Full Breakfast Menu at The River Grill

Breakfast here is not only very filling but the eye catching placements make the experience more interesting and appetizing for diners young and old. 

Plus , I saw a few vegans who were clearly pleased with the very healthy spreads that do not sacrifice good old tasty foods blessed by Mother Nature.

Two mornings in a row , I headed straight towards the attractive salad portions placed into little glass cups with different dressings . 

Orangey brown base contains a sweet sesame based dressing.

The River Grill | Casa Del Rio

No I haven't finished uploading all my Casa Del Rio pics yet. Next post happening now.

From the outside, the restaurant looks quite intimidating what with the iron gates and grills . More so at night. 

We are down here for breakfast as it is included in our stay.

Menu is placed out front .

Going in now.

Ikan Bakar with salted duck egg gravy - a revelation

It's run down places like these that hold surprising gems . Though I have been patronising this food court , on and off each time we are in town , for the Nyonya chapfun and Bubur Chacha, a quick check in , via Foursquare made me decide to try out the much recommended Ikan Bakar stall .

Selected mixed seafood ( squid rings , clams , skatefish ) and waited for quite a long time before this graced our table. 

Asam Pedas Claypot - Restoran Kota Laksamana 1

We had a hard time deciding which Malay restaurant we should go to for assam pedas. There are so many around, we didn't know where to start. Until we stumbled upon the mammoth crowd here...in we went. 

Kopitiam Tanka - Malacca's version of Yong Taufoo

From the neat rows of fishpaste stuffed into aubergines, deep fried beancurd puffs , shitake mushroom caps , one can guess what are the bestsellers. 

Apart from the usual offerings, they've gotten more innovative and even have crabsticks and whole scallops shells plastered with more fishpaste too. For that , you'll have to poke your head in the 2 chiller bins . Be prepared to be amazed by the variety those chiller bins contain.

Sun May Hiong

Sun May Hiong is located in a nondescript shoplot. 

They are reknowned for their pork satay which leans more towards a petite Pinchos Morunos, infused with lemongrass and turmeric . Small slivers of fat wedged between the lean give rise to a heavenly experience that get you hooked . Startlingly salty as opposed to the usual sweet satays , there is an aromatic smokey bbq flavour that will keep you coming back for more. 

At Jonker Walk

Although Datuk Wira Dr Gan Boon Leong spearheaded the transformation of Jonker Walk  , the initiative would not have been made possible without the auspices of Datuk Seri Haji Mohd Ali bin Mohd Rustam .

Have you seen the LED trishaws by The Stadhuys ?

The trishaw peddlers in Malacca just keep outdoing themselves. These are rides that have now been transformed to look like mini cartoon carnival floatillas. 

Most will be blaring music while some will even tempt you with free wifi onboard ! 

Let 's take a look at some I managed to snap . 

Hello Kitty .

Instead of parasols they now sport big butterfly like flaps as shelter. 

A pizza named Greed | Casa Del Rio

Room service brought forth this unforgettable gem.

One of 7 sinful pizzas, this is a pizza rightly named Greed.

Containing prime Australian grain fed beef meatballs ( oh so yummy ), a nice layer of mozarella , baby tomatoes that squirt when you bite , sour cream and in a twist , spring onions for topping ( surprisingly it went really well )

In short , this Greed pizza was what led to an insatiable craving , which led us to Il Bacaro which made matters worse because now we want to order many pizzas from Il Bacaro already. 

Discovering the joys of a nightly Turn Down Service | Casa Del Rio

It is hard not to get smitten by Casa Del Rio's Turn Down Service . Due to the amount of details put into helping guests wind down for the night, the service emerges one notch above the rest while making one feel so appreciated , basking in warm love .

A rubber duckie in the 2 door bathroom | Casa Del Rio

Here is the first door.

River Room , River View day vs night | Casa Del Rio

You should try to check in on a Friday because that's when Jonker Street , a major tourist magnet, is in full swing . Therefore, there will be lots for you to observe just outside your River Room balcony . However, being a few steps away from the excitement means the hotel will still remain exclusive without being swamped by a sea of humans .

Next morning, if you look carefully, there is a pretty large monitor lizard with a really long tail , taking a leisurely swim directly in front of this window. Bet these tourists in the boat won't know that lol . Anyway, 2 mornings in a row it was there, clearly enjoying itself before the boats whirred by. 

18 strides to the balcony | Casa Del Rio , River Room

Casa Del Rio is a lowrise luxury hotel which sprawls along the Malacca River. Out of 66 rooms there are only 18 River Rooms and I stayed 2 nights in this pad below.

The sheer length of it , compelled me to start a rough count. I can tell you that it takes 18 strides ( 18 langkah ) to reach the window or if you put one foot in front of the other , 30.  Is that long or what ? 

So in this post , lemme pace you through.

Begin from the front door where there's a full length mirror on the wall ...

A Sorbet welcome before you Check In | Casa Del Rio

Anyone who's been here raves about the Lemon and Ginger Sorbet . Served on a gorgeous tray with cold towels and a spray of flowers freshly plucked from the garden grounds, the gesture is sure to melt and win you over straightaway.

The healing touch that is Malacca

When we started off on our journey, I thought that the short break I'd planned would be ruined. See my arsenal of medications....painkiller , cough syrup, menthol rub. 

Sigh. Another 4 days minimum required for my flu to clear up followed by a week or so for the cough.