3 days ago
Enjoy a real Melaka brekkie at Fatty BomBom Kopitiam with Nyonya ‘laksa' and ‘nasi lemak kangkung'
MELAKA, July 17 – Growing up in Melaka, there were mornings where all we wanted for breakfast was some butter and kaya toast to dunk into a saucer of half-boiled eggs. Or an aluminium tray filled with a roti kosong hot off the griddle, kari ikan and a mug of frothy teh tarik.
Not unlike how folks in other states in Malaysia would have their sarapan pagi, really.
Then there are mornings when we had heartier appetites, perhaps after an early jog around the taman, and wanted something more substantial.
I won't lie; some days I would scoff down a dozen chicken rice balls, a Malaccan specialty (the food, I mean, not the gluttonous behaviour) when I was hungry, especially as a growing teenager.
But for something less belly-bursting, this was what we'd consider a real Malaccan brekkie: Nyonya laksa and nasi lemak with kangkung.
I am reminded of this as I order this exact pairing at Fatty BomBom Kopitiam, a wittily named but otherwise nondescript coffee shop in Taman Sin Hoe, Melaka.
Fatty BomBom Kopitiam is located near the bustling Bukit Baru Pasar in Taman Sin Hoe, Melaka. — Picture by CK Lim
Located near the bustling Bukit Baru Pasar and opposite the street from Wu Seng Temple, the kopitiam has become a routine stopover for market goers and visitors to the Taoist temple.
The shop itself feels like a blast from the past, when old-school coffee shops would offer plenty of space unlike their more contemporary, air-conditioned franchise brethren where cramped corners are common.
Here tables are thankfully set comfortably apart, with the option to sit beneath a fan indoors or catch the morning breeze outside. The auntie that comes to take our orders is friendly and attentive, double checking if we wanted sugar in our kopi or if we prefer it less sweet.
Now I know I have made it a point to always mention the local coffee we order, be it a dark kopi O or a sweet and malty hor ka sai. There's a reason for this: quite honestly, we have had so many lacklustre cups of kopi that good ones are a reason to celebrate.
Local Malaccan 'kopi', thick and strong. — Picture by CK Lim
Fatty BomBom offers true Malaccan kopi, thick and strong. The sort our forefathers, educated under a British colonial school system, might bark: 'This will put hairs on your chest!'
(Though they were likely referring to strong beer rather than strong kopi, but the concept stands.)
Our food comes out swiftly after the kopi. First a simple plate of Melaka-style nasi lemak with kangkung.
Except in Melaka, nasi lemak kangkung; we don't call it we just call it nasi lemak. The accompanying mound of wilted water spinach isn't an add-on; it's a must here.
Melaka style 'nasi lemak with kangkung'. — Picture by CK Lim
An overturned bowl of warm coconut milk rice, topped with a fried egg crispy around the edges. The standard fried anchovies and peanuts. Proper Malaccan sambal, fiery and savoury rather than cloyingly sweet.
The kangkung and fried egg (in lieu of the more prevalent hard boiled egg) are what proclaims this is authentically Malaccan; the balanced taste of santan and salt in the rice confirms it.
One of my closest friends in Melaka was originally from KL; she married a Malaccan boy and settled down here. She told me once that whenever she returns to KL, she is now flabbergasted that they serve nasi lemak without kangkung there.
'It doesn't seem complete,' she said.
I know what she meant.
Another standout dish at Fatty BomBom is everyone's favourite Nyonya laksa. Now I know you can get this everywhere in Melaka now but more often than not, what you are served are the unfortunately watered down versions for tourists.
Everyone's favourite Nyonya 'laksa'. — Picture by CK Lim
Those bowls might appear more aesthetically pleasing but we judge our Nyonya laksa by how it tastes, not how it looks.
So it was a pleasant surprise to discover that the Nyonya laksa at Fatty BomBom is stellar. The broth is thick and unapologetically rich with coconut cream. Each spoonful brings forth a flavourful and deeply satisfying note from the laksa curry paste and spices.
Oh so slurp-worthy!
Those who prefer their mornings less fiery might opt instead for the hee kiaw mee (another Malaccan favourite) or mee siam, both cooked to order as the auntie reminds us.
The Nyonya 'laksa' is so slurp-worthy! — Picture by CK Lim
When I tell her how much I enjoy the kangkung, she beams in approval.
Fatty BomBom is what one might call a neighbourhood kopitiam. The same as so many others.
For me, it's a slice of Melaka's delicious past I can always return to and rely on the folks here to feed me well, without fuss or fanfare. Just a big smile on their faces.
Fatty BomBom Kopitiam
378, Jalan Medan Pasar,
Taman Sin Hoe, Melaka
Open Wed-Mon 7am-2:30pm; Tue closed
Phone: 011-1323 5743
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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