Tea for Two at Boh Tea Centre

Tea for Two at Sungei Palas Boh Tea Centre (3 May, 2016)


There's nothing like sipping tea with a gorgeous view unfolding before you. On my recent visit to Cameron Highlands, I visited four different tea houses, two by Boh and two of the three by Bharat (Cameron Valley). Of these four, I think the nicest of them all is the Sungei Palas Boh Tea Centre.

Getting to the Sungei Palas Boh Tea Centre requires a hike of some 300 meters, as all private vehicles are now required to park downhill at an apron near the Maha Mariamman Temple. The good thing about doing that hike is that you get to enjoy the scenery step by step, rather than rushing up the hill in your car. It certainly afforded me many opportunities to take photos of the tea plantation.

I have been to the Sungei Palas Boh Tea Centre a few times before, but it's always worth returning, simply to enjoy the gorgeous view. This time my wife and I decided we would have tea up here. We saw that the little tea kiosk has since grown to become a full-fledged café. We had arrived at Cameron Highlands over the Labour Day weekend. The roads to just about anywhere at all in Cameron Highlands were absolutely jammed with cars, so we decided to put on hold our plan to visit the Sungei Palas Boh Tea Centre until the holiday crowd had moved back to work. Nevertheless, when we arrived at the tea centre on Tuesday, a working day, there were still quite a number of visitors.

Here we are at our table. There's a gorgeous view of the tea plantation in front of us, and before us, the view isn't so bad either. We ordered scones, a sardine puff, two sardine sandwiches, a strawberry cheesecake and one small packet of shortbread. I also selected Earl Grey with tangerine for our tea. Do you have a clue how much a tea for two like this would cost?

It cost a whooping RM60.70! Yes, sixty ringgit and seventy sen. And is it worth the money?

Our tea spread at Sungei Palas Boh Tea Centre (3 May, 2016)


The only thing not shown here are the sardine sandwiches, which we bought separately. (3 May, 2016)


I acknowledge that the view is free. The breeze is free. The company is priceless. But the food is grossly overpriced. And, if I may add, not up to standard.

Okay, if you have followed me on Facebook, you know that I get an endless parade of good food, so when it comes to food, I have to admit to being completely spoilt. Let me put it this way: I am happy to pay the price, if it is backed with value. In this case, I can't say so.

The scones were too dry. Really good scones have a wonderful aroma, and when you cut into it, it doesn't crumble, but allows your knife to easily cut through. Yes, small pieces of crumbs are expected, but when scones are too dry, you can know the feel. The only plus point about the scones at Sungei Palas Boh Tea Centre is that they are huge, so one is probably enough for most appetites.

The strawberry jam that came with the scones is okay, but the cream is below standard. The cream is too, how do I put it, "hard". It is not sufficiently creamy.

The Earl Grey with tangerine is okay. To their credit, they use actual tea leaves with strainer, rather than simply tea bags (if it were tea bags, I would be most unimpressed).

The strawberry cheesecake was nothing much to shout about, and neither was the sardine puff. As for the sardine sandwiches, which we ate on the road afterwards, there isn't much sardines in them to call them sardine sandwiches. I actually forgot that they were sardine sandwiches - I thought they were simply cucumber sandwiches - until I looked at the receipt later on.

The only saving grace were the shortbread, which I love. But even then, my wife pronounced that shortbread is very easy to make, and when she is free, she is going to make a batch so that I can tell why she isn't that impressed with Boh's shortbread either.

If I weren't impressed with the pastry, neither was my wife. She told me that all the pastries in front of us, she could make at home, for just a fraction of the cost. And they would be tastier, more aromatic, more moist, and fresh from the oven. I believe her, but I quickly remind myself that we couldn't duplicate the view. She was so unimpressed with the scones that she wanted to stop eating it. But I persuaded her to finish it, as we have spent so much on them.

The food aside, we enjoyed our visit to the Sungei Palas Boh Tea Centre. We would love to return to it, when we have a chance. We enjoy the view and the breeze up there. We do not mind having to hike up to the tea centre. We do hope they improve on their pastries though.

Back to Cameron Highlands, Pahang mainpage; list of Tea Plantations in Cameron Highlands

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