There are a lot of trips on Groupon or Deals.com which features tons of inexpensive trips to Batam for 2D1N. I got mine for less than SGD80 inclusive of hotel stay and ferry tickets :D That's quite a bargain, and I know my trip there would comprise of shopping, food, massage and (of course) a visit to their cinema theatre. Prices for a ticket only costs ~RM5 ! In case, you think their theatre are old and dirty, then think again ! I can tell you theirs (at least the one in Nagoya Hill shopping centre) are comparable to what we have in Malaysia or Singapore or better.
If you are heading to Batam, drop by Nagoya Hill shopping centre where there are an wide selection of outlets selling cheap replica goods, from tshirts to bags. Upon arriving, what else but to satisfy our hunger first. Food ! I decided to drop by Food Street on the ground floor of the shopping mall, with choices ranging from fast food outlets (A&W or KFC) to their local cuisines. I opt for the latter choice.
We passed this shop selling ayam penyet (deep fried chicken Indonesian style), Ria Khas Ibu Ruth. They have branches from Indonesia to Singapore and even Kuala Lumpur but I have not personally tried it. The ayam penyet is usually served deep fried tempe, beancurd and the hot, spicy sambal ! It is not for the faint-hearted and those with a weak stomach ... sambal in Indonesia are not to be trifled with.
Chicken is tender and juicy, but small and the sambal ... ferociously hot !! I can easily finish off another serving of it. Rating: 7.5/10.
Stir fried kangkong. Looks DO deceive ... this is one that's unassuming but packs a mean fiery punch. Wooo .. the red hot chilli that lies hidden within the greens. I should have known better, haha. Rating: 6.0/10
After a hearty lunch and a movie, we head opposite Nagoya Hill shopping mall for a 3 hours relaxing massage @ Isabella Spa & Massage House.
A cup of ginger-flavoured tea after the massage session.
Best of all, free transportation around the city. We requested it to drop us off at a seafood restaurant (covered in the next section) near our hotel. A very thoughtful and customer-service oriented gesture. A must visit if I ever do go Batam again.
We dropped off at this seaside area, named Harbor Bay where there is a collection of seafood eateries. No fancy restaurants here but instead, resemble those of our hawker centres in Malaysia & Singapore. There are quite a selection of stalls to choose from, so make your choice wisely.
We came across this stall, 338 and eventually decided to settle for it.
Deep fried calamari rings. Slightly overcooked in my opinion. Rating: 6.0/10.
Stir fried clams with sambal. Rating: 6.5/10.
Stir fried cabbage. Rating: 6.0/10.
Hot plate beancurd. Rating: 6.0/10.
Total damage for the night ... Rp 119,000 which equates to approximately RM42. The price is a surprise to me, and I feel they deserve a thumbs up for the reasonable pricings. We certainly look like tourists and I'm glad the bill didn't work out to a larger amount.
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