Pre-BDay Dinner @ Food Point in Nagoa Hill Shopping Mall, Batam, Indonesia

WHAT THIS IS: "We had a 2D1N free-and-easy trip to Batam, for both some much needed R&R and as well to celebrate my birthday in late-September 2016. This is an account of one of the adventures!"

(Above pic via batamtvnews.com)

Dinner on the first night in Batam was at the “Food Point” (food court) on the top floor of Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall. The first time we discovered the place was when we were shopping, and noticed a “Salted Egg Yolk Seafood” dish printed on a standee-banner that looked YUMMY (to me, of course), and made a mental note to return for dinner.

Yes, people, PRINTED BANNERS with yummy food pics WORK! :)

We had a late-ish dinner - pass 8pm - knowing the shopping mall closed shops around 930pm, but proceeded to stuff our faces with said Salted Egg Seafood Mix and other dishes. We ended up being the very last group to leave the eatery too hahaha

The food court was located around the corner where the cinemas were.

NAVIGATING THE FOOD COURT

Folks might be sensitive to air condition or the heat, and I am of the latter persuasion, and the thing to find seating in any public establishment, is to check if the condition of the seating environment was agreeable. I always forget doing that, even when the seating was readily available.

I would assume the place was air conditioned, but I could hardly feel it hahaha and of course I had chosen a spot at the booth seating that turned out to be quite warm! Should’ve picked a spot under the overhead fan, or like another family I saw, seated right next to a floor fan!

The food court operated on a debit-card concept, where a pre-paid card (you choose how much, at a designated counter located at the entrance of “Food Point”) is tapped when you order at each individual stall, with the prices deducted. Think Singapore’s “Mache” or even “Kopi Tiam” food chains, except you cannot pay cash at the stalls, so having the card is the only way to sort out your eating needs.

This is not necessarily prevalent in all of Batam though, that I know of or experienced anyways :p

Nearing the end of our dinner, the courteous cashier at the center approached us to find out if we wanted to refund the difference left in our pre-paid card, as they were closing. So awesome of them! Although I do not know if they would do that on a regular basis, but then again, we were there on a Monday night with zero rush and crowds hahahaha

#birthdaydinner #eatlife #batamlife #hengfam #henglife #hengbatamlife

A photo posted by Andy Heng (@asliceofheng) on


Unlike the “self-service” culture now seen in Singapore’s food courts - where you might get an electronic tag and when buzzed go back to the stall to collect your food … HERE you’d order and subsequently be given a numbered plaque to place at your table, so the service staff can hunt you down, when the food is ready top be served. Each plaque seems unique to the stall themselves tho.

In a bit of cheekiness, I’d thought it apt to burn and place two joss-sticks beside each plaque, and pray for magic number to strike lottery, can? HAH!

THE FOOD!


Salted Egg Yolk Crab and Seafood FTW #birthdaydinner #eatlife #batamlife #hengfam #henglife

A photo posted by Andy Heng (@asliceofheng) on


When the Salted Egg Seafood Mix arrived, I was still expecting a plate filled with stir-fried yummies, when instead the staff begun to lay a plastic sheet over the table, and pour the food out over the plastic. Providing us plastic gloves, to which we summarised how the food was to be ate!

Featuring a mixture of a crab, sweet corn slabs, small prawns and even sausages, all coated with delish salted egg - was the ultimate way to spend my pre-birthday dinner!

We ordered a 2-3 pax meal, and just as well, because by the time we finished the last pieces, the richness of the dish has become pretty intense - or in Singa-slang = Jialat! LOL

Ironically, we discovered the paper foldout bib to use while eating, only after finishing the spread (I used it only once for photographic purposes), and felt utterly a country bumpkin in the big city! hahahahaha

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In addition, we had a order of “Original” flavoured Lamb with Rice - which tasted utterly yummy, if not for being utterly cold to the taste beneath the charred skin (LOL).

A Meehoon Goreng rounded out the selection, which by than had been a tad OTT, even though the taste was pretty unique tho spicy to the palette, chokably so! But oh-so yummy! All other beehoon goreng I consume from then forth, will be compared to this!

Cheers and Happy Eats!
Andy

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