九楼油条 Nine Floors Yu Cha Kuih @Melaka, Malaysia

We were on our way back to the hotel, when we caught a glimpse of a queue from the corner of our eyes. Like a magnet, we were automatically attracted to it, and we simply had to pause to take a closer look. Actually, we could not quite make out what the little stall was selling, so we decide to cross the road to have a better look 😛

It was a very simple stall selling 3 types of dough fritters, with the best seller the super lengthy 油条 (Yu Cha Kuih, or Youtiao), while the other 2 types were 咸煎饼 (Ham Chim Peng) and 马花炸 (“Butterfly Wings”). Since we were not really fans of Butterfly Wings, we decided to get one each of the other 2 types for supper back in hotel. The queue moved quite slowly, because everyone else were buying dozens 😮

By the time we walked back to the hotel, the dough fritters had cooled down considerably. However, after the first bite, we were simply amazed by the texture and flavour of the Yu Cha Kuih! Slightly sweet, it was still rather crispy on the outside, and soft with an excellent chewy texture on the inside. Best of all, it did not feel super greasy like the ones we usually have. We were so impressed with it, and we thought that the dough was really special! Let’s just say that our impression of Yu Cha Kuih has been changed forever!

The Ham Chim Peng was savoury with a lightly sweetened bean paste filling, which was a novelty for me, though hubby said this type was also available in Singapore. We enjoyed eating this too!

We could not stop telling Ms. K about it the entire night, LOL! So much so that after we met for dinner the next day, we decided to go buy some more for supper. A pity, the stall was closed when we walked by close to 8pm 😦 I guess fate was not with Ms. K’s side, for after we parted ways, and we went for other supper, we discovered the stall to be opened when we finally made our way back to the hotel 😮

Needless to say, we went to join the queue 😛 A quick chat with the lady while waiting, and we discovered that they had opened the stall much later than usual because of traffic jam due to procession. Aiyah, nevermind Ms. K, we have confirmed the opening hours so you can try it the next time you go back Melaka 🙂

The dough fritters were tasted as good as the previous night 😀 And if you do decide to try it, remember to dip the Yu Cha Kuih into hot Kopi-O!

According to Ms. K, this stall used to be in front of the only tall building in Melaka (which happened to be nine storeys high), and that was how its name came about. We supposed it could also be used to describe its version of Yu Cha Kuih, which was definitely the longest we had ever eaten 😛