As part of our annual pilgrimage to Malacca, a group of friends and I always stay at this hotel called Hotel Puri near the famous Jonker Street. It is along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, and is actually a traditional Peranakan house/mansion which used to be the home of some famous Malaccan pioneer (whose name eludes me).

Anyhow, like I said, we love staying there because it is near Jonker Street which comes alive on weekend nights because of a night market or ‘pasar malam’ where one can get traditional food, crafts and lots of other things. There is also a pub (Geographer’s Cafe) around the corner which we love for the chill-out factor (although the live music could wake the dead). Most importantly, it is near the famous ‘baba chendol’ which is TO DIE FOR!

Even though the dessert itself is called ‘chendol’, the word actually refers to the green, worm-like gelatinous substance in the dessert (doesn’t sound very appetising, does it?). It is traditionally served with red beans (azuki or pinto) and ‘atap chee’, under a bed of crushed ice over which a generous helping of rich coconut milk is poured. And then, the piece-de-resistance…a thick, sweet, dark-brown syrup (similar to molasses) made from ‘gula melaka’ (palm suger) is ladled over the ice. The reason I love the ‘chendol’ here is because the syrup is rich, thick and gooey…it is not the watery kind which you find in most foodcourts and hawker centres.

Anyhow, we usually manage to cram at least four of these during a two-day trip (one after lunch and dinner the first day, and then after breakfast and lunch the second day before leaving).

The place which sells the chendol also serves nonya laksa. While my friends love it, I am not too crazy about it. I found the tuna one a tad too fishy…

(I know! Tuna laksa?!? Weird right???)