MELAKA, April 7 -- Food in Melaka is often synonymous with Peranakan cuisine, as though the city's appetite begins and ends with ayam pongteh and Nyonya laksa.

Spend some time with the locals, though, and you'll soon realise that this notion is far from the truth. Malaccans, just like everyone else, crave variety in what they eat.

Which is how we found the customers at Ann99 Kopitiam in Taman Pertam Jaya, not far from the touristy town centre: they were all busy tucking into their plates of Thai braised pork.

Known as kha mu in Thai, this is not a dish that one immediately considers emblematic of the historical city. Still, good food is universal; representation isn't necessary for diners to revel in it.

The tender pork, steeped in so...