Remember 126 @ Bukit Tinggi Bentong, Pahang

Those who have been reading my blogs regularly (lol! not that I'm that popular) would know that I travel between Pahang and KL regularly. Living in a rather small & quaint little town can be quite boring after a while so what can be better than driving to KL which is like only 2 hours from my hometown :) it used to be more than 3 hours in the past but the route from Bentong-Raub-Kuala Lipis had been straightened up so it was a JOY for me.

In the past, Jenn & I could afford to stop wherever and whenever we wanted. Now with 2 kids in tow, planning is essential and most of the time, we would end up in Bukit Tinggi area around lunch time. With a lot of restaurants mushrooming in this area, you would be spoilt with choices. However, only a few of them really stand out from the pack and Remember 126 is definitely one of them :) despite its rather funny name, the food is good and service is relatively fast. Jenn & I have become their regulars and they would greet us with huge smile on the face. They even know Jenn's parents who dine there too!

The restaurant is HUGE and airy, something that we absolutely love. This restaurant is one of the most popular (if not the most) restaurants here and the evidence is shown by the almost full house state despite weekdays.

At the time I wrote this post, I had gone there countless times hence the amount of food that I am going to post in this blog. All in one mah :P

What I love most about the food is that the consistent standard. One dish that stood the test of time is the stir fried baby water cress with chopped garlic. The green was just so fresh and they would use finely chopped garlic than crushed garlic cloves (I'm very particular on this), therefore the aroma of garlic was infused into the water cress evenly. There were times that I would order the second plate as I could not get enough of this.

Another must-order dish in Bukit Tinggi area is the deep fried pork belly with caramelised sauce. For some reason, I never grow bored of this dish. I simply love the fact that the pork belly is very crispy , so crispy until I forgot the fat layer which I avoided most of the times. The sweet gravy was a pefect companion to the rice and enhanced further by the chopped onion. One grouse though was that the amount of onion sometimes more than the meat.

Another porylicious dish that must not be missed is the claypot pork belly with salted fish. As sinful as it sounds, I could not resist the aroma of high-grade salted fish that was used to cook this dish. However, their version was quite oily so for those health-conscious people.. stay away from this OK?

A trip to Bukit Tinggi is not complete without the fish! Yes... FISH specifically river fish. Here are some of the versions that I'd tasted - starting with steamed bak sou gong (silver catfish) with shredded ginger and superior soy sauce. Cost only RM30/kg.. even though this fish is not caught in the wild, it's meat was sweet and flaky without the dreaded muddy taste normally associated with reared ones. The fish is reared in the river uphill with constant flow of clean water. You can opt for the wild ones which easily cost double the price but generally still cheaper compared to KL's standard.

Steamed "wan" fish with crushed ginger is another favourite of us. Heaps of famous Bentong ginger were used to provide extra pungent taste (in a good ginger way) to this fish. Just beware of the fine bones which are literally everywhere in its body!

Steamed asam tilapia - without the muddy taste normally associated with this fish, the sourish and slightly spicy asam gravy was a heaven for us. It never fails to persuade me for a second bowl of white rice everytime.

Claypot curry fish head - garoupa head was used to prepare this dish and even though the name was exciting, the curry somehow failed to make its mark! I had better version in KL and in my hometown.

However, the fish head was fresh and the meat was definitely succulent! Just look at it :)

Other dishes include this stir fried bittergourd with egg - simple yet satisfying dish that I could not get enough of. It was a little bitter but I love it.

Claypot taufu with assorted vegetables was passable but not memorable.

Leo's verdict - on average our lunch here (3 dishes) cost approx. RM50 with the fish! Can you get a better deal anywhere in KL? Parking is ample and given that this area is less than 30minute drive from KL, a weekend drive here is not really that far away right?? Given the fact that we are usually stuck in the traffic jam for more than 30 minutes...

Remember One Two Six Restaurant
PT3347, Kg Bukit Tinggi
28750 Bentong, Pahang
Handphone: 012-2251894

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.

Remember again!!!

Remember how I wrote that I always stop at Bukit Tinggi area for lunch/dinner???

Remember how I always raved on steamed fish that cost only RM30 per kilo?

Remember the deep fried pork belly with special sauce that I always drool about?

Remember the baby water cress which is so green and fresh that one plate is always not enough???

Remember 126... that's where I always go back to ... the restaurant with funny name that I wrote about in my previous blogs. Almost all the restaurants here offer similar dishes. Most of the time, I will come here instead of other restaurants nearby due to the spaciousness of the restaurant, ample parking spaces and clean toilets. But if I have extra cash, Restoran Bukit Tinggi BBQ is the place to go! I have yet to try their seafood pot and roasted chicken that had garnered much attention from those who had gone there.

From the time I wrote this post, I had gone there twice in a space of a month! Lazy to write separately, I combined the two lunches in one post. Parking shouldn't be a problem unless you see several tourist buses with loads of noisy aunties and uncles having lunch/dinner or buying the local produce at a stall which is by the roadside.

Feeling adventurous, we decided to try out-of-the-norm dishes that we usually ordered. Well, there's this dish which was the deep fried pork belly with homemade sauce that I ordered most of the time! Crunchy and laden with dark sweet sauce and the aroma of onions, I enjoyed each and every bite of the meat. However, you would find more onions than the meat (in my case, I ordered small one).

Claypot pork belly with salted fish or simply ham yue fa lam pou in Cantonese was simply divine. Using good salted fish is important here and they had done a good job... I'd tried some other places with little or no trace of salted fish in it before. Made me wanted to add another bowl of rice

Steamed wan yue with crushed ginger - for those people who like the smell of ginger, you'd love this dish. Bentong ginger is already famous for its strong aroma and thus created a different level altogether for this steamed fish. Just beware of its bones ok???

Steamed taufu with oil and soy sauce - topped with crispy dried shrimps and onions, it's as simple as it gets yet so smooth as it went down the throat :)

Sweet and sour pork - the sauce was OK but frankly speaking, it lacked the crispy-ness compared to Foon Lock's version.

the Greens - no complains as they were very fresh! Stir fried baby water cress & the other one I forgot its name :)

Well, Jenn craved for the steamed chicken ginger meehoon again. With so many dishes ready to be served, I doubted if she managed to finish the meehoon. But how could I say no to her? Come to think of it, I hardly say No to her :) she just love the steaming hot broth with Bentong ginger. I hate to say this but 126's version is better than Foon Lock's! It hit the right note in everything. Sorry qwazymonkey.. maybe you should try this out first. I ended up eating more than Jenn... lol!!!

Leo's verdict - to those KL-ites who still have no idea, Bukit Tinggi area is only less than 30 min away from KL (Gombak toll)... definitely lesser time depending on your speed *wink wink* No! It's not very far from KL. When someone actually will organise makan trip to this area??? Weekend lunch will be great! I'm in...

Yet another restaurant found in bukit tinggi (thanks to the qwazymonkey)

Bukit Tinggi... no, not the one in Klang. What I'm referring to is the tranquil area on the mountainous area in Bentong, Pahang. Those who read my postings often would notice that I blogged about this place many times. For KL-ites who never venture further than Genting Highlands would not know the existence of this new village. As a matter of fact, it is only located about 5 minutes drive away from Genting Sempah (the rest area). As for me, I always pass by this area on my way to and back from KL.

Initially I also had the perception that the prices were cut-throat but it all changed when my partner brought me to have dinner one day on the way back from our business trip (that was like 4 years ago). Since then, I would stop by for lunch or even dinner whenever possible. Starting from the row of shops fronting the Karak Highway, the first restaurant being Grand View... I gradually ventured further into the Bukit Tinggi New Village. Places like Remember 126 (funny name) and Loong Sing whipped out nice dishes too!

Then this... reading A Lil Fat Monkey's blog regarding his first anniversary and also a day trip to Bukit Tinggi, I had found another nice place for meal. By the way, the 1-Series Convertible is cool man! Actually it was Jenn's idea to try out Foon Lock because she drooled after reading on the steamed chicken ginger meehoon. So we made a stop for dinner at Foon Lock on our way back to Kuala Lipis one evening. Managed to find a parking right in front of the restaurant.

Hmmm... did I go to the wrong place?? Not many people to be seen...

Some of the local produced pastries on the display...

The steaming hot broth made from the famous Bentong ginger plus garlic, spring onion and meehoon was just perfect for her. The bentong ginger really made a difference to the dish compared to ordinary ginger you can find anywhere in the market these days.

As for me, I had the braised sang mee with deep fried pork belly. Personally, the pork belly was OK but I think that the sang mee's gravy was quite peppery. I expected sweeter version of the mee instead.

Then this... the priciest dish of the day! Fresh water terrapin soup! Full of flavour with many kind of Chinese herbs such as dang gui and leong sam sou, chicken meat and terrapin meat... this soup is said to be effective in reducing heatiness in our body. One question - is terrapin part of the endangered species???

Nothing beats a cup of 'leong sui' on a hot day!

Round 2 - lunch together with Father-in-law

The first post is not up yet and I'd gone for another meal at Foon Lock. Having missed the sweet & sour pork or what we affectionally call gu lou yuk in cantonese, I decided to have a proper lunch here this time... and since Jenn's dad was coming with us, we could order a few dishes to see if the cooking skill of Foon Lock is up to the standard from what we had in others in the vicinity.

Steamed bak sou gong - having river fish in bukit tinggi area is not expensive, contrary to popular belief. Most of the fish are reared by the locals in the stream and therefore, the price was made more affordable. But of course, if you don't mind splurging money, go for the wild ones and the price can get doubled of those reared. The meat was still firm and flaky but there was slight muddy taste (ignoreable for me but not for them... they are fussy when it comes to river fish). The soy sauce however was great!! Not those cheapo sauce that most dai chow restaurants used but those premium one with a hint of sweetness in it. Exactly like what my mother always use.

Sweet & sour pork aka gu lou yuk - came highly recommended by qwazymonkey and therefore, how could I ever miss this dish? Even though I prefer to order deep fried pork belly with special sauce when I go to bukit tinggi, his desciption of this particular dish made it irresistable. True enough... it was very crunchy and most importantly, the sweet & sour sauce was nicely done. One of the best that I had so I gave this a thumb up!

Stir fried mushroom - this dish was recommended by the boss and luckily we followed her advice, as the mushrooms were very fresh... did I tell you that I am a sucker for mushroom, especially Chinese mushroom???

Stir fried "yin yang" veggie - a cross breed between kailan and choi dam... fresh and chrunchy too :)

Leo's verdict - it would have been a perfect meal if the fish is free of those muddy taste. But then it is a risk that you have to take if you opt for those reared fish. Of course, there were times when I had those without any muddy taste at all. I guess it all comes down to luck :)

The place: Foon Lock @ Bukit Tinggi, Bentong Pahang

Restoran Bukit Tinggi BBQ @ Bukit Tinggi, Bentong Pahang

I would not have known this place if not for Epicurious Girl's blog. Despite always having lunch or dinner here, I only frequent 126 or Loong Sing and had the same ol dishes everytime. So when I got to know that this restaurant serves rather unique food (well, apart from those deep fried pork belly or steamed fish), I instantly know that this place is a must-visit for me. As a matter of fact, I'd been wanting to come here for ages but couldn't find any opportunity. Something always got in the way everytime I tried to come.

This restaurant was rather secluded and one would not even notice because it was located behind BHP Petrol Station. OK, there is only one petrol station in this area so it shouldn't be difficult to find. Everything looks normal from the outside but when you walk inside, you will notice these... signed umbrellas were seen hanging from the ceiling while empty wine + liquor bottles made up the walls of the restaurants. All seem to be collecting dust though... and it made me wonder if the owner ever clean his bizarre collections... lol!!!

As I read that the owner was a bit eccentric, I didn't put any high hope or expectation to get any good quality service here. My objective is to taste the food... as there were only 3 of us (including Daryl, Jenn's lil bro), we could not order that many dishes at once. In the end, we settled for 4!

When I first heard of "Wu Li Dan Dou Fan" which was a rice dish, it piqued my interest. Upon translation, it literally means "messed up rice". It was not love at first sight, as it really looked like leftovers poured over the rice. But when I took the first sip, I suddenly felt like a 8-year old again (well, that was how I used to eat my rice when I was small... easier to swallow). The broth was light and although a bit oily... it was great!

You'd find a lot of vegetables in it, noticably tomato, cabbage, carrot, dried vegetables... and also roasted pork and minced meat inside. How long have you not tried eating your rice with soup poured in it??? Lol...

The next dish was Stir Fried Green Chillies... a rather odd dish but it only took me a bite before falling in love with it. The chillies were stripped clean of its seeds before stir fried with some kind of dark sauce that has a hint of sweetness. Oh those chillies were chrunchy and not too spicy... just remember to take a bite at those chillies together with the sauce for maximum enjoyment... as the more you bite, the more addicted you will become.

Lamb rack - lamb lovers will surely dig this dish. I read from the blog that the meat was BBQ-ed but according to Daryl and Jenn, our lamb rack was baked instead... therefore retaining its moist and the gravy was full of flavour. They also detected a hint of honey while chewing off its meat. Together with their special sauce that has hints of mint and a bit sourish, both of them finished the whole rack in no time... just remember to eat it while it's hot OK??? The priciest dish at RM60 that day!

The "suet san fei wu" or salt crusted Tilapia was the final dish to be served. The name is actually an old Chinese series from HK... I wonder why the owner named this dish. Contrary to what I'd read, the fish had slight muddy taste this time albeit a mild one. The fish was prepared with shallots, garlic and chilly stuffed in it so that the meat had extra flavour in it. Nice presentation for the dish as its salt crusted skin was peeled off to reveal its meat... don't even think of eating its skin OK??? Very salty... just devour the meat should be sufficient. At RM35... the price was considered steep for tilapia is quite cheap.

Leo's verdict - The total bill came at RM121 but considering the uniqueness of its dish... it was well worth it. I wanted to order more dishes but even the owner suggested that the 4 dishes were enough to fill our stomach. True enough, as 3 of us were so full that we sat there for another half an hour before continuing our journey home. Overall food is great but do not expect top notch service as I mentioned earlier. Telephone booking for some of its dish such as lamb rack and seafood pot is recommended to avoid disappointment.

For me, I will definitely come back for second time... my next order??? Seafood Pot, Signature Chicken & (will ask the owner next time... lol!!)

Restoran Bukit Tinggi BBQ
PT 15792 & 15793, Jalan Bukit Tinggi,
28750 Bentong, Pahang.
Tel: 09-233 0330/ 012-3577111

Remember 126 @ Bukit Tinggi, Bentong Pahang

It was lunch time while we were on our way to KL, and therefore we made a stop in Bukit Tinggi area for quick lunch. For some reasons, Jenn really likes his particular restaurant as compared to the other restaurants that we'd been to in this area. I attribute this to the spaciousness of the carpark as well as the restaurant (not too hot and stuffy), the clean toilets, and also the good food.

They would always promote the dragonfruit enzime by giving you free samples to try. If I'm not mistaken, it costs about RM80++ per bottle of the enzime. While I think that it was quite delicious, I didn't buy.

Stir fried baby water crest - the veggie was fresh as usual with heaps of chopped garlic that spread evenly all over the dish. which Jenn likes instead of crushed garlic.

Deep fried pork belly with homemade sauce - I love the crispy-ness of the meat, so crispy that I always forgot that there's a layer of fat which I always try to avoid. Generous amount of chopped onions further add to the aroma of the gravy and the meat.

Braised yee mee - both of us agreed that this dish was not up to the standard. The yee mee was very soft while the gravy was so so only.

Leo's verdict - this area is famous for river fish... and a lot of KL-ites and some as far as Johor actually made their way here just to eat the fish. The price is definitely cheaper compared to Gohtong Jaya area, where I was once slaughtered by one of the restaurants there for being so naive. They even served some watermelon slices when I asked for the bill...

Remember One Two Six Restaurant @ Bukit Tinggi, Pahang

It seems that Bukit Tinggi area is famous for fresh water (river) fish. And if you are looking for these fishes at affordable place regardless the distance, this is the place to go. I have never come to this restaurant before, but apparently it is highly recommended by Jenn's parents who had come before. While we were on our way to KL, we decided to stop here for lunch with Erynn and Erick.

A great place to buy fresh produce too... look at those fresh fruits!

Vegetables too!

I wonder how they actually come out with this kind of name??? Remember 126?? Lol... anyway, it's the quality of food that matters and not the name right? Judging by the number of cars parked outside, you should have guessed that the food must be above average.

Steamed bak sou gong @ RM30/kg - this price is for those river-reared fish and if you want those caught-in-the-wild, please add another RM10/kg. Normally they will guarantee that the reared fish is free from soil odour. The sauce was not as sweet as the one I tasted at Loong Sing nearby, but still good though.

Deep fried pork bacon with homemade sauce @ RM12 - most of the restaurants in Bukit Tinggi have this dish. The secret is on the crispy-ness of pork and the sweetness of sauce. My personal opinion, the portion was quite little as the amount of onion was about 50% of this dish. The pork was great though!

Asam sotong @ RM12 - as the name suggested, this dish was sour, slightly spicy, and went very well with the white rice.

Stir fried baby water crest @ RM6 - as the veggie was young, it was fresh and chewy.

Part 2: My blogs have been backlogged & I had come here for 2nd time before I even put this post up! So here are the additional dishes. This time it's dinner with my siblings... I don't get to sit down for dinner together with them often.

Claypot bak sou gong - similar to the steamed fish, topped with ginger and cilantro. This time, I detected slight fish-y smell, although not much... and the claypot is very big!

Sweet & sour pork - although not the best that I'd tried, the combination of sweet and sour taste was good! I wish that the meat was more crispy

Japanese taufu with minced meat and salted fish - best dish of the day! Thumbs up!

Leo's verdict - The bill will normally cost less than RM100 if you order a fish plus other dishes, unless you go for prawns and other seafoods as well. It was very well the money spent. Did I mention that they gave complimentary dessert (fruits) too??? Just plan a day trip to this area, or drop by if you happen to pass by.