There are many ferries leaving Singapore on daily basis from Harbourfront Center
we took Majestic Ferry service which has like 10 departures each day starting from 8am.
Yesterday, we visited Batam Island, a short 1 hour ferry ride due south of Singapore where there is still vibrant manufacturing (mainly of medical and electronic products) industry.The isalnd consists of a large island and a number of smaller ones, and is the neighbour of Bintan island.Batam islands consist a total of approximately 1,700 sq km of land, mostly for agricultural use and there are several industrial parks for manufcaturing. There are approximately 1 million people residing in Batam.
My colleague and I took the 9.50 am ferry together with another 60 odd people making their way there for holiday and business visits. Batam follows Indonesian time, which is 1 hour behind Singapore's time, so we arrived at Batam Center at approximately 10.00 am.
My colleague and I took the 9.50 am ferry together with another 60 odd people making their way there for holiday and business visits. Batam follows Indonesian time, which is 1 hour behind Singapore's time, so we arrived at Batam Center at approximately 10.00 am.
The 500,000 (S$ 50) rupiah visa is applicable and payable upon arrival at the Immigration centre. We arrived at Batam Centre (there are 2 ferry arrival points, Sekupang and Batam Center) and took a short taxi ride to visit our first customer.
Gurami Asam Bakar (Fried Fish), Ayam Bakar (Grilled Chicken) and Bittergourd with Egg
Around noon we headed to the Ikan Bakar Cianjur Restaurant, an air conditioned place near Batam Center to try their famous Gorami fish.
We ordered the fried fish with sweet and sour sauce, also the grilled chicken with honey and the bittergourd and egg dish and a serving of rice. Coffee Indonesian style rounded up the meal.
Grilled Chicken Breast and Thigh
Dada Bakar and Paha Bakar
Piece de Resistance - Gurami Asam Manis
The fried fish tasted pretty good, but the sweet and sour sauce lathered over it was a disappointment. This dish alone cost 12 dollars or Rupiah 115,000.
The grilled chicken was in my opinion, only average. We can get better grilled chicken and rice at food courts, they are called Ayam Penyet (goreng fried or bakar grilled). The meat was lean and the taste sweet as is with many Indonesian dishes.
The bittergourd with egg was the satisfying dish, right on the money in my opinion.
The juices we had (lemon and avocado) were alright ; nothing exceptional
Coffee to end the meal tasted rather bitter and they did not strain the ground coffee leaving the coffee at the bottom of the cup, rather odd, I would say.
My review :
Food : 3.5 / 5
This is Batam after all. So for lack of better understanding of the locale (I am sure there are many better ones all over the island and I mean coffeeshops serving Nasi Padang and typical Indonesian food).
Service : 3. 5 / 5
Ambience (Cleanliness) : 3.5 / 5
Price : Rupiah 335,000 or S$ 33.00 (US$ 24 for 2 persons with 10% tax included). Expensive by Indonesian standards.
Total : 3.5 / 5 Just slightly above average. Not cheap at all by Indonesian standards
Would I eat there again ? NO. If I have other recommendations, I would not eat it again. Not outstanding but also no bad experience either. The plentiful customers local and foreign means that there is some reputation to the place. Price is also not cheap which is a departure of my previous experiences visiting Batam (maybe 5 years ago or longer).
As a parallel, it is like Sombon seafood in Bangkok Thailand ; seafood cuisine catering to tourists who are visiting Thailand for the first time and want something 'local' without getting TOO ripped off. If you catch my drift.
I will venture to try different places with recommendations from friends who frequent the place.
For the diehards who want to try Indonesian food without disappointment :
IKAN BAKAR CIANJUR
Jalan Engku Puiri,
Core Batam Centre 8
BATAM
Ask any Taxi, Grab or Uber driver ; they should know it well.
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