Ang Lumay sa Melaka
Jonker Walk Night Market is A Slice of Food Heaven
Every weekend Jonker street is transformed into a kilometer-long buffet table. There is food of all sorts — dimsum, barbecue, eggs, tarts, cake, ice cream, fried stuff, noodles, rice, soup. There is food that I can’t describe, food that explodes in your mouth, food that makes you smile. Food, glorious food.
And if you prefer not to stand while you eat there are restaurants all throughout the strip. I wish we tried them all and the ones that we did try, were all good.
One place we went to was Nancy’s Kitchen. We had our first dinner there and the servings were generous and so gratifying we ate there until they closed. My favorite and a definite must try: Top Hat.
Across Nancy’s Kitchen is this small chocolate store. There are chocolates of different flavors, from dark, fruity to spicy. They’ll let you try all of them one nibble-size bite at a time. You should drop by and get your mom a box, or two (because you might just end up keeping one).
Then there is this place situated right where the road bends out to the river. We had passed by it the day we arrived and again at lunch time the next day. The queue seemed endless. As soon as people were seated, more arrived to join the line. It went out from the restaurant straight through one whole block. Before we left I told everyone in our group we were eating there. I didn’t know what they sold but if people stood and waited there round the clock then it must be good. We stayed in line under the scorching Melakan heat for almost an hour. Then, when we were finally at the front of the line, I asked for a menu. An elderly man with his gray hair brushed back suddenly pulled his hands out from his apron, smiled and said, “We only serve one dish here”.
There is a Filipino folktale that says that there are cooks in the countryside who possess special culinary abilities and are able to concoct dishes that can induce intense feelings — anger, excitement, or the fabled potion called Lumay which has the power to make one fall in love. I can’t say for sure if I have ever had a magic dish, but after three servings of that one dish, I would like to think that this would be how it would taste like.
Jonker is the street for foodies. If you find yourself being enveloped by its bustle for the first time, be sure not to eat all your appetite’s worth in one stall because there’s a big chance that the next one will be just as delightfully good.
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Photographs by Johanna Velasco
