Calanthe Art Cafe is located in Jalan Hang Jebat, off Jonker Walk, the main tourist street in Melaka Old Town. A sign outside this cafe that says "Malaysia 13 States' Coffees" (马来西亚十三州咖啡), which is one of the cafe's specialties but is often mistaken as the name of the cafe. The cafe's name is actually on the pillar behind the sign.
The cafe has a front pouch where diners can dine or enjoy coffee and watch people passing by. A greater heaven lies inside the cafe.
Since Calanthe is called an "art cafe", the first thing to do is to check out their artworks and find a corner to immerse in the artistic ambience. Step right past the bar counter and into the courtyard of a traditional Chinese architecture known as "courtyard house" or si he yuan (四合院). And be overwhelmed by the decorations and wall paintings.
Gather under the "Tree of Life" and get reinvigorated by the power of coffee. On one wall, utensils are mounted on a wall with some wooden plaques that provide definitions on local coffee lingoes such as "kopi", "kopi-o", "kopi-c", etc. There are more artistic backdrop that sets an olden-day coffee-time mood — you are in an old town anyway.
Browsing through the Calanthe coffee menu, you will come to "The Art of Coffee" section. Order any beverage from the list and be blown away by their wonderful presentations. For non-coffee drinkers, they have milk with honey, tea and iced drinks as well.
Calanthe's uniqueness is the list of local coffees, from Malaysia's 13 states, on top of other cafe beverages. Do try the different favours and characteristics of the coffees, especially the local kopi called "Melaka", which is pre-mixed with sugar, salt and margarine.
"Mini Cappuccino" that uses local coffee instead of espresso. And a cup of Pulau Pinang (Penang) coffee roasted with Robusta beans.
Calanthe Art Cafe serves local fares such as Nyonya laksa, nasi lemak, roti canai, asam pedas, etc, and also western cuisines. The Claypot yee-mee laksa in sweet-savoury-spicy broth is one of my favourites at Calanthe. Their nasi lemak is available only for breakfast on weekends only and usually sold out by lunch time. Roti canai, also known as roti prata in Johor Bahru and Singapore, is a light meal suitable for breakfast. Calanthe's signature dish is their Calanthe laksa, one of the best in Malacca.
Calanthe Art Cafe is a great place for traditional coffee, specialty coffees, teas, and ice "blenz" with Nanyang cuisines when taking a break from the hot sun and busy Jonker Walk Night Market (Friday to Sunday only).
Address:
No. 11, Jalan Hang Kasturi, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia.
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