[Melaka] Eleven Bistro & Restaurant

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Price range: RM15 - RM80 per dish
Halal/Non-halalAmbience: Restaurant
Style of cooking: Fusion of Portuguese and Nyonya
Address: 11, Jalan Hang Lekir, Melaka
Business hours: Daily; 11:00am - 2:00am

Located on the smaller alley next to the crowded Jonker Walk, Eleven Bistro is very easy to locate. Just look out for Geographer Cafe and turn into the alley. The unique selling point about this restaurant is the ambience. It is a place where visitors come to relax in a family-pub environment, and at the same time able to enjoy some Malaccan food.


The style of cooking at Eleven Bistro is also something different. Unlike other Malaccan restaurants that serve authentic Portugues or authentic Nyonya food, this restaurant merge the two styles of cooking, such as improvising a traditional Portuguese dish using typical Nyonya ingredients. The locals may find it hard to accept as they are accustomed to what is "authentic Portuguese" or "authentic Nyonya" cuisine. If you put aside your criticism and just enjoy the food as it is, you will find it full of characteristics.


We had the opportunity to sample most of their popular dishes and we can conclude that their signature dishes are recommended to order. It is best to skip those common dishes and save your stomach space for better options.

Hai San Baked Fish (RM40-RM70). Don't be fooled by the spicy gravy of the dish. It isn't as spicy as it seems. This dish is a must to order.

Creamy Garlic Mussels (RM15/RM25) cooked with butter and cream with a little taste of curry leaves.

Salted Egg Crab (RM80-RM100 for 2 crabs). The way of preparing salted egg crab is entirely different from other places. The crabs are tossed in salted egg gravy. Make sure you ask the waitress if it is crab season when you are ordering.

Fried fish roe (price not available). Be warned that this dish is extremely high in cholestrol. We love this dish for the generous amount of fish roe in each bite. The batter is crispy and crunchy, while the fish roe melts in your mouth. Every bite is so sinful, yet so satisfying.

Gula Melaka Chicken Wing (RM15 for 3 pieces). The chicken wings are marinated in local gula melaka (palm sugar) and santan (coconut milk). This dish is one of the special ones that you cannot find elsewhere. Best taken with a pint of chilled beer.

Gula Melaka Crab (RM80-RM100 for 2 crabs). The crabs are cooked in local palm sugar and tossed with shredded coconut flakes.

Portuguese Dable Curry Chicken (RM15/RM25). This is a typical Portuguese Devil's curry chicken. Not as spicy as it looks, but it can be intimidating for foreign tongues.

Salted egg squid (RM15/RM25). Not in menu. The normal way of preparing salted egg squid is to toss in the squids into a salted egg batter and deep fry it until golden. We didn't expect to see the squid served in salted egg gravy. The squids are cooked in perfection - not too chewy.


What we love about Eleven Bistro is their adventurous style of cooking. The dishes can be a hit or miss, depending on what you order. Do ask for recommendation to be safe. The prices are reasonable too.