Vintage Green Cafe in Melaka
It’s not hard to stumble upon an old-school cafe in Melaka when you’re wandering through Jonker Walk and its surrounding alleyways. One such spot is Vintage Green Cafe at The Daughter, a cafe with a whole lot of knick-knacks and an interesting backstory to uncover.
Operated by the friendly Ling and her father, the establishment is a vintage cafe and book shop all wrapped up in one, which sits tucked away along Kampung Jawa, Melaka.
Curious, we dropped by the charming cafe to meet Ling and the quaint shop that her family runs.
The origins of Vintage Green Cafe
The cafe started off as The Daughter, a souvenir shop selling novelty gift items. Ling’s family joked that the daughters in their family have a knack for picking out gifts over the sons, so they decided to name the shop after them.
As time went on, Ling noticed that the gift shop wasn’t thriving as they had hoped it would. As she kept meeting locals with an affection for vintage items, she had the brilliant idea to switch things up, turning the shop into a cafe called Vintage Green Cafe.
And the rest was history.
Ambience at Vintage Green Cafe
Ling was once a city girl overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of KL. Her desire to step away from the city is apparent. Instead of the sparse interiors of minimalist cafes that are popular in the city these days, you’ll be greeted by vintage treasures at almost every corner of the store.
The sheer amount of items in the shop might feel overwhelming at first, but each of them has its own story to tell and adds to the cafe’s cosy and old-timey vibe. The calming sound of the ceiling fan and classic old tunes playing softly in the background are nice mood-makers.
The owner is more than happy to share the backstories of the items with curious visitors.
You’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a museum, and it’s easy to lose track of time browsing through all the fascinating finds stacked on cabinets and chairs. We spotted all sorts of items here – from handbags and jewellery, to houseware items like teacups and fans.
There are also plenty of timeless books scattered around the shop, in English, Chinese, and other languages, which you can read while you’re here. The cafe also provides modern and traditional board games for you to play with friends.
But what particularly caught our eye were stacks of old photos displayed as an antique item.
The owners explained to us that back in the days, the same street where the cafe is currently located used to be full of photo studios and camera shops. As for the photos displayed prominently in the shop, they are wedding photos of couples taken back in old photo studios such as Silver Light and May Fair.
That’s how most of the items you’ll see at Vintage Green Cafe were acquired. They were given to the owners of Vintage Green Cafe by business owners in Melaka from years back. There are teacups from locals who had no more use for them, as well as medical books and records from old pharmacies along the same street as the cafe.
Other vintage items in the shop were collected from businesses along Jalan Bunga Raya, where the cafe is located, and other parts of Melaka. A signage hanging on the wall, for example, was taken from an old cinema in Melaka that has now been transformed into Panggung Bangsawan Melaka, a performing arts centre.
Food at Vintage Green Cafe
While the cafe’s ambience might have your full attention, the food at Vintage Green Cafe shouldn’t be skipped.
The kitchen is run by the family’s elderly father, who has been cooking for decades, so you can expect all the food here to be served with love. The story goes that he always had a passion for cooking and started whipping up dishes when he was 12 years old.
We started our meal with the Smoked Duck Aglio Olio Spaghetti (RM22), and we couldn’t get enough of the duck meat slices. While the spaghetti tasted a little dry, the duck was well-grilled and tender – there were loads of them on the plate too.
For desserts, we tried the Waffle Ice Cream (RM15). When we ordered the waffle, we weren’t expecting it to come with a whole hazelnut Magnum ice cream as a topping. We also thought that it was sugar dusting the rim of the plate, but it turned out to be a sour plum powder — a very surprising tartness.
The waffles were crispy and combined perfectly with the ice cream even when it melted.
As Melaka was very humid during our visit, we had to cool ourselves off with a cold drink.
The Gula Melaka Latte (RM13), served in a vintage-looking glass and with a saucer, is a must try. The latte was velvety smooth on our tongues, and as we weren’t huge coffee drinkers, the milk helped to tone down the bitterness of the coffee.
The charming Vintage Green Cafe in Melaka
If you’re a lover of vintage and antique items, or simply want to sit down and learn more about Melaka’s history, don’t forget to add the Vintage Green Cafe to your must-visit-in-Melaka list.
While you’re browsing through the collection of vintage items here, you can also dine on Western dishes and desserts, and sip on local drinks – all made specially by the dad-and-daughter owners.
Address: Vintage Green Cafe, 13, Jalan Bunga Raya, Melaka Tengah, 75100 Melaka
Opening hours: Thu-Tue 10am-5pm (Closed on Wednesdays)
Contact: 012-205 5422
Cover image adapted from: TheSmartLocal Malaysia
Photography by Ainna.