For once, I am not going to talk about street food despite heading towards Malacca during the Raya break. Coz I didn’t even try any until the end of our getaway. After being tempted by lots of cravings on his island getaway vacay, i jumped at the offer of trying YTL’s newest gem – The Majestic, in Malacca.
The package we bought was per room + food (dinner, breakfast & lunch) which was quite a good deal. We loved the room, with its plush and lush king sized bed, and open bathroom (complete with a bathtub!). Check in was only after 3pm so we only managed to try the pool after exploring the grounds and a short rest. The hotel is separated into 2 buildings, the original mansion, and the 10 storey extension for the rooms and spa village. The restaurant, housed in the original building with the lobby & lounge is aptly named “The Mansion”.
We were given the choice of ordering an Appetiser/Soup, with a Mains and Dessert for our 3 course dinner. I can’t remember the price but it was definitely hovering around RM100++ per pax if not included in the package. Beverages apart from water/coffee/tea are not included and a fresh juice would set you back about RM20++. Yes, I know. 
Fresh dinner rolls. Looks good but I didn’t have any as it was grabbed up by the kids in no time. Didn’t mind as I had the appetiser to look forward to. Was entertained by delightful piano playing while waiting.
My choice of Caesar Salad with Roasted Chicken Breast – romaine lettuce, chop bacon, tomato with roasted chicken breast. It was delicious, and the croutons are out of this world.
Crystal Prawn Cocktail – cocktail of merlimau prawns with honeydew cubes and garnished with mint. Did think of ordering this but decided to go with prawns for the main course.
Warm Truffle Egg with Norwegian Smoked Salmon – The poached egg was done to perfection and the saltiness of the smoked salmon and tartness of the onion relish complimented it well.
Majestic Seafood Soup. I think we were all expecting the creamy seafood chowder but was pleasantly surprised by this clear version which tasted very fresh.
Griddled Lamb Cutlets and Parsley Mash, with a touch of fresh rosemary. This was good! I especially loved the mash. Piled on a bed of sauteed onions and mushrooms, I would have greatly enjoyed this if I had been the one to order it. Alas, I could only have morsels of it…
Creamy Merlimau Prawns & Peas, served with tomato parsley sauce and egg fried rice. The prawns were a tad overdone in my opinion, but the creamy sauce saved the day. Though the egg fried rice was decent, I thought the rice was on the mushy side. Should have been fluffy.
Forgot to snap a photo of the other mains we had – Ayam Cencaluk, which is chicken fillets pan fried with the shrimp paste, tamarind, chilli, tumeric etc. Served with white rice, it was dubbed a M’sian favourite in the menu. But the verdict was – “an acquired taste”. I personally love Cencaluk, but felt that none of the pungent oomph associated with this fermented shrimps delicacy came through.
We did have some bubur cha cha for dessert, but the looks of it was not exciting enough to warrant a shot. Nor was the taste of it, to be honest.
One thing I loved about YTL hotels is the little touches. Returned to our rooms to find that our beds have been turned down, and a little basket with homemade cookies have been left for us. Feeling pampered? You bet.
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Sleeping in the comfy bed is something I can get used to. So much so I was a little indignant when the blinds were pulled up and sunlight streamed in. “It’s only 0730!”; I wailed. Though deprived of a little more sleep, we were excited about the day ahead… breakfast to start, and a historical walk with the hotel’s guide.
Breakfast is also served at The Mansion, and is done ala “Cascade Breakfast Service” for RM50++ per pax. We were given the choice of freshly squeezed orange or watermelon juice, coffee or tea to start. A trolley with cereal, freshly cut fruits, fruit compote, a pastry tray and yogurt is then pushed over for our selection. I chose a pain au chocolat and it was quite disappointing as it was very dry and had none of the light, flaky pastry I remember.
Waffles, served with fresh fruit.
Eggs done sunny side up with beef bacon, chicken sausage, grilled tomato, hash brown and baked beans. The chicken sausage had a light lemon-ey taste to it, which was refreshing. The hash brown was crisp and just lovely.
The Majestic Omelette with onions, smoked duck, salmon roll, spring onion and a side of curry gravy. One can barely taste the duck or salmon, but diced bits of these meats can be seen in the slightly runny, eggy omelette. Quite good really. Though I thought the curry was unnecessary. I rarely dipped the omelette in it anyway.
Aside from these mains, there was also the local flavours – Chicken Curry in Pancakes (similar to roti jala but with no lacy crepe) and Fried KwayTeow. The familiar smells of the latter wafted over to our table at one point and frankly, i was ready to go over with my fork to ask for a trial. But alas, manners must be remembered so I could only revel in the smell, and not the taste. But judging from the empty mini wok (which was used to serve the CKT), I knew it must have been decent.
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The historical walk takes about 2 hours. Even though it was informative and enlightening as we saw parts of Malacca that we’ve not paid attention to before, i.e back alleys, river boardwalk etc. the heat was harder to handle. So when they suggested taking one of the touristy trishaws back to the hotel, the kids cheered. A first for me really, and my trishaw handler, a feisty old man went about it like Schumacher would if he was still in F1. It was no wonder I arrived back at the hotel first before the rest. Lol. But it was truly blissful to step into the lobby to have the kind reception staff waiting for us with cold towels. Ah.
We didn’t have to even walk anywhere for lunch as it was at the Lounge, just by the lobby. At RM35++ per person, it was quite affordable for a meal of appetiser/soup with mains and dessert.
We had fish fingers with tartare sauce from the Kid’s menu. No fish nuggets here as they use fresh fish fillet. Truly yum.
For appetiser & soup, we had the Grilled Sausage with Potato Salad and Cream of Mushroom Soup. The portion of the sausage was almost the size of a main course! Good stuff as the sausage was juicy and “bursty”. The lightly pan fried potato cubes were also delish with bits of beef bacon.
The cream of Mushroom soup had none of the canned soup taste, but brimming with the taste of fresh mushrooms. And once again, the croutons were delightful.
The Homemade Chicken Leek & Mushroom Pie with English parsley mash, green peas and Vichy carrots caught my eye and it was a winner with me. The pie crust was light and flaky (just how I hoped my earlier pain au chocolat was), and the filling creamy and flavourful. I didn’t taste much leek though, but the creamy chicken morsels and sliced mushrooms already sent me to seventh heaven. I noticed that they liked serving parsley mash, but i wasn’t complaining. Buttery and smooth, it was quickly polished off by the kids and I. The only downer is that everything on this plate filled us up quite quickly. Couldn’t even finish the pie, pity indeed.
Beer Burger with french fries and Fusili Pasta in creamy mushroom sauce. The beef patty was juicy and had a slight burnt flavour to it. Enjoyed by all of us. As for the pasta, it was so laden with cream and cheese that I couldn’t take more than a few mouthfuls. But perfect for serious creamy pasta lovers.
Dessert for ala carte lunch was quite limited with either Chocolate creme or Nyonya jelly. Unsure what the latter was, decided to go for the former, which is a light chocolate mousse. A tad too sweet for my tastebuds, but does the job of cleaning my palate of all the earlier creaminess.
After all this dining and resting, it’s no wonder our brief getaway flew by. We felt that the package was worth its price tag as service was top notch (we felt somewhat spoiled!) and though the food had its hits and misses, we still ate in style. Truly worthy of its Small Luxury Hotels standard.
