Nyonya food at Taragon Riverside Restaurant, Melaka

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Nyonya food, also referred to as the Straits Chinese food, is an amalgamation of Chinese and Malay cuisine believed to have originated from the Peranakan (Straits Chinese) of Melaka over 400 years ago. This was the result of inter-marriages between Chinese immigrants and local Malays, which produced a unique culture. Here, the ladies are called nyonyas and the men babas. Taragon Restaurant and Bistro is a relatively new restaurant located smack in the Melaka city riverside, serving authentic Nyonya and Western food while providing a magnificent view of the Melaka River.

Nyonya Delights special offer on Wednesday

Thanks to Joanne and the kind Mr Gwei, a few of us had the chance to sample first-hand, authentic Nyonya delights accompanied by soothing live music by the talented in-house singer during dinner.

The bar

The interior of the air-conditioned restaurant boasted of classic wooden furniture and red walls downstairs, with sprinkles of nyonya influences decorating the surroundings.

Interior of the restaurant

The very talented singer

Staircase leading to first floor

If you noticed, most tables on the ground floor are of a bigger size, mostly catered to large groups of people or families. If you prefer more privacy and smaller tables, head on upstairs and look for these quaint tables just by the window, overlooking the river below. Definitely romantic and private.

Table by the window

After dinner, one could also opt to sit at the al-fresco area to enjoy the cool night breeze with a beer or two.

Al-fresco area

Introductions of the restaurant aside, let’s see what kind of food they have to offer. The first dish was the delightful Baked Oysters Mornay which came overflowing with cheese on top! I have to say again that I’m not a big fan of oysters due to the fishy smell but the cheese was so glorious, it was able to camouflage the fishy smell wonderfully. In fact, I ended up eating 2 of these!

Baked Oysters Mornay – Half dozen (RM28.90)

I have to say, the Crispy Fried “Wan Tan” was nothing to shout about, with crispy skin and generous filling of meat that went well with the accompany sweet chilli sauce.

Crispy Fried “Wan Tan” (RM11.90)

The Nyonya Spring Roll though, was something I was looking forward to since it’s one of the recommended Nyonya dishes from the chef. This came out to be a tad salty and upon inquiry from the chef, we found out that we were supposed to eat this with rice to counter the salty taste.

Nyonya Spring Roll (RM11.90)

The Taragon Tauhu was one of the star dishes in the menu, and upon tasting, I couldn’t agree more. The tauhu or beancurd was home made, smooth and firm, and went very well with the appetizing rojak as the accompaniment. One of the better appetizers in Nyonya cuisine indeed.

Taragon Tauhu (Medium – RM10, Large – RM14)

When the Sambal Bendih (lady’s fingers) came, I was paying more attention to the sambal rather than the lady’s fingers. I couldn’t help it! The sambal was just too fragrant and spicy, that I requested for an extra serving just to go with my rice.

Sambal Bendih (Medium – RM10, Large – RM14)

Awesome sambal

Another of my favourite that night was the Lemak Nenas Fish. Slightly sour and spicy, it was quite similar to Assam fish which could whet my appetite easily. Most importantly, the fish was fresh with firm and flaky meat, making it a favourite among us diners that night.

Lemak Nenas Fish (S – RM30-38, M – RM40-48, L – RM52-60)

Itik Tim Soup was apparently one of the authentic Nyonya dish that was a must-try. A combination of duck and salted vegetables, this soup turned out to be too sour and salty for my liking. Perhaps I need to be accustomed to the Nyonya taste buds?

Itik Tim Soup (M – RM14, L – RM20)

Ever heard of buah keluak? Me neither! If you’re a nyonya/baba, perhaps you would know of this hard-shelled fruit, signature to Nyonya dishes. The black, clam-shaped nuts are truly a taste sensation.

Chicken Assam Buah Keluak (M – RM14, L – RM26)

In Taragon, they painstakingly remove the interior of the nut from the shell and ground into a paste, then fried with belacan and other spices. It is then put back into the nut and cooked with the chicken. The taste is amazingly awesome. As you scrape out the paste you savour the bitter, strong and frgrant flavour of the nut that tasted much better than it looked.

Stuffed Buah Keluak

The Pong Teh chicken (Chicken casserole with salted brown-bean sauce) tasted very homely with thick and savoury gravy. I could tell that the chicken was well-marinated for each piece was a delight!

Pong Teh Chicken (M – RM12, L – RM22)

Chap Chai, or mixed vegetables was actually pretty similar to the vegetarian dish that my grandma cooks during Chinese New Year. Except that this was served with a generous amount of clear noodles that I love!

Nyonya Chap Chai (M – RM10, L – RM14)

When the Sambal Petai Prawns came, I had to look hard into the dish because the serving of prawns was so generous and huge that it overshadowed the petai in the background. But no problem for me, since I don’t fancy petai much due to the unpleasant aftertaste. In fact, I was happy to see so many prawns fried with the awesome sambal that I didn’t care much about the petai. *LOL*

Sambal Petai Prawns ( S – RM18, M – RM28, L – RM38)

Apart from the Nyonya food served, Taragon also has a host of other Western dishes in the menu. Since we were full to the brim, we only managed to sample 2 variants of it. The first was the Taragon Dory Fish which was Breaded Dory Fish with cheese, served with salad & mashed potatoes.

Taragon Dory Fish (RM16.90)

I thought the Teriyaki Chicken with Baked Cheese Rice could have fared better with more cheese. The chicken itself was awesome, but the rice was too dry. It would have been better with more sauce or cheese.

Teriyaki Chicken with Baked Cheese Rice (RM14.90)

Last but not least, we had the Ice Kacang Special for dessert, topped with a scoop of smooth vanilla ice-cream! I found this ice kacang to be not overly sweet, which was to my liking! Dig into the finely shaved ice to uncover a host of other ingredients such as red bean, grass jelly, sago, etc. A sweet finish to a wholesome dinner indeed.

Ice Kacang Special (RM4.90)

Aside from the Nyonya food, I definitely fell in love with the location of the restaurant, just by the beautiful Melaka River. Enjoying dinner at night with the occasional river breeze, while watching river cruises passing by every few minutes, was just very calm and peaceful.

Taragon Riverside Restaurant and Bistro, Melaka

This is definitely a place that I would recommend for the ambience and the authentic Nyonya delights. And after that, perhaps a stroll at the famous Jonker Walk night market?

Beautiful Melaka River

Some photos courtesy of Saucer

Taragon Riverside Restaurant & Bistro (Nyonya, Western, Bistro)
No 42A & 44A, Lorong Hang Jebat,
75200 Melaka,
Malaysia.
Contact no.: +606 – 288 1688 (Alvin)
Email: [email protected]