Since the screening of the famous Singaporean drama – The Little Nyonya in 2008, many people were attracted to peranakan food which lead to a strong demand for authentic peranakan cuisine. Many food were featured in the drama, being a vegetarian I also wonder where could we eat authentic peranakan vegetarian. Besides Whole Earth which serve a few dishes of Peranakan food, I really wanted to try an authentic peranankan cuisine prepared by a real Baba (Male Peranakan) or Nyonya (Female Peranakan). Eventually, I found it in my travels to the cultural center of Peranakan culture in Malacca, Malaysia.
Summary
Style: Peranakan Vegetarian
Price Range: Between 8MYR to 25MYR per dish
Ambience: Small Malay Cafe Style
Target Group: Kampung Food Lovers, Inexpensive
Restaurant Info – Cafe Kampung Vegetarian
Cafe Kampung Vegetarian was opened by Peranakan descendants and the small restaurant was filled with beautiful and traditional Peranakan decoration. Even the lady boss was dressed in her traditional Nyonya dress everyday in the restuarant which gave this restaurant a very authentic feel. It could get pretty busy during lunch and really crowded during weekend due to the small seating capacity.
Contact: +60 6-335 5779
Address: No. 3 Kompleks Kesidang BacangBacang, Jalan Tun Perak, Melaka, Malaysia
Business Hours: Everyday except Wednesday, 11.30am to 9.00pm
How To Get There
Driving: Driving to the restaurant was easy with a GPS. If you are traveling from the Malaysia’s North South Highway and exit from Ayer Keroh, Malacca, you probably would get on Lebuh AMJ main road, make a left turn into Jalan Tun Perak and turn right immediately on the next available turn into Jalan Malim road. Cafe Kampung Vegetarian is located at the ground floor of a row of shop house, on the left side of Jalan Malim road (towards North West direction).
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Cafe Kampung Vegetarian Map
Map Credit: Google Map
Food You Shouldn’t Miss
Hashbrown Egg Burger
This is a MUST eat! My whole family loved this. First, the bread of the burger is fresh and very soft. Next the hash brown patty mixed so well with the eggs, filled with cheese, fresh vegetables, mayonnaise and tomato sauces. A sensational treat with naturally melting flavours in every bite! My personal favourite! haha 🙂 *Nothing about Peranakan style in this though. haha
Hashbrown Egg Burger
Peranakan Vegetarian Kampung Fried Rice
To be honest, I am quite fond of their Kampung fried rice which was a chef recommendation. The rice have this burning taste which made it fragrant and delicious. This dish was made special by the chef’s clever use of a sprinkle salted mock fish and vegetarian Ikan Bilis (anchovies). However, I tried this dish a few times now and it just tasted differently each time I tried it. So, I guess we would be mercy under the hands and mood of the chef. LOL!
Peranakan Vegetarian Kampung Fried Rice
Lak Lak Eggs (Fried Eggs with Black Spicy Sweet Sauce)
This was a surprise find! The Lak Lak Eggs is actually fried egg with a perfect combination of sweetness and spiciness from the amazing black sweet sauce. Somehow, the spiciness of the sauce will awaken your appetite and induced you to eat more and more. This is absolutely delicious, you probably would love it too provided you are not a vegan. 🙂
Lak Lak Eggs
Vietnamese Paper Roll
Though this is not an original Peranakan dish. The Vietnamese paper roll here deserves a mention for its robust taste. Having visited Vietnam and tried the authentic Vietnamese paper roll, I am a fan of Vietnamese paper roll. Some people could not appreciate the Vietnamese paper roll because they think it was bland. What I love most was the soft texture and how it brought out the freshness out of the vegetables wrapped inside. The sauce was a crucial factor contributing to the success of this dish, and usually the Vietnamese paper roll would have a lot of basil added. Well if you aren’t a fan of basil, the taste could be quite overpowering. I usually request not to add in basil. Your choice. 🙂
Vietnamese Paper Roll
Homemade Beancurd
Whatever dish that was homemade would always fascinate and tempt me to try. The homemade beancurd here was served with vegetables and taste pretty good. The outer layer is crispy with a soft and smooth texture inside that makes it oh so delectable! I guess the cause of it was because it’s freshly made and prepared. You can’t go wrong with that! 🙂
Soft Homemade Beancurd
Crispy Beancurd
Yum! Need I say more? Fried dishes are always a favourite. The beancurd is VERY crispy and the sensational sauce just completed the entire taste. Especially with the mushroom filling inside each fried beancurd, just made it a perfect dish. The salty beancurd wrapped over the juicy marinated mushrooms! Just simply heavenly! haha
Cripsy Beancurd
Other Food For Consideration
Nyonya Laksa
I had high expectation when I ordered this to try. Unfortunately I can’t find anything special about this dish. Some people liked it, because it’s not the usual laksa taste but I would prefer the original laksa than this Nyonya laksa. I found the strips of cucumber very distracting and difficult the eat. LOL Other than that, it just didn’t satisfied my craving for laksa. 🙂
Nyonya Laksa
Kampung Stir Fried Kangkong (Water Spinach) With Sambal Belachan Squid
I kinda liked the stir fried Kangkong (Water Spinach), it’s fried with sambal chili and belachan! Yum… the authentic peranakan way of cooking. Spicies plays a VERY important role in Peranakan cuisine. Hence this dish could be a representative of Peranakan cuisine. Thing was, in my opinion, if you are not ordering rice, don’t bother ordering this dish. It would taste salty and you couldn’t really appreciate the spicy vegetables at all without rice. I guessed even if it was good, it can only be a supporting dish rather than a main dish itself. The kangkong comes with vegetarian squid which was great to chew on. 🙂
Kampung Vegetarian Stir Fried Kangkong
Penang Laksa
I’m not a fan of Penang Laksa. Some people love it, some people don’t. Penang Laksa uses assam (sour spicy paste) rather than curry laksa paste. It’s just an individual and personal preference. Nevertheless, if you come to the restaurant and Penang Laksa is your thing. you have an option here. My friend enjoyed it though. 🙂
Penang Laksa
Additional Tip
Remember to check if they are open before traveling down to Cafe Kampung Vegetarian. Sometimes they are closed especially during Wednesday and 1st & 15th of lunar month. If you are doing a long road trip i.e. traveling back to Singapore from Malacca, the hashbrown egg burger is a good option for your long journey back. Yum… haha
Disclaimer: The above review was solely based on my humble opinion. Taste is subjective, so please be your own judge. Happy eating guys! 🙂
“You have to make a conscious decision to change for your own well-being, that of your family and your country.” ~ Bill Clinton
