Solo Travel Part 4 - Bukit Tinggi (Eating Here)

Eating at Colmar Tropicale is certainly expensive. If you're fortunate, you'll get decent-tasting food. My friends told me that the food at Colmar Tropicale is almost non-edible. To my greatest surprise, my food was alright! It's not the best, but it was acceptable :) *phew* Thank God!

On our first night at Bukit Tinggi, we decided to treat ourselves to some delicious & cheap Chinese food at Kampung Bukit Tinggi (the village not too far from Colmar Tropicale), while on our 2nd night here, we just had  dinner at La Flamme, a pizza & pasta restaurant.

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Venue: Restoran Kampung, Kampung Bukit Tinggi

Overall comment: Cheap & delicious Chinese meal not too far from Colmar Tropicale (you've to drive downhill to the Karak highway, heading towards Kuala Lumpur)

Halal: No

This place is quite hidden from the highway. To get here, follow the general directions as below, & you should be able to locate this restaurant:

1. As you approach Kampung Bukit Tinggi, you'll see a row of shops in front of you. Turn right, heading towards the village.
2. Drive pass a wooden bridge.
3. Once you pass the bridge, you'll see long, unkept grass/"lalang" on your left & right. You'll pass by 1 open-spaced restaurant on your left.
4. Right after that 1st restaurant, look out for the restaurant's signboard on left. Turn left into the small un-tarred pathway.
5. You'll see the restaurant on your left. There's a fish pond, a large parking area, & the restaurant itself.

The restaurant itself

This restaurant won't charge you the "tourist-price", so it's quite 'safe' to have a good meal here :)

Signature Dish - Claypot Fish (around RM33.00 - depending on weight)

We ordered the Red Talapia fish as it's cheaper than other fish, has less small bones (in fact, it only has large bones), & the flesh is smooth. The taste of this dish was really delicious. It's just simple soya/fish sauce with fried shallots, garlic, ginger, & parsley, all cooked in the sizzling claypot to perfection...oolala....

Crispy Deep-Fried Pork Slices served with dark soya sauce & onions (RM15.00/dish)

Great as a snack or as one of the main dishes, this dish is certainly appetizing! The sauce is slightly sweet, like honey, coating the crispy pork slices. *crunch* Ah....yums!

Sizzling Hot Plate Japanese Beancurd (RM8.00/dish)

Very much alike the common beancurd dish found at Chinese restaurants, but somehow this restaurant cooks the gravy slightly different. It's "nicely sweeter" instead of the usual salted fish taste (I think they added some plum sauce for the gravy). I kinda enjoyed this - something slightly different ;)

Stir-Fried "Tin Chat" Vegetable with Garlic (RM7.00/dish)

You'll rarely get this vegetable in PJ/KL. I just enjoy chewing on the thick, succulent leaves, which are slightly slimy. It's alike the lady's fingers & the "san choy", commonly used in soups with salted egg. This vegetable is also said to be good for health (what the Chinese call as "pou"). 

Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Leaves with Garlic (RM7.00/dish)

Vegetables are aplenty at Bukit Tinggi since there are tonnes of vegetable farms here. So, we just ordered another vegetable for a "healthier" dinner ;)

Map to Restoran Kampung

View PerutBesi in a larger map

Ratings:

Presentation: * * *

Price: * * * 1/2

Environment: * * *

Taste: * * * *

Service: * * * 1/2

Overall:

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Venue: La Flamme, Colmar Tropicale, Bukit Tinggi
Overall comment: Acceptable pizza & pasta at prices that won't burn too large a hole on your pocket. Taste isn't all that great, but decent enough to fill your stomachs. Some friends told me that the food here is really terrible, but when I was here last weekend, it tasted alright. Perhaps they changed their chefs? This restaurant is also one of the many restaurants here that are packed with hungry tourists every lunch & dinner. Strange how some restaurants are SO quiet, while some have a queue!
Halal: Yes

La Flamme Sidewalk Deli

Out of all the many eateries at Colmar Tropicale i.e. La Boulangerie, La Cigogne, Ryo Zan Tei, & La Flamme, we decided to have our dinner at the La Flamme; mainly because of the price (it's somewhat more worth it to pay RM30+ for pizza & pasta than for 1/4 roast chicken, or paying more than RM40+ for some French fine-dining dish) & the aroma of freshly baked pizza just tempted us to drop by for a meal.

photo taken from Eating Pleasure

The Menu

Reasonable variety of pizza, pasta, salad, & soups. All prices are subject to 10% service charge & 5% Government tax.

La Flamme's Kitchen

AP told me, "That mak cik is cooking your pasta...." Eeee...hahahaha...I really lack faith at the 1st impression of the chefs in the kitchen.

Chef Pizza (RM38.00++ large/ RM29.00++ regular)

Cream cheese, pesto, chicken sausage, mussels, & mozzarella cheese

[Ruth] Reminds me of those pizzas sold at hypermarkets...hahaha...not too bad lah. At least the crust is crispy & the pizza with the abundance of ingredients is fragrant. Nothing much to complain. Perhaps we're just too hungry or I'm just being very gracious in commenting...haha...

A Slice of Pizza

Each regular/large pizza is divided into 8 portions.

Fettuccine Gamberoni e Funghi (RM32.00++/serving)

Pasta with prawn & button mushrooms in cream sauce

[Ruth] I didn't try this pasta, so I can't really comment. By the looks of it, it doesn't look very interesting...hahaha...but my friend who had this pasta said that it tasted alright.

Spaghetti Marinara in Garlic Butter Sauce (RM31.00++/serving)

Prawns, mussel, fish cubes, clams & squids with tomato concasse or garlic butter sauce

[Ruth] The pasta sauce lacks "umphh" & the seafood wasn't very fresh. This dish could afford more herbs though...really lacking in flavour (though still edible). I reckon I could cook a better pasta marinara...and spend less on getting all the ingredients too!

Lasagna (RM29.00++/serving)

Homemade layer pasta with minced beef & spinach over gratin cheese

[Ruth] I thought this was the best-tasting dish among all that we ordered although it was also the most expensive (as compared to their pizzas & pastas)! Some may even call this a rip-off, but thankfully the taste of the lasagna compensated for its price. You'll find a generous serving of minced beef in thick tomato concasse & rich-flavourful cheese, tucked within layers of flat pasta. Not too bad, really. It's quite filling too! :)

If you're planning to settle for a meal at Colmar Tropicale itself, be prepared to spend a little more than the usual. Don't expect too much from the taste of food there as well, lest you'll be greatly disappointed.

My friends & I actually saved a lot 'cause we bought loaves of bread & cans of tuna for our lunch. It sounds rather pathetic for a holiday, but hey, we actually enjoyed ourselves with our humble tuna sandwiches over a cup of coffee/Milo (brought there ourselves) in front of the T.V. We splurged on breakfast & dinner at Kampung Bukit Tinggi/Colmar Tropicale, & on the mount of junkfood too!

Oh, what a relaxing weekend get-away :)


Ratings:
Presentation: * * *
Price: * * 1/2
Environment: * * *
Taste: * * 1/2
Service: * * *


Overall




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Stay tuned for one more post on my Kuantan trip ;) More food to come!!