AS Nyonya or Peranakan restaurants go in Malacca, I would count Nyonya Lin’s Kitchen by Baba Ricky as among the better establishments.

We had visited Malacca just before the movement control order hit, eaten at three recommended Nyonya restaurants and walked away disappointed with the food.

Nyonya Lin’s Kitchen is at Kapitan Kongsi Hotel in a fairly quiet part of Malacca.

Last week, our expectations ran high as we ordered eight dishes from the menu: ayam buah keluak, cincalok omelette, masak lemak nenas udang, gerang asam pedas ikan, sambal sotong petai, bendi rebus sambal, kangkung belacan, acar chilli, and cendol for dessert.

The buah keluak chicken (RM25) was mildly spicy, with a little tartness from the tamarind. What I liked about this was that the black olive-like nut inside the hard shell of the buah keluak had been removed, pounded and marinated and stuffed back into the shell.

As the chicken is cooked in the fried rempah and tamarind juice together with the buah keluak, these flavours creep into the nut. I enjoyed the sweetness of the nutty paste in this curry, perhaps more than the chicken.

The cincalok omelette (RM18) was fluffy and had just the right amount of cincalok in it to give it that saltish, fermented shrimp lift. Together with green chillies and onions, it was an omelette to relish.

Any lemak curry with pineapple in it would have me rooting for it. I kept going back for the masak lemak nenas udang (RM45), which had pineapple adding a fruity sweetness and a little tartness to the rich and mildly hot curry. It had unshelled fresh sea prawns in it, and the curry was just lovely.

Gerang asam pedas ikan (RM35) was fiercely hot and sharply sour, with fragrant hints from daun kesom and lemongrass.

My palate adjusted to this mainly because of the fresh fillets of ikan tenggiri, ladies’ fingers, eggplant and green chillies in it. I would have preferred a more balanced asam fish curry.

I liked the bendi rebus with sambal (RM15). The blanched ladies’ fingers were sweet, with a light crunch. They were topped with a citrusy sambal and sliced raw onions.

The kangkung belacan tasted good too, with strong flavours from the well-fried belacan and sambal.

We also liked the well-pickled Nyonya acar chilli (RM10), stuffed with shredded young papaya, which we seldom encounter in Nyonya restaurants in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya.

Finer cuts and smaller slices of squid would have made a better sambal sotong with petai (RM35). The chunky squid barely soaked in the flavours of the sambal. As it was, we liked the petai more.

We finished with Nyonya cendol (RM5.80), one of the best I have had. It was the aromatic gula Malacca drizzled over the shaved ice that did it, shored up by the plump pandan threads, adzuki beans and coconut milk.

We had a table near the entrance, but the restaurant has a pretty courtyard with a water feature and plants, and Peranakan-styled furniture in a spacious dining area next to it.

Nyonya Lin’s Kitchen is pork-free. It is at 2A Jalan KLJ 10, Taman Kota Laksamana, Malacca. It’s advisable to book your table. Call 012-671-9380. – January 1, 2022.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.