Long Fatt @ Jalan Kg. Pantai, Melaka

As promised to thenomadGourmand, here is my posting on my Melaka business trip last 2 weeks... even though there are other blogs that I have not posted yet... Becky, you can plan your August trip now...

Sunday 5th July 2009, 10pm... somewhere in a small town in Pahang...

Leo: Wah!! Axian is introducing Teo Chew porridge this time... in Malacca! hhhmmm hhhmmm... looks delicious! I'm so there...
Jenn: Of course you can say that... you are going there on Wednesday mah (looked rather down)
Leo: It's business trip, honey! Since I'm going there, I might as well ask my client to bring me to the shop. Next time I'll bring you there ok?
Jenn: Hhmmpphhhh...ya right? (slightly disappointed and disgusted)

Fast forward to Wednesday 7th July 2009...

For those who didn't watch Axian's program, this shop has been around for a very long time. It is now managed by the second generation... but then, the 2nd generation looked very old as well! So how long do you think the shop has been opened for business??? According to Axian, it's more than 75 years! Apparently, there are 3 generations manning this shop.

Situated on a one way street filled with row of very old shophouses along the way, parking can be hard to find during lunch time as many people make their way here for a few bowl of porridge to go with traditional Teo Chew dishes. My client told me that this street used to be the busiest street during its prime... but has gradually lost its importance throughout the years. The restaurant also used to patronised by the workers of the nearby traditional groceries shop on the same street. If you see an old Chinese temple, Long Fatt is right beside it.

Everything looked exactly the same as shown in the TV... for example this food counter.

The shop was rather small and cramped with less than 10 tables.

The owner handled everything on his own... a rare sight these days where most people would employ foreign workers to do the hard work.

Assorted Teo Chew dishes to go with plain porridge. I felt hungry instantly :)

These are the Asam fish. Ever notice how systematic the owner lined up those fish?

Minced meat - up close and personal

MOst of the time, they will serve fermented bean sauce and chilly sauce together with the dishes. Contrary to cantonese version which is thicker, Teo Chew version is lighter and used as dipping sauce for the dishes. I'd seen some patrons actually mixed the bean sauce into the porridge.

These were what we ordered for our lunch... 5 dishes, 2 bowl of porridge and 2 glass of Chinese tea!

1) Salted fish - very crispy
2) Salted vegetable - mediocre
3) Asam fish - according to the boss, they use bokok fish which were cooked for good 12 hours. As a result, the bone was soft and you could literally eat it together with the flesh. The asam taste was light but good nonetheless. FYI, the fish were not gutted but somehow the innards tasted quite good. Perhaps it was just me :)
4) Minced meat - the meat was mixed with sting ray or shark meat for softer texture. Then the mixture was chopped using meat cleaver old-school way for 45 minutes before steamed... the meat was full of flavour and very soft indeed!
5) Prawn sambal or hee bee - this dish was a clear winner for both of us. It had a very distinctive taste which was different from others out there. Hard to describe in words but I loved a lot.

Leo's verdict - the bill came at RM12.20, which I was more than glad to foot the bill even though my client insisted to pay (he said that I'm a guest wor...lol!). It is hard to find such a traditional way of preparing the dishes these days. For Teo Chew porridge lovers, do find a time to visit this place whenever you are free. Initially, I wanted to add more porridge and dishes but my client said that there was another good places to eat Teo Chew porridge. That is why my trip to Malacca this time can be considered as porridge excursion!! LOL!!!