To See To Feel To Eat: Malacca Day 2, Famosa Chicken Rice Balls, Dataran Pahlawan, Mahkota Parade, Tong Sheng Restaurant

We woke up and wanted to check out the buffet breakfast in Hatten Hotel. As usual, we had to wait a really long time for the lift and it was always crowded when it reached the 16th floor which we were on. When we finally reached the buffet breakfast, the place was so crowded! There was a long queue waiting for tables and there was a large crowd milling around the lobby waiting for the lift. There were just so many people around, kids running about, and parents running and screaming after their kids. Just looking at it gave me a headache early in the morning. We decided to forfeit the buffet breakfast and head to Jonker Street for breakfast instead.

Our original plan was to have the famous Chicken Rice Balls at Kopi Chung Wah which is right at the start of Jonker Street, next to San Shu Gong. However, an extremely long queue greeted us at Kopi Chung Wah when we reached. The queue extended way beyond Kopi Chung Wah and stretched out in front of Hard Rock Cafe as well. I'm not much of a morning person and having to join such a long queue early in the morning was not a terribly ideal way to start my morning. So we decided to venture into Jonker Street searching for alternatives.

We found Famosa Chicken Rice Ball along Jonker Street and decided to give it a try. We ordered the chicken rice balls, roasted meat (char siew) and half a white chicken. It was my first time eating chicken rice balls so I cannot really comment whether the Famosa rice balls were good but they tasted decent. The char siew was fabulous! A good mix of lean and fatty parts, slightly charred on the outside and tender inside. The white chicken was not that good though. It was really tough and hardly juicy at all. The chicken was probably overcooked which resulted in the loss of moisture and tenderness.

We decided to walk around and explore the two malls near Hatten Hotel - Dataran Pahlawan and Mahkota Parade. They were pretty regular malls with the same stuff that you see in our local malls so nothing really exciting. The most exciting part came when I found the Iron Man cap which I had been researching for a long time! I found it in a small shop in Dataran Pahlawan and it was quite amusing how I stumbled upon it. I really just caught a glimpse of something shiny and decided to go in and take a closer look. And there you have it, the Iron Map cap which resembles the one Haha wore in Running Man! I'm such a Running Man addict.

We went back to the hotel to watch some movies and rest in the afternoon before heading out for dinner at Tong Sheng Restaurant. Steph recommended the cheese beehon at Tong Sheng Restaurant and I wanted to try it since it was near Hatten Hotel. From Hatten Hotel simply exit from the main entrance, turn right and then turn right again into the small lane adjacent to Hatten Hotel. Walk down the small lane till it reaches the main road and turn left. Continue walking till you see Tong Sheng Restaurant with its colourful green sign board.

On our way to Tong Sheng Restaurant, we saw the sun setting in the horizon behind the Holiday Inn Hotel. It was a really beautiful sunset with hues of deep orange and red.

It is quite tricky trying to get a table here because there is no obvious queue and people just stand around waiting. Nobody comes forward to ask you if you need a table and it is not immediately apparent what you are supposed to do. This problem is exacerbated with the large crowd that throngs this place during dinner. In the confusion, we decided to head to the counter and ask for a table for 2. The lady asked if we would like to order first and told us that we were allocated a table outside. She recommended the cheese prawn bee hoon, sweet vinegar fish and stir-fried vegetables which we subsequently ordered.

Thereafter, we proceeded to linger around the allocated table, waiting for them to finish. Whilst we were waiting for the table, people started streaming in and began to stand around the table which we were allocated as well. They were obviously under the impression that it was a case of Fastest Butt First and whoever managed to plonk themselves on the chair first would get the table. Fortunately, the lady managed to secure the table for us the moment it was available and the crowd waiting for the table dispersed quickly to target the next table.

The cheese prawn beehoon was really good! I like the soft beehoon in the yummy cheese sauce and the super fresh tiger prawns. The prawns were really fresh and juicy and the cheese bee hoon had sufficient wok hei.

The sweet vinegar fish was so good! The fish was cut into nice chunks and arranged in a roll. It was crispy on the outside and super soft and tender within. The sauce had a tangy sweet and sour taste and went very well with the fried fish.