The small café that brought her home to Melaka

Pots of greenery spill onto Jalan Tukang Emas, almost hiding the entrance to a little eatery. Look closer and you will spot the sign for LōuKót Café, promising biryani and chai.

The café occupies a former Dutch home on Harmony Street, a stone’s throw from Jonker Street. Inside are wooden tables, a richly patterned cloth on one wall and little chalkboards covered in handwritten messages from customers.

A squawk made this writer look up, catching a flash of yellow and orange. Yaku, the resident sun conure, landed on a wooden perch hanging from the ceiling and peered down, looking as curious about her as she was about him.

All part of the charm of this place.

Beyond the Kashmiri biryani and chai, the menu also features chapati, poori, pulao, butter chicken, a thali set and more. Behind this menu rooted in northern Indian cooking is Emily Wee, a Peranakan Chinese who grew up in Melaka.

The story of how she came to serve Kashmiri biryani in her hometown began when she walked away from a successful two-decade career in banking.

“It was constantly like running a race, a marathon,” Wee, 51, told FMT Lifestyle. In time, she found herself thinking: “There’s more to life than this.”

Her last day at work was on Aug 31, 2017. As Malaysia celebrated independence, Wee was ready for a little freedom of her own.

For the first time in years, she could do the things she had long put off – but first, she made sure she could afford to leave. “Make sure you are financially secure,” she advises anyone thinking of taking a similar step.

Wee spent some time travelling, with her first stop in Rishikesh, India, often called the yoga capital of the world. There, she spent her days practising yoga and listening to spiritual talks.

She went on to trek in Nepal’s Annapurna region and later led private tours in India, where she learnt to cook the food and brew the chai she serves at LōuKót today.

Her travels, Wee shared, also showed her how little she needed to be content.

Then the pandemic hit, and Wee had to put her private tours on hold. In Oct 2020, she decided to open LōuKót in Melaka with a Kashmiri business partner.

“We started next door, which is actually a very small unit. We only had three tables.” The tiny space, she revealed, inspired the name LōuKót, which means “small” in Kashmiri.

When it came to shaping the menu, Wee saw room for something different in her hometown.

“Melaka has so many Peranakan eateries, and I don’t want to compete with people who are really good at what they do,” she explained.

“You find your niche. That’s something I learnt in the corporate world.”

Wee had expected the café to be temporary, but she was soon seeing familiar faces at her tables. When her business partner moved on, she chose to keep the doors open.

Today, LōuKót has a cosy home next door to where it started. Wee’s own paintings hang on the walls, giving the café a personal touch. She has enjoyed art since she was young and still makes time for it today.

FMT Lifestyle settled in for lunch with a plate of fragrant biryani served with tender lamb masala, mint sauce, sautéed potatoes, dal and raita.

A cup of hot chai and a slice of sugee cake made it easy to linger. The cake came from a baker friend, Wee said, while everything else on the menu is made in-house.

During the visit, some of Wee’s friends dropped by, one carrying a plant for her. Soon there was laughter around the table.

“It is really nice here because you actually connect with people. You make a lot of friends and they are real friends,” she noted with a smile.

When she walked away from banking, Wee had no idea where she would end up. She opened a café in her hometown thinking she would soon be on her way again.

Six years later, here she remains: with friends who know they are welcome to pull up a chair – and one who thought to bring her a plant.

Learn more about LōuKót Café on Instagram and Facebook.

LōuKót Café
15, Jalan Tukang Emas,
75200 Melaka

For location, click here.

Business hours: 12pm-7pm (closed on Mondays)

Contact: 012-680 0065

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