Home-style Nyonya Food @ Donald & Lily's Corner, Malacca

Malacca is not only famed for her historical roots but also their local cuisines (which made sense why most go to Malacca for food trips).

One of the local cuisines unique to Malacca is the Peranakan cuisine.
Malacca is home to a myriad of mixed cultures as a result of intercultural marriages dating since the colonization period, creating its rich historical background.

Peranakan food is a unique type of cuisine originating from the Peranakan crowd which stemmed from the mixed marriage of the locals and the Chinese traders back then.
The unique and flavorful cuisine is found only in states of Penang, Malacca and also Singapore and yet the taste and style of the cuisines differ greatly due to the local influence and also the geographical location.
As time goes by, the Peranakan food is also fondly known as 'Nyonya food', probably due to the fact that the women (or known as Nyonyas) are the ones who prepare the food.

Malacca was fondly retained in my mind for the rich taste of the local Peranakan food, and I have been to a few restaurants serving the cuisine.
This time, my brother recommended a local shack run by a family; located at Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock and is within walking distance from the famous Jonker's Walk.



Judging from the huge crowd in such a small place, I was expecting good food indefinitely! =)


I heard that this place was really famed for the food, and it seemed to be really proven with the amazing patrons who were willing to queue up outside the shack and on the road, and in patience too for their turn to taste the homecooked food.

We were fortunate enough to be able to secure a place in a short while; and my brother did his job in the ordering and recommending of the dishes or what to eat here.
Since it was after 2pm when we sat down, some of the favorite dishes had run out by then.

While waiting for our food, we ordered their Nyonya Cendol as well


The cendol was nothing to shout about, as I believe that there are much better cendol in Malacca and elsewhere.
The Cendol was rather diluted and the taste was rather uneven as well.

Rojak was definitely new to me; as Donald & Lily's version of rojak looked like a plate of Yong Tau Foo to me!

It was one of the must-orders there as every table had it and I have to say, that I was never a Rojak fan due to the shrimp paste, but this Rojak won my heart (and tummy too!)

Perhaps it was also due to the generous amount of Tau Kua (beancurd), which tasted really nice and tender by the way, and also fishballs and fish paste that were included as the ingredients of the Rojak, which was priced at RM4.
The gravy was different from the usual shrimp paste, and there was chili paste (or at least that's what I thought) in it too, creating a slight exciting spicy taste too.

Mee Siam was also another recommended dish here; and I must say the mee hoon was really unique in its sourish and slightly spicy taste.


We wanted to order Ayam Pongteh too; which, according to my brother, was one of their best dishes but it ran out.
We ordered their Assam Fish instead; which was also running out fast too!

The Assam fish comes with white rice and a serving of the vegetables of the day


The place was really bustling with people, and it was amazing how the food was served quite immediately too. Perhaps it was also due to the favorite dishes and the frequency of the repetitive dishes ordered.

However, one word of caution; be careful of the pricing and the total amount in the bill as there could be disrepancies.
After all, they are humans too, and in busy times, they may tend to overlook or confuse between one group with another.
The best is to keep the check on your own tab =)

Donald & Lily's was definitely a unique experience for me during this trip to Malacca =)