Review on Taragon Bistro @ Melaka

It was about high time I wrote a post about this beautiful restaurant I’ve always seen beyond the river but always thought that it would be too expensive for my poor wallet, especially with the number of ang mohs littered around the riverside, which of course, looked too gorgeous for someone like me to even think if going!

But after I got an invitation to review the place, thanks to Joanne Kay of Kinderdijk, the company who owns brands like Crocs, Fred Perry, Barbie (yes!) and others, who’s boss also happens to run Taragon Bistro, I found out that I was majorly wrong- that Taragon Bistro is a perfectly fine place to hang out, have a drink or two and most importantly, feed ourselves with gorgeous nyonya and western food (not fusion, but two separate type of cuisines) that has been so overlooked, even for an average joe like me 🙂

So it was no surprise that when we got there, we could see lots of cross-marketing available along with the restaurant’s promotion, which I will share with you soon enough! Crocs FTW!

*disclaimer: I am an official Crocs Malaysia blogger/ambassador. Yes, you can win prizes from Crocs if you check back enough 😉

Being on the riverside means you can witness everything from a distance; from the colours, the life of the streets, to the splashing rivers and many more, even when you’re right at the beginning of Jonker street!

But in any case, let’s give you a teaser of what’s to come right after the jump! (and the reason why you’re here too)

It’s for this. Wanna know what this is? READ MORE! (yes it’s edible, and

yes it’s YUMMY!)

Also another highlight. I loved it so much that I took more than I could handle, and boy the belacan is some SPICY stuff! If you’re a Baba or Nyonya, you’d really appreciate it. I swear 🙂

Lastly not forgetting the dessert. Can you spot the hidden Mickey? 😉

Anyway this is actually a long post so do remember to click on the title or the “read more” section as most of the delicious shots are right after the jump. Drool away!

As we arrived (yes there were a few of us, I’ll add the links below) we managed to catch cruises on the riverside while walking towards Taragon.

We were greeted by the owner as soon as we arrived. Already we felt a little out of place, until we saw the warmth of the welcome that came in form of a great singer crooning inside. I swear he’s damn amazing, wonder how he got found!

As per the sneak preview photo above, there’s alcohol. and there’s Crocs 😛 Such a beautiful display of art I must say!

Of course you can never go wrong with a dash of green, like this glass corner sitting at one side, with an open roof above. Where does it lead to?

An open space bar! Yes, if you look down you’d find yourself staring greenery. What’s the use of this, you ask? I don’t know, maybe when you’re drinking, some fresh oxygen would do you good yeah? 😉 (ps forgive the blur on the right, is some moving bloke :P)

This was one of the tables there, and we were about to have our sumptuous course here. Beautiful no? It lends to the ambiance which will definitely improve your appetite 🙂

Without further ado (well we did wait a little for Kirksman to come haha) we were served their Nyonya Spring Roll which went for RM11.90. Though more pricey then what you would get outside, the portions were bigger than average and you could clearly taste the fresh contents of prawns and veggie. I’ll give it a thumbs up, especially when taken with the chilli sauce.

Next to come was the Crispy Fried “Wan Tan” which also costed RM11.90. This was meant more for small bites but was one of their specialties. Don’t let that small brown bag fool you, it’s packed with juices for your pleasure.

But of course we were to be impressed after our long journey from KL, so it was no surprise that they took out a specialty called the Baked Oysters Mornay from their western cuisine. It costs RM28.90 for half a dozen pieces of fresh oysters prior to it being delicately baked in mornay sauce & cheese. Superb thumbs up and a definite must try, this one!

Then of course we had a tofu dish. How could we not, since it’s one of the original dishes of Melaka? The Taragon Tauhu costed RM10 and suffice to say, was bursting with flavours. Truthfully you cannot go wrong with this, and this was no exception.

Then there’s the Taragon Dory Fish – Rolled Dory Fish with cheese, served with salad & mashed potatoes. Take it for the mashed potatoes if anything. News worthy. RM16.90

Remember the picture above that looked like a fruit? Well, it came from here. Introducing a truly authentic Melakan meal- the Chicken Assam Buah Keluak at RM14. Many restaurants do not have this as it is a hassle to create it, especially with the complicated preparation one must go through. At time this has to be preordered as well!

The fruit, Keluak, looks like the piece on the left in its original shape. What happens is that the innards will be scooped out delicately, replaced with a special stuffing that contains meat, herbs among other ingredients.

It is then cooked along with the dish, and when it’s done it will look like this. It may not look very appetizing it does taste great! To be honest, though, it’s not something everyone would like or enjoy, just like the petai or durian. You’ll either hate it, or love it. But when you do, give yourself a pat on the back because you just ate something really special not commonly found in other places!

Of course there’s the Nyonya Chap Chai priced at RM10, something you’ll never go wrong with. Have it with rice for great taste 🙂

Highlight of the table of course. The sambal belacan, eaten with Bendi… omg. YOU HAVE TO TRY IT! The sour sweet taste of it, coupled with spicy feel that doesn’t linger, it’s AWESOME!

As for the cincaluk… well, it’s your choice. Me not big fan of it 😛

Lemak Nenas Fish. RM40-48. Eat with rice. Words cannot explain how awesomely delicious it is. This price is for medium size, next time, I’m ordering maximum and shall waste no sauce at ALL. Damn I’m hungry.

Under my request we had Sambal Petai Prawns too, much to the dismay of my friends who carpooled with me haha! It was great, prawns were EXCEPTIONALLY huge! Petai is as awesome and I love their sambal belacan. Worth the RM28 for medium sized portion.

Itik Tim (Soup) is yet another authentic dish. Again, it’s either you like it or you don’t, thanks to the heavy duck smell. But if you do, it’s only RM14 to have duck goodness all the way! (soup is the sour kind, they use pickled vegetable base)

Finally the dessert came, highlight of the day. The Ice Kacang Special is a cute dainty sweet something that costs RM4.90, bound to put a smile on your face at the end of your meal. They do serve authentic chendol as well, but make sure you ask the chef for the best one you’ve ever tried 😉

For drinks we had Fresh Fruit Juice that costed RM 4.90 and you may have Ipoh White Coffee RM4.50 to go with your food as well, or after meal. But thought we should have a little something more heavier…. 😉

Like this 😛

For drinks you can enjoy it at the Western Bar located above. It’s a very chick place, and a lot of Melakans held parties in here where they can enjoy alcohol either in the airconditioned room or at the outdoor bar as mentioned before. They have lots of selections here so you’re spoilt for choices.

The view from Taragon at night. What else can we say? It was gorgeous…

Unfortunately people find it hard to get to the restaurant thanks to the public car park that you would recognize because it’s the first place to find before Jonker walk. Hopefully we’re going to see a proper walkway and entrance so that more people can enjoy what Taragon has to offer in the near future 🙂

Taragon. Nice place. Great ambience. Gorgeous food. Plenty of drinks. Lots of promotions. BEST PLACE IN MELAKA.

I’m going back for sure. Address and number as per below 😉

Authentic Nyonya food and Western Bistro situated on Melaka River with the panaromic view of the Stadthuys.
Location:
No. 42A & 44A, Lorong Hang Jebat
Melaka, Malaysia, 75200

Phone:+606-2881688

Mon: 10:00 am – 11:30 pm

Wed – Fri: 10:00 am – 11:30 pm

Sat – Sun: 10:00 am – 1:00 am

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taragonbistro (for promotions)

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