Cameron Food Guide, Best Steamboat Restaurants

CAMERON FOOD GUIDE

Similar to any other destinations in Malaysia, there are some must try local specialties available only in Cameron Highlands. With a diverse range of local specialties and international cuisines available here, looking for a meal around Cameron Highlands is an easy task. You can pick from unique Malay dishes to authentic Chinese cuisines, or perhaps spicy Indian delights and mouth-watery Western selection.

Bringing you the best, scrumptious and also mouth watery local and international cuisines, holidaymakers can choose from a wide range of restaurants suggested below.

Holidaymakers and tourists would not find a shortage of good food from various restaurants available in the Highlands. But how do spot the best restaurant that serves a fine selection of cuisines? Spot a restaurant with a crowd and good food is awaiting you there!

Steamboat, the most popular cuisine in Cameron Highlands

Basic information about steamboat meal

One of the best choices if you are around Cameron is steamboat.

When the sun goes down and the cool mountain becomes chilly, it is time to head to steamboat restaurants. Steamboat (also known as hot pot) is a pot of boiling chicken soup heated by gas fire stove.

Some of the restaurants served two soups in a pot–fiery chili broth and chicken or pork bone broth(non-halal). Other than that, diners can also ask for spicy tom yum soup or herbal soup.

Diners are free to pick from a wide choice of food available such as raw chicken meat, thinly sliced beef, vegetables, mushroom, fishballs, tofu, noodles and seafood and placed the ingredients into the simmering metal pot of soup. Using the ladles provided by the restaurant, diners must scoop the cooked ingredient from the pot and eat it with special dipping sauce.

Nothing beats hot simmering charcoal steamboat in Cameron Highlands.

Well, of course having a steamboat meal is nothing new but have you ever try charcoal steamboat where the soup would continue to boil because unlike the gas stoves type where you can adjust the fire, there is no way to stop the soup in charcoal steamboat to boil except to wait for the charcoal burnt out. Charcoal steamboat is slightly different from the usual type because it adds aroma to the simmering soup.

Halal Steamboat Cameron Highlands

YAZ Steamboat

Location: Tanah Rata

YAZ steamboat
YAZ steamboat

Glory 78 Steamboat

Location: Tanah Rata – Brinchang

glory 78 steamboat
Glory 78 steamboat

Debamboo Tower

Location: Taman Sedia

DeBamboo Tower Steamboat,Grill & Steam Cameron Highlands
DeBamboo Tower Steamboat & Grill

Kekanda Steamboat

Location: Golden Hills, Brinchang

Kekanda steamboat & grill

HIghland Steamboat(Halal)

Location: Tanah Rata

Highland Steamboat Cheese & Grill
Highland Steamboat Cheese & Grill
YAZ Steamboat
De Bamboo Steamboat & Grill at cameron highlands
Kekanda Steamboat
Highland Steamboat Cheese & Grill Tanah Rata Cameron Highlands
Steamboat Cameron Highland | TAC ( Taman Apple Cameron )

Fauzi Tomyam and Steamboat

As you walk along Brinchang Point and if you are looking for good food which is value for money and simply delicious, check out Fauzi Tomyam and Steamboat.

Quality Halal Food

There is never anything difficult to find halal food in Cameron Highlands but to find one which is good and worth your money might be challenging. If you are at Fauzi Tomyam and Steamboat, your doubts will all be cleared. This is perhaps one of the most popular names among Halal restaurants here in Cameron Highlands.

Fauzi Pricing and Menu

The name of the restaurant tells it all. If you are here, you must try out their Tomyam. Of course, their steamboat is their signature as well. Hence, what you should do really is to try out both at the same time and that would be their Tomyam seafood soup and then pick and choose what you want to dip in and then DIG IN!

Glory 78 Steamboat and Snack Corner

There would be more than enough options for Muslims when it comes to food in Cameron Highlands like Glory 78 Steamboat and Snack Corner.

Great location and wonderful food

You would not want to miss out on the offerings at Glory 78 Steamboat and Snack Corner because it is totally customer-oriented here. If you are looking for halal food with great quality and value for money, Glory 78 must be in your bucket list.

What to expect here

To begin with, you can have a steamboat meal here that cost only RM23 per person. Some has claimed this to be on the expensive side but considering that you get a lot of options available, plus the settings that come with it, you will surely enjoy your meal here and feel that it’s quite worth your money. They have a very famous Chicken Chop here which you must try with their own strawberry smoothy.

Non-Halal Chinese Steamboat in Brinchang and Tanah Rata

Restaurant Fong Lum楓琳饭店

Location: Brinchang

O.K. Tuck Steamboat Restaurant
Fong Lum 楓琳 Steamboat Restaurant

Silverstar Steamboat

Location: Brinchang

silverstar steamboat
Silverstar Steamboat

Cameron Organic Steamboat

Location: Brinchang

cameron highlands steamboat
Cameron Organic Steamboat

Mayflower Steamboat

Location: Tanah Rata

Mayflower steamboat
Mayflower steamboat

Gonbei Steamboat

Location: Cameron Highlands Resort

gonbei steamboat
Gonbei Steamboat

Images of Steamboat meals in Cameron Highlands

Served by majority of the Famous Chinese Restaurants in Cameron

Take your pick from raw chicken to fish, vegetables and tofu, seafood such as prawns as well as fish balls, crabsticks and noodles to put into the soup and let it boil. Just cover the pot and in no time, use the ladles to scoop the soup and vegetables. Diners can always ask the waiter to add more soup after boiling countless times. Restaurants along the main road of Brinchang town like SilverstarKwan Kee, You Hoo and OK Tuck serve the best charcoal steamboat as well as a wide array of Chinese cuisines. Price range is from RM20-28 per person.

Using charcoal for steamboat was quite popular in the 80s when gas was still expensive but it is known to be tastier and more delicious. If you are going for the charcoal steamboat, make sure that you take the clear soup instead of the spicy one.

During weekends and public holidays, the steamboat restaurants are very crowded and packed. To avoid disappointment, make an advance booking by calling in or order online beforehand. Besides that, parking might be quite limited in the surroundings of Brinchang and Tanah Rata, so you might need to find your way around.

Charcoal Steamboat in Strawberry Park Hotel – The hot and tasty soup in the short funnel is perfect especially during the cold nights in Highlands. The ingredients offered are mainly the usual food which is also available in other restaurants such as fish ball, meat balls, crab sticks, prawn, tofu and many more. But all in all, dining in these particular restaurant will definitely please you as the outdoor garden terrace is wonderful and spectacular during night time.

Organic Vegetarian Steamboat

Vegetarian do not have to worry as Highlands also offers a Cameron Organic Produce Restaurant whereby the steamboat restaurant offers fresh local produce organic vegetables free from pesticides and artificial fertilizers. The restaurant uses charcoal for heating and thus, it adds to the soup aroma. Priced at RM22 for an individual with at least two persons as the requirement, this organic vegetable steamboat is served without salt which is suitable for health-conscious holidaymakers.

Image credit: mattjamestravel

Location: Brinchang

Best food in Tanah Rata town(Halal)

There are quite a lot of places where you can enjoy cup of fresh highlands tea of coffee while savouring the sumptuous cakes and other pastries. At most cafes in Cameron Highlands, you will come across a wide range of different cakes baked to perfection to be taken with a hot drink.

Snacks & Deserts

Craving for light snack in Cameron? Look no further because the light and soft scones served with a cup of English tea will make your day. The perfectly baked scones served here come with Devonshire cream. Other than that, strawberry crepe that comes together with plenty of strawberries and a good combination of crepe is also highly recommended for all.

My Cake Home

Image credit: mattjamestravel

Location: Tanah Rata

Best Place for Coffee & Cakes

First and foremost, you may check out the cozy and spacious Roselane Coffee House. Food selection varies from the delicious Western cuisines to exotic local delicacies. Roselane Cafe is most famously known for serving the best pancakes and lamb chop. In addition to that, Roselane also serves scones, steaks, English tea and fresh juicy apple pies. The best of all, the food are all reasonably priced.

My Cake Home – This is a popular hangout among the locals and visitors. Located in Tanah Rata, My Cake Home offers a cosy and homely environment if you like this type of ambience. Here, you can order all types of unique cakes and other items. A must-try item here is the cheese lemon cake which is highly rated by those who have enjoyed it previously.

Warong Kek Cameron Cakehouse – Another place where you can enjoy cakes and such is at Warong Kek Cameron Cakehouse. This outlet is located in Brinchang. Housed in a convenient spot with bright signboards, you will like the place where you will surely find a slice of cake you like among the spread. Their cheese cake is one of the most famous here while you can buy custom-made cakes for any other occasions if required.

Warongs & Corners for light meals

Uncle Chow Kopitiam is definitely your next stop. Walk along the street from the Cameronian Inn before you reach the corner of the building. The restaurant is furnished with tungsten lighting and offers a cozy interior for patrons. The dishes served are mainly home cooked Nyonya style cuisines such as assam laksa, prawn mee and curry laksa. For those who would like to try the local toasted bread with kaya complete with fresh brewed coffee, do not miss out when you are in the kopitiam.

Uncle Chow Kopitiam
Uncle Chow Kopitiam
Snacks and Deserts
Roselane Cake and Coffee house

Image credit: babeinthecitykl 
Location: Tanah Rata

Authentic Indian Cuisine(Halal)

Cameron highlands indian food
Cameron Indian Cuisine

Authentic Indian Curry with Roti. Image credit: cwsteinbach

Restoran Nasi Kandar Mamu Ismail

Restoran Nasi Kandar Mamu Ismail

Next up, head to Restoran Nasi Kandar Mamu Ismail(formerly Restoran No 14) situated along the main street of Tanah Rata town. In fact, the restaurant name is rather odd but considering the fact that the name was derived directly from the shop lot number it resides, the name makes sense. Serving you the exotic Southern varieties, the restaurant also offers delicious side orders such as Fried Chicken and also lighter snacks such as roti canai, chappati or even Fried Bihun. If you happen to drop by in this restaurant, remember to try out the famous pulled tea or commonly known as teh tarik. Other drink worth trying is the signature mango juice.

If you are looking for some delicious Indian cuisines, try the aromatic Banana Leaf Rice. The plain white rice is served with a variety of vegetables and crunchy papadams on banana leaf. For those who are craving for some tender and savoury meat, you can also pick from the variety choices offered such as curry chicken, beef, mutton and fish. Other than that, diners should also order tandoori chicken, naan and roti canai. These are some of the local favourites available 24/7.

Restoran Sri Brinchang

Restoran Sri Brinchang

Most people around here will know Restoran Sri Brinchang because they serve some very exciting Indian dishes around Cameron Highlands.

Spicy food perfect for cold weather

When it is cold outside, enjoying spicy food will be absolutely marvellous. At Restoran Sri Brinchang, you get to pick and choose the different types of curries that are available. They are cooked to perfection through many years of experience by the cooks here.

Ambience and Pricing

At Restoran Sri Brinchang, you will enjoy a peaceful and absolutely halal meal without any doubt. Muslims love this restaurant as they have a lot to offer. While you can choose the many items available on their menu ranging from chicken to beef to mutton, you can also pick the best drinks too. Have a meal or have a cup of tea and you will surely want to return here in the near future.

Nasi Kandar Rizzaq @ Cameron Square, Kea Farm

nasi kandar rizzaq

Image source: Nasi Kandar Rissaq

Kea Farm is known for many tourists attractions while you get to enjoy a sumptuous meal at a local Mamak (Indian Muslim) restaurant like Nasi Kandar Rizzaq.

Local Dishes at its best

What makes Nasi Kandar Rizzaq so interesting is that you get to try most of everything under one roof. When you get here, the outlook of the restaurant welcomes you and you are then ready to order.

Quality of Food

You can be assured that the Indian dishes served here are cooked to its original recipe. This makes ordering very easy as you can get Cheese Naan, Tandoori or just Nasi Bryiani. If you need anything out of the ordinary, you can always order it from the waiter too and he will be ready to serve you. Pricing here might be a bit on the high side but you will surely be happy to pay a bit more if the food satisfies you.

Tudor Lounge and Grill Strawberry Park

Tudor Lounge and Grill

If you are staying at the Strawberry Park Resort in Cameron Highlands, you will surely chance upon the Tudor Lounge and Grill. This section of the resort will not escape your eye as it has a very captivating and exciting setting.

Ambience fit for dining

One thing for sure, the design and outlook of Tudor Lounge and Grill was made to ensure its guests enjoy a high-quality meal. There are enough tables here to fit large groups of people looking for a sumptuous meal which is value for money and delicious.

Affordable items on the menu

The Tudor Lounge and Grill break the common misconception that you will have to burn a hole in your pocket when you dine in a hotel. The price range to dining here is between the range of RM40 to RM80 per person depending on what you order but you will surely do not mind paying a bit more for the service and quality you are getting.

Cameron AA Curry House Tanah Rata

Cameron aa Curry House

Get ready to spice up your holiday in Cameron Highlands when you have a meal at Cameron AA Curry House. Located along Jalan Besar in Tanah Rata, this halal restaurant is easy to find and you can just stroll in as and when you like.

Careful of the crowd

While you like to have an enjoyable and relaxing meal, be mindful of the time you come here as it might be crowded during the rush hours. At other times, take a while to enjoy the freshly-brewed Cameronian tea (ask for Teh Tarik) or just have a cup of coffee.

Signature Dishes at Cameron AA Curry House

Serving mainly Indian cuisine, you must order their Tandoori Chicken or Naan. Make sure that you order their signature curry gravy where you can pick and choose the different various types. Besides that, they have a few types of fried rice and noodles or you can just order a chicken chop from RM18.90 per plate.

Best Breakfast

When it Cameron Highlands, you will be waking up in the morning to the fresh and breezing air of the mountains. This is simply the best place to ‘wake up and smell the coffee‘. While a lot of hotels and homestays offer breakfast in their package, you could go for a walk around town and check out some of the places where they serve some delicious food to start the day. Strawberry Park is known for a nice English-looking environment for breakfast while the Cameron Highlands Resort is popular for its breakfast sets.

Around Tanah Rata, you will find Growing Cafe which serves some very nice scones. This goes well with a cup of coffee for the morning. The Yong Teng Cafe located not far from the Majlis Daerah Cameron Highlands (Cameron Highlands Municipal Hall) is a popular breakfast hangout here with good meals. One of the things you should do for breakfast is to have the economy noodles (Keng Jai Fan as the local calls it). These stalls usually come up in the mornings by the roadsides and you can find them around Brinchang and Tanah Rata.

What to look out for?

  • Price: Affordable and value-for-money. This is quite consistent.
  • Halal: Both halal and non-halal breakfast available. Look for stalls operated by Muslims for halal breakfast.
  • Taste: Good and perfect to go with an English tea of coffee
  • Freshness: Mostly cooked every morning

Cameron Hawker Food(Halal)

Hawker food is very popular if you are visiting Malaysia and more so at Cameron Highlands as you can find them almost at every corner of the major towns like Brinchang and Tanah Rata.

When it comes hawker food, you actually get to try out some of the local delights without having to pay exorbitant prices because of their simple setting and usually non-air-conditioning outlets. After all, you get to enjoy the ‘natural air-conditioning’ when eating outdoors here in Cameron Highlands.

Malay Halal Food(Makanan Muslim)

Hawker food is available usually throughout the day in Cameron Highlands. You can spot them through their widespread tables and chairs which are placed in front of the string of stalls. This is most evident at the Bus Station in Brinchang town. You will notice that these stalls practically come alive during the night and is the perfect place for supper.

The stalls usually close around 1.00am in the morning and you can find a wide variety of Malay, Chinese and Indian foods. You should try out the cooked dishes like Nasi Padprik, Mee goring or if you want to heat up your body, try the Sup Ekor. Otherwise, local favourites like Nasi Goreng and Chicken Rice are available as well.

Foods & Snacks in Pasar malam

Foods and Snacks in Pasar malam Cameron Highlands
Pasar Malam Food

The infamous Night Market in Cameron Highlands remains as one of the top attractions among both local and foreign visitor here. If you are familiar with the Pasar Malam concept round Malaysia, you will know that this is the place to go for food, snacks, products and everything else you can think of. In Cameron Highlands in particular, the Pasar Malam is full of surprises with some of the best foods around.

cameron highlands halal food

Image source: stormrunner

Stalls along Jalan Besar serve some of the best Malay cuisines in Cameron Highlands. Remember to try nasi lemak and satay. Nasi Lemak packed in pyramid-shaped is served with anchovies, fried peanuts, gravy (sambal) and curry. You can add a variety of meat such as squid or rendang chicken to the pack of Nasi Lemak. Brinchang Square has the best barbeque fish restaurant which is callsed Nik Ikan Bakar.

Fast Food Lovers(Halal food)

KFC Cameron Highlands
KFC Cameron Highlands

Image credit: aaronknox

KFC Restaurant Cameron Highlands

Located in Brinchang, the KFC outlet here offers a great place to dine if you are looking for something quick and delicious, particularly the unique and original fried chicken which KFC is known for across the world. Take note that the KFC outlet here is usually very crowded as a lot of locals and visitors prefer it for it convenience.

While the taste and the recipe is consistent, the freshness of the food is one that could be improved. This is because being in the highland, some of its foods are sourced from the nearest towns and cities which could be frozen for several days.

Marrybrown Restaurant Cameron Highlands

Like every other fast food chain, Marrybrown is a popular outlet here in Cameron Highlands. Its branch is located in Tanah Rata which is not far from Brinchang town. Compared to KFC, Marrybrown’s fried chicken is more famous among the locals as it has a distinctive ‘local flavour’ to it.

Besides that, Marrybrown is homegrown and has a variety of traditional dishes as well. Its western choices meanwhile are quite popular among urban visitors and foreigners. However, it must be noted that freshness of the foods provided can be doubtful as they are usually frozen before they are cooked and served to the customers.

McDonald’s has just opened their first restaurant in Brinchang Cameron Highlands 

Recommended Western food in Cameron Highlands

 

Western food can be found at almost every restaurant, café and coffee house outlets around Cameron Highlands. Besides the local cuisine, if you are one who likes steak, lamb chop, scones, fish and chips, grill fish, mash potatoes and salad, you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to western food.

cameron highlands western food
Smokehouse Steak

Smokehouse Steak. Image Source: 5xmom

Afiq Roy Steak Café Golden Hills

There are abundant of cafes serving western cuisines around Cameron Highlands particularly in Tanah Rata. Afiq Roy Café is worth visiting for they serve a variety of local and Western cuisines. If you happen to explore Golden Hills town on foot, it is located right in the middle of Barrington Square. Other than a fine mixture of Western cuisines such as black pepper steak and European style chicken chop, diners will be spoilt for choice when it comes to beverages such as fresh fruit and vegetable juices.

The reason why you find that there are quite a lot of steaks, chops and chips is due to the strong English influence here dating back to many decades of history when the English discovered Cameron to become a hill station. As the top manufacturer of tea leaves, you can rest assure that you will taste the best English Tea usually taken with bread, pastries and other snacks which are freshly produced, packed and served. Meanwhile, you will be able to enjoy the original continental sauce and recipe used to prepare the likes of pork chops, scallops and many more.

Cameron Seafood Choices

What to look out for?

  • Price: Similar to other outlets
  • Halal: All Halal outlets
  • Freshness: Cannot be compared to other states as they need to be supplied from elsewhere

It is not uncommon to see a lot of seafood restaurants around Cameron Highlands. A lot of Chinese restaurants around here like to include the word ‘seafood’ in their signboards. Geographically, this might not be the best place to enjoy seafood as they need to be transported here from other towns which are by the seaside. Hence, it is quite common that some restaurants here have aquariums to house fishes and prawns for the customers.

Hence, it might be difficult to find really fresh seafood. That is the reason why a lot of restaurants tend to serve frozen seafood menus like those that are used in steamboats. Fish and prawns are most common while you might not find a lot of crab options (due to supply). Clams are also popular orders while some restaurants have special items like Balitong and Juktans.

What to look out for?

  • Price: Would be pricier due to supply
  • Halal: Most Chinese seafood restaurants are non-halal while you can find Halal seafood shops and stalls as well.
  • Taste: Comparable with what you get anywhere else
  • Freshness: Not too fresh due to location
best-steamboat-malaysia

Navigation