Quaint, pretty and authentic Nyonya Melaka

The other day, whilst thinking about places to eat, my wife told me about this place. It was called Tranquerah. I asked, what the heck was Tranquerah...and she mentioned it was an interesting themed restaurant located somewhere near Sunway Giza at The Strand.  As far as I knew, The Strand has not opened but she said that it was located at the Red Carpet of The Strand.  What names I thought!

Anyways, after getting my bearings wrong and driving in circles, we finally found the place. Believe me, it was extremely mind blowing!

As we sat down, I had to go to the toilet as the bladder was full. Inside....it struck me the most. I found the toilet so pretty that I thought I stepped into a museum. The design was nostalgic. I thought that one could easily sleep here and even eat here! Yes..it was extremely clean!

The restaurant grabs you the minute you set your eyes on it. I whispered to my wife that I hoped the food was as good as the looks Tranquerah trumpeted!

As we sat down on the antique but well chosen table and chair, we found ourselves reading about how the restaurant, Tranquerah took the name and explained its origin. Tranquerah came from the Portuguese word, palisades which are entrenchments or outworks made from stakes driven to the ground, a fortress to protect the town.  In Melaka, Tranquerah is now Tengkera! The story and the restaurant was well done as it created a close, historical yet intimate feel as we sat down admiring the place.

At one corner, near the entrance, I saw chillies the at least 6 inches long!  And they were real. The people there told me they found it at the market....No fakes in the decorations.



I was also told that the panels used were recycled and put to use as part of the whole concept.  This concept was the brainchild of a group of people from Melaka and Sarawak!

As we were already awed, we looked at the menu, we ordered the asam jawa juice drink. It came in a tall glass and a sip of it surprised us as it was very refreshing and tinged with the correct sour and sweet taste.

The petai prawns came with large succulent prawns. The petai was my wife's favourite and she being the lover of petai, attested and confirmed it was fresh well done.

I devoured the the ikan cencaru sumbat. I loved the crispy skin and the lightly salted fillings. It gave the fish the desired play on the taste buds.

The ayam pong teh was another favourite. Chunks of chicken simmered in the gravy made the white steaming rice even more salivating especially with a dollop of the homemade sambal belachan.

Tranquerah is not just a restaurant. It is a an experience. The whole outlook, the decorations and the delicious food made it a beautiful find. It has been a long time since I had discovered such a restaurant. The last one was The Junk in Kuching. Whatever you pay is definitely worth the trip to discover Tranquerah just as the Portuguese did with Melaka!