A trip to Melaka is not complete without tasting the famous Melaka dessert – Cendol. Gula Melaka aficionados will find the cendol in Melaka to die for as they are heavy laden with coconut milk (santan) and the finest palm sugar in Melaka.

And speaking of Cendol, if you happen to be in the historical town, Jonker Dessert 88 is where you need to be… At least that’s what everyone tells me anyways. I’m sorry i did not do my research so i just found out that the shop is actually a museum cafe which is actually registered office of Maritime Archaeology Museum. That explains the vintage Baba interior and the many well preserved artifacts displayed in the shop.

What i can tell you is that the crowd is amazing. Given that the quaint little shop is… well not very spacious, it is a sport itself trying to get an unoccupied table. Please be advised to get a table before you order the food else you’ll have to stand and wait with the tray of food.
 

There are a variety of home-made desserts available at Jonker 88, mainly Ice-Kacang and Cendol such as Eight Precious Cendol, Nata de Coco Durian Cendol, Mango Ice-Kacang, Baba Durian Ice-Kacang and etc. The most popular being the Durian Cendol but unfortunately a slight sore throat prevented us from trying. We did however paid for a bowl of Sago Cendol and Baba Cendol at the entrance (RM4 and RM3 each).
 

I didn’t really enjoyed Cendol as much as i had anticipated. To be fair, i don’t like Gula Melaka that much because i find it rather too sweet. Naturally i prefer Cendol in KL but only because it’s less sweet. Otherwise, the Cendol at Jonker 88 comes in generous servings, the shaved ice is absolutely fine without the random rough edges and the texture of the Cendol here is deliciously thick.

Oh, i do love the sago too!
 

Other than dessert, Jonker 88 does offer other dishes ala Baba-Nyonya style of course. The selection is pretty good ranging from Nyonya Nasi Lemak and Baba Rendang Chicken to Seafood Soup and Baba Laksa and many more.

The Nyonya Asam Laksa cost RM5 was pretty good although i prefer Penang’s version of Asam Laksa (yes, i’m rather picky when it comes to asam laksa!). Here the broth is definitely lighter, clearer, tangy and less fishy. The boyfriend commented that perhaps it is because in Penang’s version of the dish the broth is prepared (boiled) together with the fish while in the Nyonya’s version the fish chunks are added into the noodle before the broth is poured into the bowl separately.

Quite tasty nonetheless.
 

The pai tee (top hats) here is the prettiest. A set of 6 top hats with 2 of each flavors. Pricey at RM9.50 but I likey cos it looks nice LOL!