I HAD an overnight stay at Enderong House in Tanarimba in Janda Baik more than 10 years ago and woke up to a vision of a luxuriant rainforest through the glass windows. There was the occasional sighting of an eagle flying and the sound of a hornbill calling.

A few trips up have been made since, as it’s an easy 45-minute drive up from Kuala Lumpur to Tanarimba, an award-winning green sanctuary.

Now a visit here would also mean taking in lunch or dinner at Enderong Cafe, which is on the lower deck of Enderong House.

We still have an elevated view of the gorgeous green surroundings in this open, timber-outfitted cafe, with drapes of red and yellow “Cinderella slippers” (flowering creepers) at its entrance.

Nasi kerabu with ikan celup tepung was a lunch special on the day we were there, rice coloured a sky blue with bunga telang, served with fried fish in batter, cabbage, beansprouts and herbs, fish crackers, salted egg and krisik.  

Three sauces – budu, percik sauce and sambal tumis – gave the rice a spicy, flavourful lift, with fragrant aromas from finely julienned lemongrass, kaffir lime and turmeric leaves, daun salam and bunga kantan. Except for lettuce, the fresh ingredients are all grown at Enderong,

I liked that wild ginseng leaves and flowers, picked from the garden, were in our Enderong salad, together with red leaf lettuce, romaine and cherry tomatoes, tossed with a creamy sesame dressing.

The wild ginseng leaves have a slithery bite, which reminds me of a certain kind of spinach commonly used for soup. Except for lettuce, the fresh ingredients are all grown at Enderong.

Enderong’s head chef Siti Sarah and her assistant Mimi Syahira are from Terengganu, so you can also expect nasi tomato, nasi lemak and nasi briyani among their lunch-time specials. But the chef’s repertoire also covers Western favourites like pasta, lamb chops, slow-braised beef ribs, beef meatballs and fish and chips, among others.

The beef balls with mashed potato and salad were yummy – moist, lush and peppery, finished with a brown sauce from beef jus. The mash was smooth, creamy and buttery.

The golden-fried, well-seasoned chicken chop served with thick fries and completed with a black pepper sauce made for some tasty eating. Fish and chips caught the fancy of the five-year-old boy who came with us. The fish fillet covered with a crispy batter, paired with a tartar sauce, was enjoyed by the adults too.

The aglio olio salmon pasta had the extra dash of Kikkoman sauce in it, together with garlic, chilli flakes, capers, green and black olives and fried salmon cubes.  It was all in a decent al dente pasta, with the tanginess of olives and chilli to balance the richness of salmon.

You would want a whole sago gula melaka (RM8) to yourself, so good it was. Smooth beads of sago covered with thick santan and drizzled with fragrant gula melaka was the perfect dessert to savour amid the cool green haven of Enderong. The other dessert on the menu is home-made brownies with ice cream (RM12).

All the main courses on the menu are RM25 each except for lamb chop at RM40 and slow-braised beef ribs (650g to750g) at RM120. The beef ribs have to be ordered two days in advance. The salads are RM15 each. There are vegetarian options too, such as the duo mushroom pasta and vegetarian fried rice.

Enderong Cafe is at Enderong House, C21, Persiaran Enderong, Jalan Tanarimba Pine, 28750 Bentong, Pahang. 

For cafe reservation, call 09-233 0533 or WhatsApp 019-233 0075. It’s open for lunch and dinner, and even high tea if you book in advance. – January 2, 2021.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.