It’s a love story. A loving relationship with the beautiful lush nature. The love for a more organic lifestyle. The love of mother nature and being so connected to it. This love story is about A Little Farm on the Hill, a 6-acre passion project turned enchanting dining experience by couple Pete and Lisa.
Once upon a time, Pete and Lisa lived very different lives. Pete was a filmmaker and musician, while Lisa was an architect both living the urban lives many of us live today. With very little knowledge of farming, they took a leap of faith to take over a farm in Janda Baik a number of years ago.
Organic farming was learned from scratch, but after much trial and error, a lot of Google-ing, dedication, passion and creative engineering, Pete and Lisa have transformed this aged farm into a sizable organic farm. And today, because of their true appreciation for mother nature and the knowledge of where our food comes from, Pete and Lisa shares this love with visitors to their farm. Best of all, this piece of tranquility is less than 1 hour drive away from Kuala Lumpur.
There are so many ways to experience this place. From the monthly Farmer’s Lunch (a true feast!) to workshops to events… there is something for everyone here. Whatever your reason is for coming, it’s a true respite from the hustle and bustle of the city.
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A Dining Feast at A Little Farm on the Hill
The lush green hills of Bukit Tinggi and the organic farm growing the freshest of produce set the backdrop. Today we are here for the monthly Farmer’s Luncheon, which is a farm-to-table experience and we are in for a true feast! Its idyllic surrounding makes A Little Farm on the Hill an enchanting venue for our weekend getaway and luncheon.
The drive from Kuala Lumpur goes by so quickly – from the city landscape, swiftly it changes to the lush greenery of Janda Baik. And within 45 minutes we arrive to A Little Farm on the Hill.
As soon as we arrive, we are warmly welcomed by both Lisa and Pete, who serve us a refreshing Lemongrass Cooler….what a perfect way to start our luncheon. While we arrive slightly early (I mean you can never predict traffic), we take the chance to explore their farm.
It’s an intimate farm. But don’t let that fool you, because Pete and Lisa grow a plethora of organic fruits and vegetables. From eggplant to cucumber to pumpkin to guava to passion fruit to heirloom tomatoes (shall I go on?)…it is amazing to see such a variety of produce growing so beautifully on the farm. Being in the hills of Janda Baik has given this couple an advantage, because it has allowed them to grow a variety of produce due to the ideal climate.
Not long past 12:30pm, all 45 guests gather in the farmhouse to mingle and enjoy the view. A small whiff from the kitchen hints that lunch is about to be served…and ohhh does it smell amazing. Guests begin to take their seats, and the kitchen windows open wide presenting an abundance of dishes. One by one, each table are served a family buffet of food.
The Lunch
On the menu for this luncheon…
- Dips includes a house-made olive tapenade, and a yoghurt with cucumber, mint and rose petals
- 6-hour oak smoked beef short ribs, that is served with a delicious spicy tomato salsa
- Roasted organic chicken cooked delicately with giant dates, green olives and capers
- A range of salads including the oh-so-delicious heirloom tomato with goat cheese and basil, along with a twelve leaf and herb salad with green beans, and also a cucumber and watermelon salad dressed with mint leaves and a hint of ginger
- To pair it all together is a deliciously baked aubergine dressed with red pepper caponata
- And there’s a lemon butter basmati rice to help soak all this deliciousness
For the dessert finale…a WHOLE tres leches cake that has been generously soaked with three types of milks including condensed milk.
Every item on the table tells a story…and when asked, hosts Pete and Lisa can share with you exactly where every ingredient came from. For instance, the tomatoes are loving grown in their shed using a technique that Pete and Lisa have worked hard to perfect. The heirloom tomatoes that are on our plate are so deliciously sweet, that it doesn’t need too many ingredients to make the dish taste oh so delectable.
To Experience
Come with family and friends, or bring along your plus one… the Farmer’s Lunch is a family style of dining…a farm-to-table experience, so no one is left alone. Everything is for sharing – with generous portions of food made with the freshest of ingredients. In fact, 95% of the fruits and vegetables served all came from this farm.
A Little Farm on the Hill is a true respite from the hustle and bustle of the city, and who would have thought that this idyllic venue is less than an hour’s drive away.
The Farmer’s Lunch (starting from RM280 / U$70 / A$89 per person) is hosted on the first Sunday of every month, and is open to up to 45 guests. The venue is family-friendly, so for kids that are 12 and under, it is about 60% of the adult price. And it is free of charge for babies and toddlers.
Luncheons, workshops, events all have to be pre-booked in advanced. And let it be known that due to limited number of guests, dates do book out quickly. So, if you’re considering to join one of their monthly Farmer’s Lunches or workshops, visit their website to book your next visit.
And if organic produce is your cup of tea, it is possible to purchase the fresh produce from A Little Farm on the Hill from JustLife in Kuala Lumpur…and hint hint, every Monday is the freshest, because it is when A Little Farm on the Hill make their weekly drop off.
Getting to A Little Farm on the Hill
It’s about 45 minutes to 1 hour drive from Kuala Lumpur up to A Little Farm on the Hill in the Bukit Tinggi area. To get here, you’ll need to organise a car. You could organise a car with driver if that tickles your fancy…but I can suggest something more cost efficient and flexible – check out GoCar
GoCar is an on-demand car hire platform, which means that you can hire a car at any time of the day. Whether it’s per hour or per day, GoCar offers flexibility… meaning you only pay for what you use. Currently GoCar is available in over 100s of locations across Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Langkawi in Malaysia.
Not convinced yet about GoCar? Well check out my post about why I love GoCar and will only use GoCar in Malaysia.
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I'm Soraya, travel & food blogger and sunshine chaser at Hello Raya. You know that travel bug? I have been well and truly nipped, infinite times.This is my online nook to share my lifelong experiences of travel & food in hopes to inspire you to explore our beautiful world. 16 Comments on A Farm-to-Table Lunch at A Little Farm on the Hill near Kuala Lumpur
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I love eating at farm-to-table restaurants, but this looks like a dream! How amazing to be able to eat such wonderful food that was grown just feet away from where you sat! Those tomatoes look beautiful and I can only imagine all the smells you experienced! The price for your lunch is very reasonable, and something that I will definitely look into when I visit!
What a hidden gem not far away from Kuala Lumpur! Is must be nice taking a break from the city to this gorgeous farm on the hills of Bunkit tanggi. It’s incredible what loving people can accomplish when they belive in themself! I really love this place already and I am sure to be sitting there eating their organic food as soon as I hit the ground in Malaysia!
This looks amazing! I have bookmarked this post, for when I travel in the area. It is so exciting to see people brave enough to change their life around and to create something that is completely out of their zone of comfort. You can see from the pictures how enchanting the location is and it is clear also from your face that you very much enjoyed the lunch 🙂
I can’t believe I missed out on this while I was in KL! I spent most of my time in the city, but it is great to be able to experience this. Nature and good food in one! You cannot beat that experience.
I am glad to see that Basmati Rice is available here. It is from my country India. Most of us know Kuala Lumpur as the big city with skyscrapers. It is refreshing to see that a farm house exists nearby. I am glad you can find many vegan and vegetarian dishes at this place.
What a gorgeous farm! I love hearing stories like Pete’s and Lisa’s, about turning a “typical” life in for doing something more fulfilling instead. That tres leches cake is one of the prettiest cakes I’ve ever seen–what a great place to go have lunch and explore.
Organic farming is a true skill not to mention hard work. The pics look amazing. I’m actually doing something similar in Jamaica so it’s good to see others doing the same. We grow so many things that sometimes we can’t eat it all and end up selling some of it, even though, we are not doing it for profit!
one word… Magic. I would go just for that amazing food but you get the whole deal here! What a place to just go and chill! I never realized how beautiful Kuala Lumpur actually is, all I ever see or read about is the city. Great read, thanks
Such a peaceful and relaxed near the busy Kuala Lumpur and I really love such hideouts from big cities. Those lush green farms by Pete and Lisa shows how much they love mother Nature and organic farming. Hopefully, someday I also wish to do something like this. I would really like to have farmer’s lunch which is also organic in beautiful natural settings. Thanks for introducing such a beautiful place!
What a brave couple to have taken a peek into nature and turn it into a successful venture.
Hello Raya. I am a huge foodie and even though I enjoy my junk food and the charm of farm-to-table is incomparable. he setting is uber romantic and he food looks amazing and obviously so fresh. This is one trip I m surely taking whenever I am in the region. Thanks
We are in complete awe of this lush green farm landscape and farm-to-table dining is definitely one of its kind of experience. The couple is an inspiration on how they transformed an old farm into a lush farm with the restaurant. Those pictures of the menu items look delicious and fresh, this is definitely gonna be on our list whenever we visit KL next.
I absolutely love this concept! What a beautiful setting to be able to to dine while recognising and understanding where everything on your plate has come from. An inspirational story here too. I’m sure the couple would have had to endure plenty of trial-and-error moments, but their passion for Mother Nature would always see them succeed.
This is such an inspiring story and it proves how dreams do come true if you follow them, same as the owners of this organic farm did. The place itself looks like a small paradise and I can only imagine how beautiful it is to have lunch with such a beautiful view, in the middle of the nature. I like how much attention goes into the details and into the presentation of the food. It’s so colorful and I bet it tastes delicious and fresh.
Hello Soraya,
We are visiting Malaysia from Toronto and will be in KL on Aug 6th & 7th.
Is there anything going on at “The Little Farm On The Hill” at that time?
We are thinking of attending the Lazat School cooking classes – to give you an idea of our interests.
Hope to hear back from you. Thanks … Renato.
Hi Renato,
The Farmer’s Lunch at A Little Farm on the Hill happens on the first Sunday of each month. But do keep in an eye out in case they are hosting a special occasion. LaZat is awesome – I do highly recommend it because of the market tour in the morning followed by a hands-on class. I wrote about it here – https://helloraya.com/lazat-cooking-class-malaysia/
I also recommend doing a Segway tour of the Lake Gardens, which is a beautiful part of Kuala Lumpur and a fun way to explore. You can read more about it here https://helloraya.com/zooming-on-a-segway-in-kuala-lumpur/
Hope you have a great time in KL!