Geographer Cafe has to be the best place to eat on Tuesday nights. Of course, it’s the only place open in the heritage area on Tuesdays, so there isn’t much competition. All joking aside, the restaurant is quite popular, with a menu that has something for just about everyone and a casual pub style that covers two floors of a restored shophouse right in the middle of Jonker Walk.

Geographer Cafe on Jonker Street in Melaka

The menu includes several Asian dishes, some Western and several vegetarian selections as well. There’s no red meat (beef, pork, etc.) on the menu, just chicken, fish or vegetarian. For drinks, there’s a full bar available as well as several healthier options.

Mango Thai Chicken

For my meal, I order the Mango Thai Chicken and the Curry Tempeh. The presentation of the chicken dish was rather "mean" looking at first, with it’s large chucks of chicken deep fried and covered with what looked like a simple sweet and sour sauce, but the taste is quite surprising. While crispy on the outside, the chicken is very tender, and the sauce has a very distinctive tang to it. The little side-salad is definitely not to be ignored at Geographer Cafe. More than just a bland bit of coleslaw, it’s a wonderfully spicy little treat.

The tempeh, although labelled on the menu as a "snack" was really a dish meant to be shared by at least four people. The curry leaves gave the tempeh a nice spice, but it would have been even better with some chilli – kecap manis sauce. The desserts looked good, but I was too full to consider them.

Geographer Cafe is open every day for lunch and dinner. They also advertise a Sunday breakfast for weekenders from Kuala Lumpur. Consult the Geographer Cafe web site for additional information.