Teo Soon Loong Chan Teochew Seafood Restaurant, Melaka

Two Saturdays ago, hubby, dear son and I joined a group of our Uni friends on a Durian Degustation trip to Sim Koa Yen, a large durian estate in Melaka. The durian feast was ok, but our highlight of the trip turned out to be dinner at a Teochew Restaurant in Melaka. If not our friends' recommendation, we wouldn't have know that there's such a gem hidden in Melaka, in the Jonker Street area.

Our friends had to make prior reservations, for this restaurant is strictly by reservations only. I think mainly due to the limited seating capacity, at most 5 or 6 tables, packed brim to brim, and of course food is good.

Judging from the shop front, you hardly realise that it is a restaurant.

And the shop front is the kitchen. Yup, that's right, we entered the restaurant through the kitchen! How cool was that?

The whole place looks dated and very retro but this is the charm of the place. I enjoyed the boisterous atmosphere with loud chatters and laughters as diners tucked in the feast heartily.

Did I mention that the restaurant is tiny?

Yup, I was basically seated next to the vegetables and seafood! See that plate of mangoes to the top left of this photo? Dear son's seat was just next to the mangoes and he kept "stealing" taking them to play :p LOL!! The owner, a very friendly and nice Teochew grandpa, was so gracious and said never mind to dear son's mischief.
Basically, we just look at the seafood and veggies available and place order, cooking methods will be recommended by the chefs.

The first course was their signature oyster noodles aka "black" noodles. The gravy was very savoury and fragrant and the noodles al dente. Dear son loved it!

Braised Pork with bittergourd. The bittergourd was very soft and no longer very bitter; braised pork very tender and succulent. The sauce was perfect with rice!

Deep fried prawn and pork wrapped in beancurd skin. I love this, the skin was very crispy and the innards fresh and juicy.

Stir-fried spinach. Fresh and crunchy, personally I'm a fan of spinach so no complaints.

Steamed Pomfret "Teochew" Style. The fish was quite fresh, dear son kept asking for more.

Stir fried bamboo clams in sambal sauce. I love this, the clams were succulent and the sambal was perfect!

Ginger Wine Chicken. I like the taste of this chicken, very fragrant with ginger and wine. Reminded me of my confinement food :)

And finally Orh Nee (yam paste) dessert which was another signature dish. The yam paste was cooked perfectly, very creamy and smooth and not too sweet. And even better complemented with steamed pumpkin and ginko. A must-try dish here! They even sell convenient packs for this.

All in all, it was a nice dining experience here, good food with great company. Next time we visit Melaka, will definitely be back for a meal and try the other dishes.

For more info, visit their website at http://www.tslcmalaysia.com/. Remember to make reservations!