[Melaka] Da San Yuan Restaurant 大三元

Rating: 5 out of 5
Price range: (Depending on orders and market price)
Non-halal
Recommended orders: Crabs & Coconut soup
Ambience: Hawker
Address: Jalan Temenggong, Melaka
Business hour: Opens for dinner only


Da San Yuan is a classic hawker restaurant. It doesn't have a specific address, instead it is located in between two shophouses building in an open area. This humble place is well-known for its seafood. In terms of cooking standard, it is on par with most premium Chinese restaurants.

The Coconut Soup is a good entry dish to start with. Imagine a typical Chinese chicken herbal soup with a hint of coconut taste in it. The blend of taste is really fragrant and unexpectedly good.

Sweet & Sour Crab

Salted Egg Crab

Milk & Salted Egg Crab

Sweet & Sour Crab

Dry curry crab

As for the crab, they have a dozen of cooking methods - salt baked, cereal, salted egg, sweet & sour, blackpepper, kam heong, curry and chilli amongst the usual orders. The crabs are sold based on its weight and you can choose from the size small, medium, large or extra large. The price of the crabs are stuck to the wall, so make sure you are aware of the current crab pricing.

Although crab is the main dish here, it is also a usual Chinese "tai chao" restaurant where you can order typical dinner dishes. So far everything that we've ordered meets our expectation. It is a great place for family dinner or simple celebration. 

Sweet & Sour Pork

Kung Po Chicken

The bill came up to RM249 for 3 pieces of extra large crab, coconut soup, sweet & sour pork and rice for 4. As you can see, the price is reasonable and valuable. The only downside of the place is the hygiene as it is located in the middle of nowhere. At times you can smell drainage depending on the area that you sit. This is not a place for OCD people, but a great place for those who really know how to enjoy their food.