T-Cafe @ Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

On one hand, with non-matching furniture and a decor that was messily unique on the second floor of a shophouse, T-cafe was nowhere near my fantasized imagination. On the other hand, it gave the impression of a very homely place with friendly staff members.

Famously known for its home-made scones, it was a good place to relax and had our tea break while waiting for our coach to Kuala Lumpur. There was even a book section for you to spend your time slowly.

The latter option was not applicable since we only had an hour!!! The time should be and MUST BE better utilised on eating the home specialties!!

Strawberry Fruity Scone

I didn't like this.

Though visually appealing, i cannot understand why people like this dry yet very filling british quickbread! Besides the sourish fruitty bits, the only other sensation i got was a damn solid bread taste (NORMAL).

Maybe i am just not cut out to eat scones; tried once long time ago and hated it then, for the exact same reason above!

Or maybe i should have ordered the cream scone first for a more normal and at least comparable taste.

Life is full of maybe(s).

Apple Pie with Ice Cream

To my surprise, i didn't like this too!!!

What's happening to me?!?!?!?!!? I remembered thinking then that Macdonald's Apple Pie was so much better!!!

Made with whole slices of apple(s) instead of the mashed up version, the least i expected was a pie that was too full of cinnamon!!

It was not sugar laden; good or bad depending on your preferences. My preferred standard of apple pie has always leaned to the more sweetened form.

The ice cream added made the devouring a bit more bearable.

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Overall, i was not satisfied with the two dishes! With more time, i might have given a different review. Well, that will require another trip (hopefully not in the near future)!

I AM BROKE!!

Additional Information

First thing, T-Cafe will soon be known as Lord's Cafe!

T-cafe allowed internet surfing at RM0.50 for 10 minutes! For suckers like me who hate to pay for a full hour when i need just a few minutes to water my plants in Restaurant City and moving the baby animals from the Breeding Section, it was a blessing!

Opening Hours: 10am to 10pm. Closed on Sunday!

Steps leading to the cafe on second floor

Location: It's at Tanah Rata and next to the only Marrybrown fast-food in Cameron Highlands! It is also opposite the half-completed but operating "official" bus terminal in Cameron Highlands (i know it sounds weird but it's true). No map available since the details are rather fuzzy!  

The half completed yet operational bus terminal from T-cafe

Oldies & Goodies Roasted Restaurant (老字号) @ Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

If not for the word "roasted", the name does give an impression of a really traditional shop selling biscuits and sweets from my grandparents' era. Again, this place was recommended by a few bloggers and being a lover for char siew, i HAD to try it.

Wanton Noodles

Alex ordered this. When i saw this plate of noodles with a few pathetic slices of mushroom, i thought it was seriously not worth the cost of RM5. THAT was my initial impression before i even tried it.

Looks can REALLY be deceiving.

The noodles were springy but it was the sauce that made it so desirable! Unlike the wanton noodles sauce (for Cantonese style) we have in Singapore; the one here was a lighter version of char siew sauce but with a drawing power that made you yearn for more!!

Also, the wantons were not the pathetic minced pork filled dumplings we have in Singapore! When you teared the wantons apart, it was not pork but prawns okay!

Char Siew Rice

Though fragrant, i guess the rice was soaked in a broth that placed ginger as the highest weightage; resulting in a rice that was too ginger flavoured. For ginger lovers, this should be a plus.

The char siew did not disappoint; with crystalized charred bits, it was not that fatty (compared to most Malaysian char siew) yet retained the delicious flavour of well made char siew.

The only complaint? Too little char siew!!!!

RM5.00 per plate.

Char Siew Noodles

Since the noodles and char siew were so good, they had to be the perfect partners in crime food right? With this craving in mind, we returned to the shop a mere 4 hours later.

The verdict? Perfect!

I probed the cashier for more information on the noodles sauce and he secretly let out that this sauce was not bought in the market but made in the shop. Besides a mixture of oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, there was also char siew sauce.

I KNEW IT!!! Wahahahahah.

RM5.50 per plate.

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You will see a big sign opposite this restaurant with the words "Cactus Valley". Definitely worth a visit! In addition, the Big Red Strawberry Farm with its strawberry dessert cafe is right beside it!

Opening hours: 9.30am to 10pm.

Please refer to the map above for the location (red star)! The restaurant is beside Kavy Hotel! Yes!! Kavy Hotel is in between Oldies & Goodies and Strawberry Moment Dessert Cafe! 

Strawberry Moment Dessert Cafe @ Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Highly recommended according to the multiple blogs and websites hailing this cafe as THE place to go in Cameron Highlands. 

With that in mind, our expectations were actually quite high when we entered the shop. The menu was extensive with so many things to order! Sadly, i have only one stomach (obvious right?!).

Strawberry Strudel 

This multi-layered pastry was screaming "EAT ME!!" when the server put it in front of me.  The strawberries were fresh, the cream used were thick and sweet enough.

BUT the pastry was just not up to standard to award it as an almost flawless dish. Given it was crispy and flaky, it had a taste of a stale, airy bread. The pastry fragrance was also lacking.

Strawberry Ice Baby

Marvellicious!! 

A refreshing milk-shake drink made with fresh strawberries and mixed with tiny sago seeds but without the articificiality and fattiness associated with normal strawberry milk shake (i can only think of Macdonald's milk shake).

French Fries

I hate to order French fries in a foreign contry because you are wasting the empty space in your stomach for a dish so mundane! But what Alex said was right; french fries do taste better in colder regions.

Strawberry Mini Steamboat

It was fondue lah!

When i saw this item on the menu, I was wondering how should the taste of strawberries dumped in a bowl of chicken or tom yam soup be like.

Coming back, fondue was never my favourite but this changed my mind.

The chocolate used was not sugar sweet but cocoa sweet! It also lacked that overbearing jelak taste often faced from prolonged indulgence! if not for my almost exploding stomach (from the ass), i would definitely down the whole bowl!!

By the way, fresh cucumber in liquid chocolate was so good!! Moist, crunchy surrounded by the warm chocolate.......

YUM!!!

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If you wish to buy some local produce back home, this cafe has a connecting shop that sells 3 in 1 strawberry coffee, strawberry tea, dried strawberries and others! Not exactly that economical for me but still worth a visit!

Opening hours are from 10am to 10pm but you better pray hard; I went at 8.30pm, it was closed and the next morning, i reached at 10am, the shop finally opened at 10.30am.

Please refer to the map above for the location (red star)! The cafe is beside Kavy Hotel!

Kopitiam Pau Hei @ Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

This was the first place we dined at after the disheartening conversation with the hotel receptionist.

A newly opened shop with less than 8 tables and partially obstructed by the outdoor market, the one word on the big (fortunately) banner that immediately caught my attention was kopitiam (hokkien for coffee shop).

To say the truth, what i did notice was KOPI (coffee); heavily demanded due to a severe lack of sleep.

Interestingly, the dishes available in this kopitiam were pasted on the wall! Two dishes immediately woke the hungry sleeping dragon in my stomach!

Lo Mai Kai (Glutinous Rice with Chicken)

Usually filled with chicken meat, mushroom and topped with sticky glutinous rice, this dish was steamed for the optimal infusion of the rice by the rich juices of both the chicken and mushroom.

Steamed to almost perfection, the one in Pau Hei was bigger, had more chicken and a slice of egg! The rice was one of the best i ever had for lo mai kai with just the right amount of moisture and oil.

The only complaint?

The slice of egg lacked the normal egg taste; either it was absorbed by the rice or the egg was not fresh!!

RM2.50 per bowl cup bowl

Chee Cheong Fun

Freshly made on the spot upon ordering, this Cantonese-style chee cheong fun was smooth, wrapped with fresh prawns (or char siew or even curry chicken), drenched with the palatable sauce and topped with a generous serving of crispy fried onions!!

What more to say? It was good enough for us to order two plates!

RM3.80 for one plate

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Please refer to the map above for the location (red star)! I am using Hotel Rosa Passadena, Brinchang town, as the focal point!

Good Food @ Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

When my initial request to check in at 8am was rejected by the hotel receptionist, we went to our next priority and asked if there's any good food around the hotel.

The young lady informed us with a straight face:"There's no good food around here."

She was serious.

*thunder clouds congregated with numerous lightning strikes*

I blinked and to the extent of almost stuttering, said :"No good food at all???"

She gave a smile but remained affirmative of her reply. 

Having a skeptical attitude was essential in this situation and i told Alex that either her taste buds were not working or she did not explore the town enough.

Okay, there's a third reason.

She must be a super duper foodie and only the best can meet her terminology of "GOOD FOOD".

In the next few postings, i am going to prove that there was good food around that area!

At least to me!

Cameron Highlands - Is It As Warm As Rumoured?

It was eons (fine, at least 8 years) since i last stepped into this realm situated at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) above sea level and it was with great anticipation (strawberries strawberries strawberries!!!!!!!!!!) when i boarded the bus to Cameron Highlands at 10.30pm last Thursday.

Cameron Highlands should be bestowed the Strawberry Zone!!

With only 3 to 4 hours sleep in the luxurious Konsortium Snoozer bus (free upgrade!!) due to a constant accumulation of pee in the limited capacity bladder and the 20 over movies available for leisure viewing, we finally reached Brinchang at 8am!

The town of Brinchang

Yes, a sleep-deprived 9 and a half hours!! Luckily the cool weather did a great job in refreshing my mind and body!

Unquestionably, the weather was still as comforting as before! But I can't say the same for the hot months of June or July hor.

Since the hotel check in at Rosa Passadena will start only from 2pm, we signed up for the countryside tour at RM25 a pax. This tour included visits to Rose Centre (an additional RM5), Butterfly Garden (an additional RM5), Tea Plantation, Strawberry Farm, Chinese Temple and Bee Farm.

Good news!

The first three were FUN!!

Rose centre was a big area full of flowers!! We could have spent more than an hour there!! Butterfly garden was not just butterflies! There were also insects and snakes! PLUS, you can take pictures with the insects at no additional cost! Tea plantation (BOH) was boring but I had a relaxing time at the cafe; slowly sipping a cup of hot tea and looking dreamily at the expansive scenary right in front of me!

Rose Centre

Butterfly Garden

Tea Plantation

Bad news!

The last three were BORING!!

The strawberry farm allowed only a disappointing section (3 rows to be exact) of unripe strawberries for public; the Chinese temple was so uninteresting i really don't know what to type here; the bee farm was just a garden with a lot of bee boxes. FULL STOP.

Chinese Temple

Bee Farm

To dilute my disappointment with the strawberry farm, we decided to heed the advice of a fellow traveller from Hong Kong and walked to a supposedly big strawberry farm near our hotel.

LOOK! 

Rows after rows of strawberries!!

Columns of fresh vegetables!!

Loads of mini cacti at RM10 for 6!!!

With such good weather and in such a laid back environment, it was a really relaxing and stress-free vacation!

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More Info

Brinchang is one of the 3 bigger towns in Cameron Highlands but has the highest concentration of hotels. I did not choose resorts because when night falls, you will be clueless on what to do! It will not be easy to walk to the towns in darkness and with only 50 cabs available, you will be equally helpless!

The pasar malam is located at Brinchang itself but do not expect too much! It is not that big and the stalls do not differ too much on the products for sale. However, it should be a good beneficial walk after a heavy steamboat dinner!

Tanah Rata is the main administrative town for Cameron Highlands and it has a bus terminal connecting other parts of Malaysia.

Love Affair

I admit having a love affair.

Remember the first time we met in year 2001? In Hougang Plaza, at a dowdy stall that looked suspiciously illegal? When I first looked at you, I cannot help but commented how beautiful you were.

The moment my mouth touched you, I blamed myself. Why I didn’t meet up with you sooner?!

Was God playing a love game with us?

Yes, I do love you very much, Ayam Penyet!!

Munch Munch Munch!!

What were all of you thinking of? Hahahaha.

Ayam Penyet is an Indonesian dish directly translated to “Chicken Smashed”. Despite the cruel word used for the name, it is a dish that’s better than the famous Hainanese chicken rice we have in Singapore! Except for the rice that is.

 

First, I would like to thank Ms Hannah Lim, who was so so kind to pack a box of Ayam Penyet from the Science canteen in NUS (University). And that indirectly, gave me a chance to blog about this dish. Now, look at the picture. 

A healthy, vibrant dish with meat (chicken), vegetables (tofu, lettuce, baby tomatoes) and rice. The visual should be sufficient to elevate your appetite. Too bad smell cannot be recorded or else you might have attempted to eat the picture straight from your monitor screen.

Now my internal review:

For me, the skin for Ayam Penyet is a big determiner of whether it is good. In this case, the skin was still crispy despite a one hour wait in the sealed box (my lunch hour was 1pm and I got it around 11.45am) and the strong turmeric flavour was felt in every single bite!

The meat was a bit dry (due to the wait) but still succulent enough to feel the smoothness! The baby tomatoes were so cute I had to eat them. They were sweet and of course, very healthy!

The typical chilli for ayam penyet must have “chilli power” and it usually elicits two kinds of statement: “So nice, I wana more more more more!!” or “CCB, why so bloody hot?!?!?! WATER!!”

Unfortunately, I belong to the latter. Hence, I will always request for nasi lemak chilli, which is sweeter and not as hot! 

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A fabulous meal that will no doubt be even better if you eat it fresh and hot from the frying pot! At $4 a portion, it will be well worth your money.

Location Map:

Please click HERE, select Faculty of Science which will bring you to an information page, click Faculty of Science under “Location”, click the “+” on the map for zooming!

A gentle reminder that canteens are sometimes closed during the holidays.