The light comes from candles, because there is no other light this far inside the hill. Dinner at Jeff's Cellar happens in a chamber of a 260-million-year-old limestone cave at The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, under dripstone that took the same span to form, with water moving somewhere in the dark. Lee Choon Boon, an Ipoh native, has cooked here since 2016; his two ten-course menus, Prélude and Whimsical, both run MYR 725. CNN Greece named the cave one of the five most magnificent bars on earth in 2018, and the room took Malaysia's Best Hotel Restaurant at the 2024 World Culinary Awards.
The Kitchen
Jeff's Cellar started as the private wine cave of Jeffrey Cheah, who founded the Sunway Group, kept inside The Banjaran in the Tambun hills east of Ipoh. It became a dining room the way the best private rooms do: slowly, and at first only for people who knew to ask. Lee Choon Boon, an Ipoh native with more than twenty-five years in international hotel kitchens, has run the pass since 2016.
He does not write an à la carte. There are two ten-course degustation menus: Prélude, built on modern European technique, and Whimsical, which turns toward Asian and local ingredients. The plates people come back for are the grilled Canadian lobster, with cress, edible flowers and a reduction made from the shells, and the Miyazaki A5 Wagyu with maitake, pomme purée and a jus de viande you will want to finish with bread. Both menus are MYR 725 a head; the wine pairing adds MYR 498, drawn from a cellar of roughly 950 bottles that gives the room its name. The accolades are real and recent: CNN Greece's five-most-magnificent-bars list in 2018, and Malaysia's Best Hotel Restaurant at the 2024 World Culinary Awards.
The Room
The room is the cave, and it behaves like one. It is cool underground, so bring a light layer, and quiet in the way that lets you hear water before you hear the next table. Candlelight does almost all the work; the dripstone arches catch it and the rest stays in shadow. Tables sit far apart across the chambers, so a conversation stays between two people. Dress is smart; the setting and the bill both ask for it. Seating is small and there is one unhurried evening service, so the meal is built to run for hours rather than minutes. Flat or comfortable shoes help on the natural stone floor.
Best for Proposal
Book this cave for a proposal because there is almost nowhere else like it to ask. You are inside a hill older than nearly anything you can name, lit by candle, with tables set far enough apart that the moment belongs only to the two of you. The single evening service and the ten-course pace hand you hours, not a turned table; tell the staff in advance and they will help stage the question quietly, the ring arriving between courses with the lobster already cleared. For more rooms that carry this kind of weight, see our guide to the best restaurants for a proposal.
Not for a quick or casual dinner: it is a single ten-course service from MYR 725 a head, deep underground, and you must book and confirm days ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jeff's Cellar worth it?
Yes, if you are paying for an evening as much as a meal. Lee Choon Boon's ten-course menus are genuinely accomplished, but the candlelit cave, the dripstone overhead and the roughly 950-bottle wine cellar are what make it singular; almost no dining room anywhere can match the setting. At MYR 725 a head it is a special-occasion splurge, not an everyday dinner, and it earns the splurge.
How hard is it to book Jeff's Cellar?
Reservations are essential and should be made well ahead. The cave seats few and runs one evening service, so dates fill early, particularly weekends and holidays. Book through The Banjaran or a platform such as TableApp, and confirm at least forty-eight hours in advance as the kitchen requests. Staying at The Banjaran makes access simplest, but outside guests can dine with a confirmed booking.
What should I order at Jeff's Cellar?
You choose a menu rather than dishes, so the decision is Prélude or Whimsical. Prélude leans modern European; Whimsical turns toward Asian and local ingredients. Both are ten courses at MYR 725, and both run the grilled Canadian lobster and the Miyazaki A5 Wagyu that regulars remember. Add the MYR 498 wine pairing if you want the cellar opened, and ask to walk the collection before or after dinner.
What is the dress code at Jeff's Cellar?
Smart dress is expected. This is a formal fine-dining room inside a cave at a luxury retreat, with ten-course menus and prices to match, so guests dress for the occasion: smart-casual at a minimum, dressier for a proposal or anniversary. The cave stays cool underground, so a light layer is sensible, and flat or comfortable shoes help on the natural stone floor.