Not to be confused with the heritage site in Singapore, Peranakan Place is a chain serving authentic Nyonya cuisine, with outlets in Melaka, Selangor, KL, and Johor.

Their Jonker Street branch is housed in a traditional shophouse, and as such is narrow in width but long in length, which in the old days, allowed for a business to be run in the front and families / tenants to live at the back.

Because shophouses do not have gardens or open spaces around it, there is usually an open ‘courtyard’ in the middle of the building which acts as a natural airwell for both light and air to filter in. The area directly underneath this open-to-sky space would have a sunken floor, where people could have plants, or even a pond. Meanwhile, the upper floors would have louvred windows that opened up to the courtyard below.

Since it was close to the holidays during our visit, the space was festooned in fairy lights and festive decorations, giving it a fun East-meets-West vibe.

For the benefit of those who may not be local, the Peranakans immigrated from China to Southeast Asia centuries ago and by intermarrying and adopting local customs, developed a unique culture of their own. The Baba Nyonya as they are known in Malaysia, for example, speak a creole of Malay (called Peranakan Malay) and wear a form of the Malay kebaya as their traditional dress. Today, much of Peranakan culture is centred around areas such as Penang and Melaka in Malaysia, Singapore, Phuket in Thailand, and Tangerang in Indonesia.

This unique mix can also be seen in their cuisine, which has Chinese, Malay, Indian, and even European influences, since much of Southeast Asia was colonised by foreign powers between the 14th to 20th centuries.

One popular dish of Melakan Peranakan origin is the Nyonya Laksa. What you get at Peranakan Place is a comforting bowl of noodles in a rich and spicy gravy, topped with fish cakes, sliced boiled egg, crispy stuffed beancurd, julienned cucumber and mint garnishing. Tastewise, it is decent, although the spice levels are pretty mild (my guess is they adjusted it so that foreigners can enjoy it better).

For those with low heat tolerance, there is the Pandan Rice with Ayam Pong Teh, another Melakan Peranakan specialty. Fermented bean paste (taucu) forms the core ingredient of this dish, and is braised together with chicken or pork, potatoes, gula melaka (Palm sugar) and spices like star anise and cloves . The result is a tender, sweet and savoury meat dish that goes perfectly with rice.

N and the Bro both went for the Pandan Rice with Fried Chicken, which came with a huge, juicy chunk of deep fried chicken thigh, sweet sambal, anchovies, and hard boiled egg. The chicken was well marinated and juicy, while the skin was a crispy flavourbomb. The rice was cooked well too, infused with the fragrance of pandan.

For dessert, we shared a Sago Gula Melaka, a pudding made of sago pearl drenched in coconut milk and palm sugar syrup. While it still tasted okay, I felt this was the weakest dish that we ordered – the pearls were loose (I would have liked it to be shaped more like a pudding) and the coconut milk sauce was a little watery.

Our meal for five plus a few desserts and drinks came up to just over RM100, which is fair considering we’re at Jonker Street, which can be a tourist trap. Service was good too. Aside from rice and noodles, you can get appetisers like pai tee (top hats) and lor bak, as well as dishes for sharing.

PERANAKAN PLACE (JONKER STREET)

Jonker Street, 54, Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200 Melaka

Opening hours: 10AM – 9.45pm (daily)

*Pork-free

Website: https://www.peranakan.com.my/