When visiting Melaka, this hotel is a rather strategic location seeing the main attraction and a must go would be the Jonker Street and how the hotel is just adjacent to the Joker Street. There is absolutely too much amazing and affordable food to go about in Melaka. But this time around, pamper yourself a little with some fancy mains here in Casa Del Rio. And to be super frank, the dishes wasn’t a bomb but the ambience, interior, and the whole river side view is simply something to die for to really enjoy a meal.The combination of Mediterranean design and the natural view of the river cruise make the meal even more admirably wonderful.
To begin with, there is this bread and cheese served with olive oil vinegar. It was pleasantly flavoured, just wasn’t too sure about the freshness and preservation with the bread and cheese.Then there is the Pan Grilled Butter Fish that is served with grilled vegetables, aged balsamic glaze. This is a Mediterranean style preparation of boneless fillet of butter fish served with the freshest vegetables available from the local farmers, dressed with aged Italian balsamic vinegar.Next is the Stuffed Roulade of chicken, with spinach, chestnuts, parmesan, sage, turkey ham, asparagus and jus gras, which I enjoyed a lot. Turkey ham gives the flavour and jus gras actually enhances the flavour of the dish. Of course with the parmesan, the aroma becomes even more delectable.Then don’t forget the Roast New Zealand lamb rack with white bean puree, confit tomato and salsa Verde. Not the best lamb I have had, but the use of salsa verde is great as I really enjoy the tangy mild salsa with tons of flavour when eaten with the lamb.And moving on to the favourite part of a meal for ladies, the dessert here is not too bad either. The best chocolate banana cake I’ve had. The banana cake is already filled with great banana flavour and aroma and nothings goes better with chocolate than bananas. Except that this time, replaced by banana cake instead of the real fruit.Pecan pie was great and not dulcified. Although the crust seemed to lack a little in flavour, but the filling did pull up the shortcoming so in all it was still good. Try some tangy sweetness of cheese and strawberry with their American Cheese Cake if cheese is your thing.While enjoying the meal, watch the sky and view changes and dimmed to see the lights glitters along the straits of Melaka when dining outdoor.Dining indoor isn’t too bad either, as the enjoyment stays with the good and impressively polite services from the staff as well as the amazing Mediterranean interior.When leaving, don’t forget to take a stroll around the boutique hotel for the view at night is also calmingly to die for. Not to mention how the melodious breeze would gentle brush you when the atmosphere and surrounding is also quite and placid at the same time.

Melaka has always had a good reputation when it comes to food. And most of the time, they don’t come from fancy cafe’s or five star restaurants. Being one of the attractions for tourists, the local food and cuisine is best at telling the story of the local culture.
Many places would have something similar but nothing beats the local flavour of the satay celup in Melaka. Having reviewed the craziest satay celup in town, we have all witness the long and absurd queue. People are willing to stay in line to squeeze themselves in one tiny shop to dine.Here in the Ban Lee Siang, there are always available seats, and dining is at a much comfortable state. Also amazing is the closed fridge for their skewers. I absolutely love that. On top of that, food taken is not returnable. So watch how much you take on your tray from the fridge. Each skewers cost RM 0.70 each.Here are a few photos of the available skewers. Look how fresh they are.Also served is the plain white bread and freshly cut cucumbers. Every bite is still a little chilled and juicy from the fridge. I respect the effort and appreciate the freshness of their ingredients.And speaking of freshness, one tiny drawback would be the continuous serving of satay sauce in the same pot for every customer. Some might not like that if they are particular with hygiene. People dislike the sauces being recycled from one customer to another. Good thing, they can make you new sauce at your table itself upon request and with charges of RM 40 per pot.The satay sauce is also really thick with spices and peanuts. Not fiery hot, but delectably a little sweet yet savoury with the blasting aroma of the herbs and spices. And the good news is, you can now bring your favourite sauce home with you. The dried chili and spices are sold in boxes and they are only available at the Ban Lee Siang on the left. Three boxes of these made a pot of rich and thick satay sauce.

When visiting Melaka, food is always something on top of the list when travelling in the city. Alas, the best is hidden at various corners all over Melaka. If you have only a few days to eat it all, you’ve got to go with the ones within a close proximate from one another. That way, you’ll get to savour all the good local food.San Shu Gong is this awesome local delicacy shop where you get everything you’ll ever hunt for in Melaka. There are dodol, pineapple tarts, biscuits, and confectionery as well as some fancy caffeine and non caffeine beverages that is revolutionised for the younger generation as well as fellow tourists. But the Cendol would be something so conveniently commercialised for fellow tourists. To be very honest, the local natives would hardly have cendol at this place but they make it so tourist friendly at location so geographically strategic it is difficult to pass on them.The two storey building is right at the junction of the famous Jonker Street it would be rather difficult to not see them.A lot of the time, it is packed with tourists that are busy shopping for gifts. The assorted confectionery makes perfect souvenirs. The cendol counter on the other hand is usually filled with lots of students most of the time.I guess the design, and packaging as well as the marketing has vouched their popularity and thus ranking them at number 75 out of 192 restuarants in Melaka on the Tripadvisor . Not to mention the beautiful view within and around the building.The famous Durian cendolhere is not easily found anywhere else and therefore is like a bonus for the durian lovers. So instead of the usual cendol, imagine a mix of durian in it.The cendol is refreshingly delicious especially on one of those hot days. With fresh coconut milk and gula melaka, the cendol is absolutely stunning with awesome mix of texture from the ingredients in the cendol.

Cincau cendol soya bean here sells at RM 6.90. I could not remember since when but this becomes a Malaysian thingy where cincau becomes a good partner in crime with the soya bean. Nevertheless, here in Hailam Kopitiam, things are a little more fancy. On top of cincau and soya mix, they also include some cendol in it. Honestly, I can't really taste the cendol since the cincau's texture obviously would speak louder in terms of texture.

Maki rolls are sushi with Japanese dish of sushi rice, fish, and/or vegetables wrapped in a seaweed sheet (nori). Most of the time they are rolled in sizes that is pleasant and enjoyable when eating. But those in my opinion cannot be any harder to eat or bite if compared to the inari. A huge enveloped filled with rice and topping.