Bukit Tinggi – Eris Goes To

Restoran 126 Chinese Restaurant, Bukit Tinggi Pahang

August 7, 2016August 7, 2016Posted in FoodTagged Asian, Bukit Tinggi, food, Malaysia, Pahang, restaurant review, Restoran 1261 Comment

After our short visit to Bukit Tinggi resort, it was high time for lunch! We drove back downhill and stopped by at Restoran 126, which has pretty good reviews on the Internet. Spanning two floors, the restaurant is covered but has no air conditioning.

Very large space that can accommodate hundreds of guests at a time.

The waiter suggested we order the house special, Deep Fried Pork noodles.

It was terrible.

Stir-fried noodles at Chinese restaurants usually use small bits of pork lard, which gives the dish a silky, fatty flavour. I get that they were trying to do something different by deep frying big pieces of pork fat, but it was overly greasy. Pops tried to break up a piece with a fork. It was so hard, it made a ‘kok, kok’ sound, like he was hitting plastic lol. The beans were soggy and limp. The noodle texture was okay, but the whole dish was basically swimming in oil. I’d give this a 2/10. -_-

Their other dishes were okay. We had claypot tofu, and stir fried veggies. Judging from their online reviews, maybe their other dishes are decent….but man, do not order their house ‘special’ unless you want to feel like you swallowed a bottle of cooking oil.

Restoran 126, Bukit Tinggi, 28750 Bentong, Pahang, Malaysia

Phone: 016-951 6818/012-225 1894

Business Hours: 10am – 10pm (daily)

Some random fruit stall outside the resto.

More to come!

Japanese Village @ Bukit Tinggi, Pahang

August 5, 2016August 5, 2016Posted in Malaysia, TravelTagged Bukit Tinggi, flowers, Japanese, Japanese Village, Malaysia, nature, Pahang, photography, travel1 Comment

From the charming French abode to the land of the Rising Sun, all within one place! After our visit to the Colmar Tropicale, or French Village at the peak of Bukit Tinggi, we made our way back down again for a stop to the Japanese Village.

The last time I visited this place was more than 15 years ago (what?). Things have changed since then. They’ve installed better walkways and facilities, and the road has been paved, with a proper railing and staircases. Nice to see that they’ve improved and most importantly, kept up the maintenance. It’s sad because a lot of facillities at our local tourist destinations get neglected over time.

The air was still warm despite the elevation, and the place was thick with humidity and the smells of the forest.We actually built up a sweat while walking up to the garden.

Spotted some pretty pink flowers along the way.

The entrance fee we paid at the foot of the hill includes access to the Japanese Village. There are a few sections within, such as a tea house, a garden, a spa (separate fee), suites for stay, shops and a restaurant.

True to the Japanese theme, the souvenir shop featured loads of bamboo accents and decorations such as these colorful koi fish flags.

Entering the gardens. I’ve never been to Japan, and I’ve only been to one Japanese garden in San Francisco. I think the one in SF is pretty close to a real Jap garden because of the cool temperatures there. I’m pretty sure a real Japanese garden wouldn’t have tropical plants all over the place like this one, lol. They did a decent job at recreating the ‘feel’ though.

There was a small stream flowing down into a pond where fat koi fish swam. You can buy some fish food to feed the fishes.

Nice landscaping. Must be hard to recreate, considering how humid/hot it is in Malaysia.

If you want to do the touristy thing, you can rent a yukata (they have both male and female designs) to take pictures, but it’ll cost you a bomb. Fun to take pictures with, if you have the cash to spare. We didn’t.

The tatami area is only for those who have rented kimonos. We sweater-and-jeans folk were not allowed in.

The garden was not too big, so we were done within half an hour.

More flower pictures. These are called ‘chicken shit flowers’ in Cantonese, God knows why. Maybe it’s the smell, but they do bloom in colourful, pretty clusters.

The Japanese Village is another scenic spot to take pictures and drop by for a short visit if you’re in the Bukit Tinggi vicinity. 🙂

Colmar Tropicale French Village, Bukit Tinggi Pahang

August 4, 2016August 4, 2016Posted in Malaysia, TravelTagged attractions, Berjaya Group, Bukit Tinggi, Colmar Tropicale, family, French, fun, holiday, Malaysia, Pahang, photography, places to visit, travel, vacation1 Comment

My mum had cataract surgery a few weeks ago. She’s been feeling cooped up in the house, so we took her for a short getaway to the hills of Pahang. Our first stop was Colmar Tropicale French Village in Bukit Tinggi, which is about an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur. It’s a perfect place to visit over the weekend, since it’s quite close to the city, but far enough to be a relaxing retreat.

Owned by hospitality and entertainment conglomerate Berjaya Group, the Colmar Tropicale is a small enclave on top of the hill fashioned after a ‘French’ village. The moats have mallards and ducks, as well as black and white swans. There is a spa near the village, and the buildings are made to look like old castles and turrets.

Despite being quite high up in the hills, the place was sunny and warm – not much different from KL. By the time we got to the village, I was hot and sweaty. Global warming has not been kind on Malaysia’s mountains and hills. I think it’s partly due to deforestation and rapid development. It’s not so bad in Bukit Tinggi, since the resort is run by one private company, but in places like Cameron Highlands, a lot of land is being cleared by companies cashing in on the tourism and agricultural boom. More hotels, more farms, more ‘gardens’. A lot of news exposes have been done on illegal logging and the rape of the hills, but as usual, money wins in the end..

But I digress.

Colmar Tropicale is small, with two rows of quaint-looking French-themed buildings, a watchtower and a ‘drawbridge’. The hotels are inspired by medieval designs, with suits of armour, wooden counters and charming old-style paintings decorating its walls.

At first glance, it does look like a charming little French village -colorful windows and tiled, slanting roofs. And then you have the ‘ketupat’ light decorations from Hari Raya that have yet to be taken down.. 😛

There are some chic cafes, French restaurants and bakeries scattered all around the area. But typical of tourist traps, everything is super pricey.

A ‘wishing well’ which I did not throw any coins into lol.

There seemed to be some team building/treasure hunt going on, as groups of people wearing the same type of T-Shirts were seen racing around the place, pointing and looking at maps.

Tucked at the end of the street is a small funfair-like area with game booths where visitors can try to win stuffed doll prizes.

View from halfway up the watchtower at the far end of the street. It’s about five storeys high and offers nice views of the valley below.

View from the top.

There is not a load of things to see or do here, but it’s good to stop by for an hour or two. Also, pretty photos! If you’re around the area, there are other attractions like an Adventure Park, Japanese garden (we’ll be headed there next!), mini zoo and a temple which you can complete within the day.

Visitors to the Bukit Tinggi resort have to pay an entrance fee, which is RM13 per pax. Entrance to the Colmar is included, as is a visit to the Japanese Garden/Botanical Garden. Not sure about other attractions; you may have to pay separate fees.