If you’re looking for European or American cuisine, you can easily find it here on Batam Island, too. There is a wide choice of hamburgers, sushi, Chinese noodles, pizzas, and pasta due to the abundance of tourists. Still, it’s worth trying local cuisine as well. But for you not to have any problems with digestion it’s better to go to the top-class restaurants, local cafes or you can also ask the locals or the other tourists about the sanitary standards in this or that place. Fun fact: Indonesians use cutlery very rare. Originally locals used to eat all the food only with their right hand and then they had to wash it. That’s why you’ll also get water with lemon in restaurants.
Landscaped resort areas in Batam will please fans of upscale vacations. Coast of the island has an advanced infrastructure; you can find a lot of leisure and entertainment centers on its …
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Don’t be surprised by banana leaves instead of a normal plate or by the lack of knives. The locals use knives only for cooking, but they never eat with it. The most beloved dishes here are greasy and spicy ones. However, people here don’t put hot spices everywhere. On the other hand, almost every dish includes cardamom, nutmeg, ginger root, turmeric, and peanuts. Spicy dishes are traditionally eaten with water, coconut milk, or tea. People here – like in any other Muslim country – don’t prefer pork, but they really like chicken, beef, fish, seafood and they eat it in large amounts. The local kind of unleavened rice called «nasi» is the base for every dish.
Nasi is cooked in broth or banana leaves; people also make chips, pudding, and even noodles from it. Rice is also often used in sweets. The most popular dish on the island is Nasi Goreng. Basically, it’s fried rice with vegetables and meat. The dish can be also made of chicken, seafood, fish and plenty of various vegetables. Bakmi Goreng is the alternative of Nasi Gogeng. Maybe you are fond of vegetables? Then you definitely have to try Cap Cai – the made dish from fried-vegetables. Gado-gado is an extreme kind of dish. It’s a very delicious vegetable salad with spicy sauce and peanuts. Another peculiar dish is bakery made of tempe soya beans. In case if you do it pork, then try to order Babi Guling – fried suckling pig. Copyright www.orangesmile.com
The first hotels on the island of Batam started appearing quite recently, less than 30 years ago. All hotel complexes feature first-class equipment, including some of the elite accommodation …
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Wabi (omelette with nuts and greens) would be a perfect start of a day; for lunch, you could order the original dish consisted of sliced vegetables with flavoring made of fresh chicken, turtle, or pig blood – «Lawar». As for a snack, try Sate – the local version of barbecue; the dish is usually cooked from fish. However, nowadays you can also find veggie, seafood, chicken, beef, or mutton version of the dish. But not the pork one. Those who love fast-food really enjoy local meat patties. Many tourists also like Bebek Betutu – duck with rice baked in banana leaves. If you want to try something exotic, then Chinese swallow nests in both, and a bunch of various unusual dishes like fried locusts and snakes are also served here on the island.
The local shark-fin soup is a must-try. Believe me, it tastes incredible. All in all, there are lots of varieties of first courses, even though some of them might be too liquid. Nevertheless, they all are highly nutritious because of vegetables, noodles, and meatballs. Another tasty dish which is definitely worth trying is the salad with cottage cheese, cucumbers, and beans with spicy sauce. Don’t miss to taste toge bamboo shoots, pickled mango, and fried bananas as well. Also, don’t miss to try Roti – sweet bread; the locals usually eat it as a separate dish. Grated coconut with spices has quite a peculiar taste. The local cooks make incredibly baked fish fillet or tuna slices in banana leaves, so you definitely should try it.
Batam Island, just like some other local islands, is a part of the free trade zone. Here you can find a great variety of goods by the world leading producers and for a very good price. …
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Concerning desserts, you can order Rujak – a traditional fruit salad with sweet palm sugar sauce; or you can also take crushed ice with syrup and soya beans. There is also plenty of diverse sweet patties, rice puddings and local fruit made dishes. You can finish your dinner with a cup of tea or coffee. Besides, there are a lot of other nice drinks like coconut milk, «sari tebu» - sugarcane juice, «es jeruk» - calamansi oranges juice. Ginger tea is also worth trying. Concerning the alcohol drinks, try Arak – the palm vodka which is often served with honey; Brem – the rice wine; Tuak – the palm wine.
Batam Island - guide chapters
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