Nancy’s Kitchen: My Favorite Peranakan Restaurant in Malacca (Malaysia) So Far!

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This article is part of the Malacca Food Trip 2025 series. Check out the installments in this series: Pak Putra Restaurant (Indian and Pakistani Food)

For other Malacca articles, click here.

The Peranakans refer to a people group with Chinese and Malay heritage (so imagine the blend of its cuisines and flavors!). Most Peranakan communities can be found in Singapore, Malacca and Penang (Malaysia), and Phuket (Thailand). No wonder there are so many Peranakan restaurants in Malacca.

One of the popular Peranakan restaurants is Nancy’s Kitchen. It’s helmed by Chef Nancy, who learned to cook at a young age by watching and helping her mother cook. She has always wanted to open a restaurant but had to delay so she can raise her young children. Then the opportunity came and she opened the restaurant in October 27, 1999.

I’ve visited Nancy’s Kitchen back in 2019, and our group back then had a pleasant experience. So on our recent trip to Malacca, I actually planned on trying another Peranakan restaurant. Our visit fell on my birthday so I wanted to treat our friends as well.

Inside Nancy’s Kitchen. It’s busy during lunch time!

However, most restaurants don’t serve pork, which is a key ingredient in Peranakan cooking. Thankfully, Nancy’s Kitchen serves pork dishes, staying true to Peranakan cuisine (so it’s non-halal). So I decided to go back there instead. Is it still good?

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Let’s now talk about the food, starting with Pai Tee (Top Hats). More commonly called as Kueh Pie Tee, this Peranakan dish is made of a crispy shell formed like a cup, and filled with Chinese turnips, among many others ingredients.

Their version is sweet, spicy, tangy, juicy, and has a nice coriander flavor. The shell is also crisp.

Another appetizer is the Bak Wan Bebola (fried pork balls), which are juicy.

Let’s go to the mains. The Ayam Buah Keluak (chicken with black nut, which is considered the truffle of the east) is like the Filipino afritada with a strong flavor from the black nut.

*Ayam Buah Keluak* (Small: MYR16; Medium: MYR19; Large: MYR26; Buah Keluak: MYR3.30/pc.)

The Bak Pongteh (pork with bean taste) is like sweet Filipino adobo (sorry, I keep on comparing to Filipino dishes LOL).

*Bak Pongteh* (Small: MYR20; Medium: MYR23; Large: MYR40)

Rendang Daging is beef stewed in coconut milk and spices. Its tender, flavorful (I can really taste the coconut), and slightly spicy.

The Ikan Goreng (deep-fried fish) is a dark horse. The fillet option is lightly battered and nicely crisp, paired with a sweet and sour sauce. By the way, I think this dish is a special request, if I remember correctly, so it’s not in the menu.

*Ikan Goreng* (sorry, I don’t know its price)

The Nyonya Chap Chai is a Nyonya (literally a female Peranakan) mixed vegetables dish composed of cabbage, lily bulbs, black fungus, beancurd sheets, and glass noodles cooked in fermented soybeans. Their version has crisp veggies.

*Nyonya Chap Chai* (Small: MYR10; Medium: MYR14; Large: MYR18)

The Nasi Goreng Petai Cili Garam (fried rice with stink beans and chili) has petai that have a bitter taste and a funky aftertaste.

*Nasi Goreng Petai Cili Garam* (Small: MYR12; Large: MYR19)

For dessert, the Chendol is a refreshing treat in the Malacca heat. It’s a shaved ice dessert with usually composed of worm-like green pandan (screwpine) jellies, red beans, coconut milk, and gula melaka (palm sugar) syrup.

Nancy’s Kitchen, through the years, still serves good Peranakan food. Together, all the dishes are a world of flavors and textures. I highly recommend it to you!

P.S. Check out my review of Penang’s Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery, my favorite Peranakan restaurant of all time!

Nancy’s Kitchen

Address: 13 Jalan KL 3/8, Seksyen 3, Taman Kota Laksamana, Malacca, Malaysia | Operating Hours: Monday & Wednesday-Thursday, 11AM-5PM; Friday-Sunday, 11AM-9PM | Contact No.: +60 14-925 6099 | Facebook | Website

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