There was no Kota Laksamana

I was delivering letters and parcels to consignees from 1986 to 1990 in Melaka for Nationwide Express, a courier company then owned by Tan Sri Ngan Ching Wen who was a former president of the Malaysian Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Servicing shippers from Jalan Melaka Raya 1, I still can remember the whole stretch from Hatten Hotel to Hotel Seri Costa was covered with white sands. The reclaimed land from Sun May Hiong Satay Shop to Yeast Pastry House was rather newly developed and I still can remember the company PolyScientific selling chemical and safety products from the same row as the Satay shop before it moved to Taman Asean, Melaka.

Today this area we are referring to is different. The area is full of people when night fall.

The dishes

The popular Satay shop needs no elaboration here and close to this shop, is the typical corner street food, Jonker Walk Hawker Centre, stormed by foodies after daylight.

Next to the Centre is the Green Tree Café where the moment was seized in this photograph when the chef showed the list of dishes he likes to share.

It is at Green Tree Café that I first meet Chee Leong face to face and my thanks goes to Mr. Hew from the community management council of Kota Laksamana. You can see both of them in this photograph.

Chee Leong and Hew

Literally, ‘Black Tortoise’ impressed me in its form on the plate, its texture and its color but I was too busy to bite the ‘tortoises’ I surely likes to bite them on day.

The Sign at the shop

Not every bowl of fishcakes noodles you will likes for reasons you know better but to leave Tanka’s fishcakes noodles out of this blog post would be a selfish thing to do. Tanka’s fishcakes is a wonder and this is what Tanka claimed,

“ We are one of the most historical yong tau fu and noodle shop in Malacca. Our yong taufu, fish balls and fish cakes are produced with passion and sincerity of three renowned Teochew masters.

We offer the freshest, most authentic and preservative-free Teochew fish-stuffed yong tau fu that triggers your taste buds. Our herring (sai toh) fish paste and sweet, MSG-free soup are fresh made on daily basis.

Our must-try and top selling delicacies are tasty, springy and generously stuffed century egg, egg and mushroom yong tau fu. The noodles come with traditional homemade sauce and fragrant fried onion.”

I am going for my next bowl of fishcakes kuey teow ...