One of Melaka’s signature dishes is chicken rice balls. Hoe Kee Chicken Rice claims to be the first in town to serve them and I suppose that makes them the best in town. If you come during peak hours, be prepared to wait. I’m only repeating what others have said because I showed up right when they opened to avoid any lines. There’s a menu and a waitress, but I don’t recall actually ordering anything. She looked me in the eye, started saying things in Chinese, and then I sat down. From what limited Mandarin I understand, I gathered that since this was my first time here I should get…something. I didn’t quite pick up what she said. So I sat and waited for what I hoped would be chicken rice, but for all I knew could be a bowl of frogs. Literally the only words that came out of my mouth were “um…what?” and “iced barley tea.” Oh, and I held up a finger to signify I’d be eating alone.
Chicken and Rice Balls
The rice balls are actually balls of rice. And they’re amazing. It’s like Hainan Chicken if they were trying to make it appeal to children. The portion of chicken was a little small, but man was it good. Like so good it makes you forget that you didn’t even order it. Like so good if the bill came and it said $100 you’d say, “Wow, that’s way more expensive than I thought it would be, but damn if it wasn’t delicious.” And then you’d run out of the restaurant, because who would pay $100 for a plate of chicken and rice? The actual cost of this thing was closer to $3 if I remember correctly.
