, Malaysia’s most historical city. I’m not much of a history buff, but I was still excited as I’ve only been to Malacca once when I was a kid.

We plan to hit Malacca by noon latest and spend the whole day exploring before going back at night. We had our itinerary all printed out and couldn’t wait to get started. It was a little cloudy when we got to Malacca but thank god it didn’t rain. Below are some of the places we covered.

Stadthuys

Stadthuys means town hall in Dutch and is situated in the heart of Malacca Town. It’s also known as the Red Square because of its red exterior. It’s not a very wide spread area so you will find a few other stuff here like the Victoria Water Fountain and the Tan Beng Seng Clock Tower. Something you might miss actually as it’s not a very big clock tower. Also, you can’t help but notice all the beca’s as they take up half the street. Gone are the age old beca’s you read and see in books. The ones you come across now are all decorated with flowers, lights and with loud music coming from their jukebox, gaudy and annoying in my opinion. We didn’t go on the beca though as we felt bad having an old uncle cart us around.

Beca:Trishaw

               Stadthuys

Museum of History and Ethnography

The old building located at Stadthuys used to be the office of the Dutch Governor and Deputy Governor back in 1650. That building is now called the Museum of History and Ethnography. As boring as it sounds, we actually found it really interesting. The museum houses traditional costumes and artifacts such as ancient porcelain, musical instruments, ancient weapons, stamps, currencies and many more. It also has a section depicting the lifestyles and cultures of the various communities of Malacca. 

Admission: RM 2.00 (Adults) RM0.50 (Children/Students)

Opens from 9am-6.00pm

Closed on Monday

                                                                                  
Christ Church

This church was built by the Dutch in 1743 but was only completed in 1753. Unfortunately we didn’t really explore within the church. The moment we stepped in there were little stalls on both sides of the aisle selling some church merchandise such as books, key chains, t-shirts so we just took a quick look around and made our way out.

Christ Church is an 18th century Protestant church in the city of Malacca, Malaysia. It is the oldest functioning Protestant church in Malaysia. (Wikipedia)

                                     Christ Church

Melaka Sultanate Palace

This building is a replica of the Sultan of Malacca’s palace during the Melaka Sultanate period. Located at the foot of St. Paul’s Hill, it was constructed using only wooden pegs, meaning no nails! We were quite taken in looking at the wax and plastic figurines that were used to depict the history of Malacca. We liked how the story of Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat were depicted. The place also exhibits artifacts pertaining to the customs and traditions of various royal households that ruled Malacca.

The museum, also known as the Istana (Sultanate Palace), is a replica of Sultan Mansur Shah's palace, the famous Sultan who ruled Melaka from 1456 to 1477. (www.virtualmalaysia.com)

Admission: RM 2.00 (Adults) RM0.50 (Children/Students)

Opens from 9am-6.00pm

Closed on Monday

 Inside the Melaka Sultanate Palace

Forbidden garden

This is located outside of the Melaka Sultanate Palace. It’s the play area for the royal princesses during the era of the Malacca Sultanate. The garden was neatly kept but nothing to shout about. It was really big though and I like the little waterfalls they had in the corners. 

                                        The Forbidden Garden

Porta de Santiago

The remains of the Old Portuguese fort, A Famosa. Anyone who visits Malacca will definitely make it a point to visit this place. It is one of the four main gates of the A Famosa fortress and was built by the Portuguese in 1512. Its pretty much damaged and run down but still something you should visit. Inside the fort you will find one or two buskers singing or playing a guitar. 

 A Famosa

St Paul’s Church

Located on a hill, the church has an excellent view of Malacca City. At the front is a statue of St. Francis Zavier. At first we were curious as to why there was one hand missing from the statue. So I did my research. Nope, St Francis did not get his hand cut off; instead a tree fell and broke off the right hand of the statue. The church was a former chapel for the Portuguese before the Dutch took over and turned it into a burial ground, hence all the tombstones placed against the walls.

                                Statue of St. Francis Xavier @ St.Paul's Church

                       Tombstones @ St. Paul's Church

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Balls @ Jonker Street

After all that walking it was time to break for lunch. We decided to try the famous chicken rice ball at Jonker Street, Malacca’s signature dish. Its basically chicken rice rolled and shaped into ping-pong size balls and served with the chicken on the side and the usual dark soy sauce and blended chilli. Simple yet delicious.

Hoe Kee Hainam Chicken Rice Ball
4, 6, 8 Jalan Hang Jebat,
75200, Melaka

                                                                      

Maritime Museum Phase 1 (Flor De La Mar)

A museum in a ship! This museum is a replica of the ‘Flor de La Mar’, a Portuguese ship that sank off the coast of Melaka. We thought it was a little weird that we were given plastic bags upon paying but than realized that it was so we could put our shoes in and not dirty the place. Inside the ship, we saw tons of artifacts, miniature ships and paintings with narrations revealing the importance of Malacca as a regional and international business centre from the period of the Malacca Sultanate, right through the Portuguese, Dutch and British era. We also saw statues of the prisoners taken in during war.  

Maritime is primarily an adjective that describes objects or activities related to the sea (Wikipedia)

Admission: RM2.00 (Adults) RM0.50 (Children and students)

Opens 9am-6pm daily except Mondays

      Flor De La Mar

 Prisoners of War

Maritime Museum Phase 2

This is just next to the Flor de La Mar. This museum focuses on a variety of maritime themes such as maritime life, exploration of the oceans and seas, treasures from the sea and many more. You will also see all kinds of treasures and gadgets salvaged from the old days.

Menara Taming Sari

The best way to take in the view of Malacca is when your 80meters up in the sky. Don’t you think so? This rotating tower was designed based on the legendary Taming Sari Keris. It can accommodate 66 people. It’s a little surreal as your going up, no seat belts to hold you down. But we were put off by the bunch we were stuck with. They were so loud that it was worst than a pasar malam!

The Keris Taming Sari is a very famous kris in Malay culture and was supposedly owned by the legendary Malay warrior Hang Tuah. It is said to possess magical powers. The keris was a prize from the Javanese kingdom of Majapahit to Hang Tuah after he fought and killed their supposedly invincible warrior named Taming Sari. The keris derives its name from the original owner. (Wikipedia)

Jalan Merdeka, Bandar Hilir, 75000 Melaka.

 06-2881100/06- 2813366.

Operating hours: 10 am to 10 pm

Admission: RM10 (with Mykad)-RM20

                                                                

Malacca River Cruise

I bet this is one river all Malaysians will remember, unless of course you skipped your entire history education. Dubbed as the ‘Venice of the East’, this river was an important port where traders of East and West met. It’s also a good way to take in the city although in my opinion the river should be better maintained. We managed to endure the funky smell by concentrating on the view. We loved how some of the building had these murals painted on like of Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat and other interesting designs. The 45 minute cruise was informational as the pre-recorded voice-over gave a brief history of Malacca back in its heyday. 

Melaka River is a river which flows through the middle of Malacca Town in the Malaysian state of Malacca. It was once an important trade route during the heyday of Malacca Sultanate in the 15th century. (Wikipedia)

Admission: RM10

Jonker Walk

My favourite part of the day, shopping! Jonker Street is a shopping haven that caters for everyone. Food, toys, clothes, memorabilia, artifacts, antiques, household items and decorations, shoes, and the list goes on. It took us about two and a half hours just to walk back and forth through this market, stopping along the way to buy some knick knacks and eating the street food. If you’re not interested in going to any of the historical places than just wait for nightfall and hit this exciting night market.

Toy Museum

Now this was a real interesting find as we didn’t even know it existed. I was looking at some of the shops from across the street, checking out the clothes when I saw this toy museum sign. It located at the end of Jonker Walk, opposite the stage and you have to go through another shop to enter. Now whether or not you like toys, this is one museum you have to visit. The place is filled with toys, dolls, figurines, Disney characters, Star Wars, cartoon memorabilia, limited edition toys and so much more! There are old toys and new ones and even a small section made to look like a mini ghost house which was really freaky. Words cannot describe how awesome this place is, you just have to see it for yourself. It’s beyond impressive! 

129, Jalan Hang Jebat, Melaka

Admission: RM5.00

Opens Friday-Sunday, 2pm-10pm

                        Map to the Toy Museum

                      Look out for this poster

Capitol Satay Celup

Its dinner time! Another must try food here in Malacca is satay celup. There are many satay celup restaurants around but Capitol is apparently the best to go to as it’s the pioneer in satay celup. So do expect to stand in a long queue. Don’t know what satay celup is? Ok you know how when you eat steamboat, you dip sticks laden with fish balls, sausages, shrimps and such into boiling water? Well this is the same concept except your dipping your food into a boiling pot of spicy peanut sauce. Trust me, this is a must try for all who visit Malacca.

Capitol Satay Celup, 41, Lorong Bukit Cina, Melaka

Opens from 5pm till late, except on Mondays

And that rounded up our trip to Malacca. It was a successful trip as we did manage to cover quite a bit. And it was fun walking around looking at all these places instead of just driving around. And the weather was kind to us as well, not too hot, with a slight breeze and not a drop of rain.

Malacca may seem like a boring destination for one to visit if you’re not a history buff, but trust me learning about Malacca in school and experiencing the city are two different things. If you have a day to spare than do make your way down there. It’s an economical way to have fun, especially if you’re dying to go on a road trip.

An afternoon with Anna Olson

“I like to remind people that whenever you are stressed just remember that stressed spelled backwards is desserts”

- Anna Olson-

I’m a self professed TV addict. Put me in front of a television set and watch as my gaze turn all glassy as I focus on the screen, channel surfing every now and than trying to watch three to four shows at a time. Anyways, one of the few channels that I enjoy watching is the Asian Food Channel. I love watching all these professional chefs cook up a storm in their kitchen, or studios, making everything look so effortless. It makes me want to be a chef! Some of the shows that I especially love are Nigella Bites, Chef at home, Licence to grill, French food at home, Jamie at home, Fresh with Anna Olson and Sugar. So it’s no surprise that I was ecstatic when I was told that I would get to attend a round table interview and cooking demonstration by Anna Olson! Sigh, be still my tummy! I arrived at the Le Meridien on time and waited with the distinct sound of someone’s tummy rumbling. Come to think of it was probably my tummy.

Anyways, Anna Olson made her entry, right on time, and took her spot behind a makeshift table loaded with all the ingredients she would need. I must say the one thing I admire about celebrity chefs is their ability to keep up a steady stream of lively chatter as they cook and bake for a whole half hour. And Anna did not fail to entertain the small group of media as she charmed us with tales of her bloopers while filming as well as giving out a few tips here and there on baking. She also explained the process of filming a cooking show and I must say I was a little surprise to find out that it took hours just to film a five minute segment as she had to do it many times in different angles.

The best part about the cooking demonstration is that we got to smell and taste what we normally drool over on TV. The three recipes that she made for us were the Butter Raisin Tart which is sinfully and deliciously sweet, Maple Walnut Ice Cream that had the sweet taste of maple syrup and the delightful crunch of walnut, and the Apple Cheddar Date Muffin which was sweet and savoury at the same time. “All three desserts are calorie free”, jokes Anna.

After the cooking demonstration, I and a few other writers waited to be called in for our turn at the round table interview. As we walked in, we all received a warm greeting from both Anna and her husband, who’s also a chef, Chef Michael Olson! “We were both cooking professionally before we met each other, and that taught us to be tolerant of each other. In fact we both work well together and there’s never a clash in the kitchen,” Anna assures us.

The bubbly Anna explains that although she loved cooking while growing up, it wasn’t her first choice as a career path. In fact she studied sociology and dabbled in the world of finance for awhile. “Cooking wasn’t my first choice. I was in banking and knew I wasn’t cut out for it when I realised that I wasn’t happy doing it. One time I was trying to sleep after having a bad day and I just couldn’t. And next thing I knew I was in the kitchen making banana muffins! Not because I was hungry, but because that was the only thing that calmed me down and made me think clearly. And that’s when I realised that cooking and baking was the only thing that made me happy. I call it my muffin epiphany!” Anna jokes.

This is the first time that Anna is in Malaysia, and the second time for her husband Chef Michael. “I was here 26 years ago and don’t recognize a thing. Kuala Lumpur looks completely different from when I was here,” he says. Seeing as it’s her first time here, Anna did not waste any time in trying out some of the local delicacies. “I love gula melaka and pandan! If I could take a whole lot back with me it would be wonderful! I did try the durian. It made an impression but I didn’t go back for a second piece,” says Anna thoughtfully. “I thought it was delicious and I did go back for a second piece. But it does have a wet Kleenex texture to it though, says Chef Michael as the whole table broke out in laughter.

Now we all know that being a celebrity chef is a tough feat as compared to a regular chef. So I had to ask what her secret to being a good celebrity chef is. “The secret to being a good celebrity chef is to not think of yourself as a celebrity. After finishing the first season of sugar, my director Randy told me that things could get a little funny. He said; don’t believe your own press. Because the good stuff will go to your head and the bad stuff will mess with your head and drive you crazy. So just let it all be. So I try not to delve on that part of it and just do what I do. Just keep your head on and be kind to people. If your mean to people on your way up their not going to be sympathetic on your way down,” stresses Anna.

So does it take god-given talent to be a good chef? “Not really. I believe a 100% that anyone can be a good cook. It takes a combination of pure passion, desire and practice. You have to understand who you’re cooking for. So if mistakes happen when your cooking for friends, well their your friends so they will forgive you. And if your cooking for family their your family they have to forgive you! I mean I didn’t even know how to season food properly. It took practice and good mentoring for me to learn. So no, talent is something that can be acquired with practice.”

As our interview session come to an end, I had to ask the all important (the most common question every writer HAS to ask) question, what’s next for Anna Olson? “That’s a good question, a little hard to answer though. From working my way up in Niagara, writing my book together with my husband and doing the show, nothing was ever really planned. So we’ll just have to see. My husband and I just try to say yes to opportunities. Besides not letting things get to your head opportunity does not wait for convenience. So it’s best to leave yourself open to say yes to something unexpected. So who knows?

And that concluded my meet and greet with AFC’s darling, Anna Olson. As you can tell, I was indeed charmed by her down to earth persona. She didn’t have a drop of diva-ness in her. In fact it felt like we were all just sitting and having a conversation instead of me interviewing a world famous chef. Before leaving, Anna actually wrote down all our food suggestions for her to try before she left the country. I just told her to go for the hawker stuff because we all know that’s the best place to try everything! Now all I hope for is to catch Chef Michael Smith from Chef at home if and when he makes his way down to Kuala Lumpur. Fingers crossed!

Fresh with Anna Olson is now in its 3^rd season and airs every Tuesdays at 9pm on the Asian Food Channel, the premier food and lifestyle broadcaster based in the heart of Asia.

Published in the January 2011 issue of Vision KL

The King of the Kitchen is here to Tickle Your Taste Buds

Rev up your appetite as Chef Anton Mosimann takes you on a gastronomic adventure when he sets foot here in Malaysia. Written by Jivani Jeyasingam

Posted Monday, 28/06/2010 at 14:41 PM (www.visionkl.com)

Long before the likes of Jamie Oliver and Gordan Ramsey was Swiss born Chef and restaurateur Anton Mosimann. World renowned for his culinary career this gastronomic maestro will be setting foot in Malaysia for four glorious days to take you on a mesmerizing culinary journey that you will remember and cherish for a very long time. Exclusively at Saujana, Chef Anton Mosimann will be preparing some of his signature dishes such as the world famous ‘Risotto ai Funghi’, ‘Chicken Liver Parfait’ with ‘Pistachio Brioche’, ‘Roasted Saddle of Welsh Lamb’, ‘Herb Crust’ and of course Anton’s world famous ‘Bread and Butter Pudding’.

Born in 1947, Anton Mosimann grew up surrounded by food. He used to help out in his parents restaurant everyday after school. In fact, one of the first dishes that he cooked up was a cheese fondue when he was only 7 years old. In his teen years, he started an apprenticeship at a nearby restaurant while studying at a local catering college. After college, he went on to work in some of the top hotels in Rome, Montreal, Japan and Belgium. At the age of 28, he was the youngest ever to become Maitre Chef de Cuisine of The Dorchester and was awarded two Michelin stars and it wasn’t long before he became the youngest chef ever to be awarded the prestigious Chef De Cuisine Diplome from the prominent French Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu.

In 1985, Anton had the culinary world in frenzy when he created a new healthy style of cooking called “Cuisine Naturelle” which avoids the use of fats and alcohol and focuses more on healthy and natural ingredients. And it wasn’t long before the trend of healthy coking caught on in the kitchens of top hotels around the world. Having been in this industry his whole life, Anton has cooked for a number of high profile figures including four Presidents of the United States of America, all of the British Royal Family, four British Prime Ministers and indeed most of Europe’s heads of state.

Anton now commands a sprawling culinary empire at an exclusive Belgravian club which was once an old church built in 1830. This prestigious dining club has seen the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins, Claudia Schiffer and even Paul McCartney.