Everything 🍓 Strawberry

There is no end to what can be paired with strawberries.

The cold climate in Cameron Highlands makes it suitable for cultivating strawberries all year round. And the locals have cashed in on this. Apparently, anything and everything can be flavoured with this dainty fruit, as can be seen by the many creative strawberry-infused offerings available.

Spoilt for choice, here are some of my indulgences during my August visit.

Strawberry picking
Strawberry nasi lemak
Strawberry scones / crepe
Strawberry mushroom

1. Strawberry Picking
If you live in the tropics, the novelty of picking your own strawberry and eating it fresh, is somehow just not the same as the ones you get from a supermarket.

For a truly memorable experience, the trick is to ensure there are ‘ripe’ fruits to harvest at the farm you visit. If not, just move on to the next one, as there are strawberry farms dotting the main road from Tanah Rata to Brinchang and Kea Farm.

Armed with a basket and scissors, it was fun wandering among rows of tiered raised beds, looking for the biggest, juiciest and ‘reddest’ strawberry.

As tasting is not allowed, our hope was that red equals sweet.

Needless to say, we got carried away. At RM30@500gm, it amounted to RM48 (USD 12) for 800gm. As always, its about paying for the experience, not the produce.

A pre-packed flat box starts from RM10 (USD 2.5), readily available at road side stalls, markets and shops.

That evening, we tasted the fruits of our labour, and they were deliciously sweet. Beginner’s luck, perhaps?

Strawberry fun facts

Strawberries are the only fruit that wear their seeds on the outside ~ 200 seeds
Strawberries are members of the rose family
Strawberry is not a true berry, but an accessory fruit
Belgium has a museum dedicated to strawberries
Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen each Spring

2. Strawberry nasi lemak
200 Seeds Café by Abang Strawberry serves up a range of savoury and sweet dishes, whereby strawberry features strongly as a key ingredient.

Even at 2.30pm on a weekday it was crowded, testament to the café’s popularity. We tried the Nasi Lemak strawberry sambal variants of ayam crunchy (left) rendang daging (center), and nasi putih ayam crunchy (right).

The strawberry sambal is the star performer here, not overly spicy with enough of a ‘kick’ to stimulate the senses. Other than that, the meat options are as expected and there’s hardly any strawberry taste in the rice.

A die-hard chocolate lover, I took a cocoa break (reluctantly), switching to the red fruit instead.

(l-r) I found the Fresh strawberry a tad too sweet, the Sparkling strawberry float refreshing and the strawberry milkshake thick and flavourful.

For dessert, I liked that the scones were not too sweet, and goes well with the strawberry jam and whipped cream.

To order, you must scan the QR code to access the menu. While this is normally not an issue, it gets tedious when data signal is patchy, which is prevalent in the highlands.

The café occupies a fairly large site with the dining area arranged in rows of long tables (not ideal for social distancing). It can get very hot in the afternoons. Parking can be challenging as the road is narrow and leads to a dead end.

200 Seeds Café by Abang Strawberry 
27 Jalan Taman Sedia, 39000 Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia

Abang Strawberry has its own unique strawberry-based products such as Sambal Strawberry, Strawberry Jam and Strawberry Cordial. If the taste is to their liking, visitors can purchase these homemade products from the shop after their meal. There is also a strawberry picking area just beside the dining area.

Opens Daily : 7.30am - 12.00am

3. Strawberry scones / crepe
Now, for the cheapest scones in town, we headed to Lord’s Café in Tanah Rata. Located on the first floor of a row of shophouses along the main road, we got there just before 10am, and already there was a queue.

Opening its doors promptly at 10am, Lord’s no frills self-service system is simple and fuss-free.

collect menu, pen, order form before being seated
submit completed order form to cashier and make payment
pick-up order when your table number is called

For those partial to full-service, this is not the place for you.

The interior is cosy, furnished with an assortment of furniture and bric-a-bracs from different eras adding to its unique character. It was pleasant sitting by the window, enjoying the breezy coolness of the crisp outside air.

Morning Tea at Lord’s
We started with 2 cream scones, strawberry scone, strawberry crepe and apple pie a-la-mode, washed down with a variety of specialty teas and strawberry milkshake.

As we were among the first patrons that day, I expected the scones to be served hot, straight from the oven. Instead, the scones were a trifle hard and not even warm. The strawberry scone was flavourful with dainty chunks of fruit. The crepe and apple pie were good and generous in portion.

While the scones were nothing to shout about, I would go again for its quiet, relaxing ambience. The price is very reasonable too.

Lord's Café
Jalan Besar, 39000 Tanah Rata, Pahang, Malaysia

Lord's Café champions the plight of women. Run by Christians, it hires only females, in line with its mission is to provide jobs to ensure a regular income stream for women. As such the staff comprise mainly of stay-at-home mums. Additionally, Lord's also supports single mothers, women pursuing further studies and supplement senior ladies who have no income. 

Opening hours : 
Monday- Saturday 10.00am – 7.00pm 
(Closed on Sunday)

4. Strawberry mushroom
Having come across an interesting specimen while hiking Trail 10 to Gunung Jasar, I decided to include it here. Due to its uncanny resemblance to a certain fruit, I named it the ‘Strawberry Mushroom’, as I am unable to identify it.