egomarc's Reviews
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Went there with a bunch of friends for dinner. Located just behind the soon-to-tear-down Jackson Center, I had to try their prawn noodles, after some recommendation from a friend.
So I duly obliged and decided to order a bowl of pork ribs small prawn noodle (direct translation). This will be a detailed description on my order.
The bowl of prawn noodle given to me consist 2 pieces of pork ribs, a big handful of noodles, several small sliced prawns and shallots (is it spelt that way? LOL.)
NOW, to let you know how it taste like - the soup is heavenly. Just enough pepper to make it spicy, it blends well even better with the pork rib. Amazingly, the pork rib is actually sweet when you taste it. And it is smooth as well (as in one bite and it detaches itself from the bone.). Then the prawns are alright, but the soup was the best deal. Unless you order the big prawns, the small prawns are just normal I guess.
I didn’t try their chilli powder, which was sickeningly spicy after seeing my friend perspire like a fountain after putting like 2 to 3 scoops into his bowl of noodles and soup respectively (that’s because he had dry noodles.)
Apart from the seemingly rude expression and way of serving, the meal made up my day. But do remember to drink more water after that because normally, prawn noodles soup are generally heaty, so do drink more water after that.
Overall, apart from that coffee shop ambience, all is fine. Do try it because what I ordered isn’t the only variety that they are selling. Go for it!
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DAY 1
This time, 4 of us went and alighted at the Batam Centre, or should I say the International Ferry Terminal as the locals call it. Then we were given a free ride in a Batam Taxi to Golden View Hotel where we will enjoy your 3D2N accommodation.
As usual, we had a welcome drink at the reception area before heading up to our rooms - which definitely looks more eye-pleasing than Harris Resort. But apparently the hotel’s amenities were not what I expected. I didn’t had a fridge in my room when my friend has one. The hairdryer in my room is spoilt when my friends' isn’t. My cupboard light is not working and so is my friends'. Well, he had his fair share of malfunctions. Because his fridge ain’t working as well!. LOL!.
We went to explore the pool area and also the surroundings of the hotel. There’s ATV - at like $25 for 20 mins - and also a Flying Fox facility that doesn’t lead to anywhere except the water. But as we discovered, there’s 2 seafood restaurants beside it. And to our amazement, the seafood’s fresh and cheap. After deciding on which restaurant to dine in, I walked opposite the restaurant to discover unpleasant stuff - animals locked into cages so small that they have to squeeze in. Ironically, the smaller animals like the python were given the bigger cages. It’s cruelty at it’s best.
We went back to the hotel to get a little rest first and soon after, we were on our way to the cheapest seafood that we had ever consumed. Our dishes that we ordered and fished out on the spot includes a seabass, 2 crabs at 500g each, 1 lobster at 500g, 300g worth of prawns, 400g worth of cockles, 400g worth of oysters and a plate of Kailan.
The Seabass is like SGD$1.94 for every 100g, SGD$2 for every 100g or crab, SGD$6 for every 100g of lobster, SGD$1.94 for every 100g of prawns, SGD$0.59 for every 100g of cockles and SGD$0.74 for every 100g of oysters. In all, we divided by 4, each of us just needed to contribute about $25 for the meal. Worth it? Ten times a yes.
The cockles were like 3 times the size of a normal cockle in Singapore, like bigger than a table tennis ball but smaller than a tennis ball, and it’s definitely worth the deal. But the oysters weren’t that worth it because they fried it with egg. But overall, it’s a good deal.
We had our fill, total to our throats, and we head back to the hotel to have a game of billiard and pool before getting some sleep for another shopping spree tomorrow.
DAY 2
Waking up at 8:30am, we head down to the Cuppa Cafe to have our free breakfast that taste rather good though. They offer a range of food like their Indonesian breakfast - which consist mainly of fried rice and noodles, plus some of their dishes that include sausages and whatever. They also offer Koko Krunch or Cornflakes if you miss your western breakfast.
After that kinda heavy breakfast, we went head down to the lobby to take the shuttle bus to Batam City Square. The shuttle bus left earlier than expected, and for that, the bellboy promptly search for another driver to drive the 4 of us in their Indonesian favourite vehicle, Kijang, to the shopping centre. How nice of them to do so.
We head back to our hotel rooms with our excessive shopping items again and we manage to catch some sleep before heading down to the gym, table tennis, steam room and jacuzzi. The gym facilities are surprisingly well maintained. Perhaps not many people use the gym though. But I was quite impressed, just that the fact that they need to blast their Indonesian techno is not very fanciful.
I had about half and hour to an hour of Table Tennis with Yi-Gang while Suban and Zainal enjoyed themselves in the steam room and Sauna. After that, we all switched and it’s their turn to play. Zainal caught the attention of a masseuse there and she insisted on Zainal to take a photo with her, which Zainal duly done so. She even asked Zainal to smile. LOL!.
After all that hype, we ended up at the Jacuzzi beside the pool. The water was a little sticky - almost equivalent to the experience I had at Harris Resort. But at that point, it started to drizzle, so we left for our rooms to wash up.
We head down to their cafe cum bar, Rajawali, where we had our dinner. They had a combo set with a choice of Salmon, Beef or Chicken, cooked to either a BBQ style or Grilled, with a choice of Mushroom or BBQ Sauce, a choice between Mashed, Baked Potatoes or French Fries, a wide variety of soft drinks and also plate of Chicken salad and a plate of fruits. All for SGD$10.30.
After all these, we went to the souvenir shop at the seafood restaurant to get some keropok and cup noodles in preparation for the Euro 2008 opening match between Switzerland and Czech Republic. Before that, we went back to Rajawali to have our free complimentary drink sponsored by the hotel, and ordered a plate of Bruchettas and Garlic Bread, which both of it is rather good.
So we spent our night shouting “GOAL!” in front of the TV until we really knocked out after the 2nd match between Portugal and Turkey.
DAY 3
Woke up to have our breakfast again and then slacked in the hotel room for a while before heading to Batam Centre to do some last minute shopping. Then time was up and we are heading back to Singapore.
In all, the hotel provides good service and definitely food that is affordable in hotel standards. Although I was a little disappointed in the amount of facilities provided, overall, I did enjoy my time at Batam in the hotel with my friends as well as my cousin. And of course, I will be back for the seafood. Really. =)
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DAY 1
We both left Harbourfront at around 9:20am, reaching the Waterfront city jetty at 9:20am. Yes, it’s Indonesian time. Don’t worry. Don’t get confused. Once we arrived there, the resort staff from Harris Resort are already there to settle everything for you, from your passport chops at the immigration check point to the transport to the resort itself. Quick and efficient I would say. They allowed us to check in earlier as the it was a weekday, obviously because there isn’t any other tourist around other than 2 couples and a pathetic me with my uncle. The rooms were fine, like any normal resort. Not that bad. At least the fridge and Cable TV made up for the disappointments, if there were any.
The swimming pool was big, like there’s a 2m deep area for you to swim, plus there’s like basketball and water polo nets for you to have some games. And with all the rattan seats or benches and comfy cushion shades, suntanning and swimming never had such a great combo.
A cafe area at the lobby, with the resort owning a store of their name. Had Carbonara for dinner. The restaurant they had was fantastic, with their food that surprises your taste buds. Just when I expect the least from an Indonesian resort. Really a great job done by them. Service was fantastic as well, with their waiter or waitresses always putting a smile on their faces definitely.
Walked around the area to discover their bowling alley, their pool and billiard area, gym, squash court etc. Not really surprising that it’s rather low in maintenance. But nonetheless, you won’t know till your try.
DAY 2
Woke up and head for breakfast at around 8am Indonesia time. Buffet style. Haha. They have a very good range of food to be served. From omelettes to bread, Honey Stars to noodles, rice to beef, porridge to pastries. Whatever, it’s there. Even fruits. Woo. And it’s nice as well. This place really needs some recognition for their food.
Rested awhile at the room before going for cycling at around 10:15am. It was complimentary for 2 persons at half an hour each. Knowing that we can’t go far, we manage to cycle out and try to go around the surroundings.
Discovered a few restaurants (Don’t expect restaurants to be air-conditioned and high class) opposite the resort. Nice views and some river that stretches across the shady trees and green pastures did prove to be something different that we hardly see in an urban Singapore.
Lunch was this uniquely named dish named the Seafood Vera Cruz. Consist of broccolis, calamari, prawns, dory fish and a crab. Yes. Crab. I was rather surprised. Braised to almost perfection, the crab, calamari and fish were fresh indeed. The prawn was quite fresh but not totally fresh. Love this dish. Nice name especially. =).
After the food was bowling. Yes, sport after meals. Well, we needed air-con and of course, complimentary again. 1 game each for the both of us. We extend a further 2 more games each and the Harris counter staff decided to give us a 50% discount, which means we only pay for 2 games instead of the 4 that we played. Nice and friendly guy. And it’s like damn cheap to play bowling there. Like S$2.50 a game. We were the only 2 playing there la. Sigh. But it was fun. Beat him 2 - 1 hands down.
NO ONE ELSE PLAYING there. And that Harris counter staff was so bored that he HAD to watch the both of us play. That’s life. They have reflexology as well, and the guy was like damn bored la, reading his life away. Haha.
After the sightseeing accompanied with the beautiful sunset at the makeshift jetty, had some Frappe Mocha at S$5 before he came back from his long walk to head for dinner at the resort, with the complimentary set dinner voucher that we have. Yes, I have typed “COMPLIMENTARY” for like many times, and it’s part of the package and I’m glad its free. The voucher was given to us and we have to make a choice with either a Set Lunch, Set Dinner or a free pizza, which I didn’t try. Smells good but still, only my nose was satisfied. Not my taste buds. Damn.
While waiting for our dishes to be served, we had the 4 Amigos that go around entertaining people with their acoustic strings and groupie singing, bringing a smile to everyone’s faces. Talented as usual, they were able to sing Hokkien songs, Chinese songs, English songs etc. Great stuff from them. Just after they left, our food came. Haha. Didn’t take photo of the dish, but sure the Sauteed beef that we ordered was sumptuous. =)
DAY 3
The Monkey Beach Hut just beside Harris Resort Batam not only serves food but also provides Sea Sports facilities such as Parasailing, Cable Skiing, Banana Boats (not that brand of tanning lotions or sprays), Jet Skiing etc. Of course, all for a price. I didn’t try as my uncle himself is someone that doesn’t want to try these kind of stuff. Hmmm. We checked out at 1pm and had lunch over here. Ordered fried rice. Really good stuff indeed. And we definitely pay much lesser here than the resort’s meals. After that it was to the jetty and back home.
Overall, Harris Resort is somewhere that a couple can relax as well as a place where families and friends in groups can enjoy the fun and serenity over here. You could say that it was a weekday that I went, but definitely for sure, it’s worth the stay. Perhaps weekends might not have some peace but overall, do visit this place for its excellent service, various facilities and of course, their food. =)
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I ate at this place a couple of times already, just that last time there wasn't such thing called a "blog". So since I had the luxury to use the internet, why not?
Anyway, situated at Upper Cross Street, this so called "restaurant" has it's history for serving Soy Sauce Chicken Rice or Noodles - depending on what you would like to have. Ordering it is almost the same as any chicken rice stall you would patronise. It's even better if you can speak Cantonese because most of them do.
Now, my family - which only has my dad, mum, brother and I that went there - ordered half a chicken, a bowl of dumplings and soup, as well as a plate of kai lan. And my dad ordered noodles while the rest of us had their chicken rice.
The things that we ordered.
Famously speaking, their soy sauce chicken is really fantastic to begin with. The sauce blends well with the chicken, making it taste so yummy. The dumplings in the soup were fantastic. Normally known as sui gao to the Cantonese, these dumplings that are sold here are really not bad after all. Just when I thought that my grandma did nicer ones. Haha. The quantity for the chicken and the dumplings were generally enough to make 4 of us full.
The kai lan that we ordered was alright, not too oily I guess. But the one that deserves mentioning is the rice. Have you ever tried chicken rice that is soft, fragrant yet NOT OILY? Well, you got that right, this place has it. The rice is soft, yet the rice is not oily - which in other words - Kinda Healthy Chicken Rice. Fantastic stuff.
Overall, I feel that anyone of you should give it a try since Chicken Rice has been part of our everday "ta bao food" habits. Price wise wasn't too expensive as well. You gotta tolerate a little with the service of the drinks people because they are all old and kinda "senile". Haha. One of them actually said thank you to my brother so loud when she's just beside him like 30cm away. LOL.
Oh well, it's all about the food that matters sometimes. And it's Chinatown for god sake. Can't expect THAT GOOD service from OLD PEOPLE. Haha.
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Well, I went in with a total of 5 friends, with no clue on everything other than japanese food. Then I realise that it’s more than just the food. Because it’s all about the money.
Frankly speaking, you do really need to be loaded before entering this restaurant to start eating there. Menu wise, their variety is limited but the sashimi is of good value. The normal sets (bento) are rather impressive on the outlook. Wait, the taste? Let’s continue.
I ordered a chicken katsu set that comes with a bowl of rice, miso soup, chawanmushi and two small slices of Tamago (Japanese Egg which are generally sweeter than the norm, for those who do not know.). Well, that “normal set” alone cost SGD$20. And it ain’t cheap. And the katsu taste normal. The soup was alright, so was the Tamago.
The disappointing one was the chawanmushi, which didn’t even met my expectations. Worse off than Sakae, when I thought that Sakae was bad enough. I made the wrong choice in choosing that set though because its kinda tasteless.
The highlight for this restaurant - sad to say - would just be the sashimi. My friend and I shared a Sashimi Moriawase (like a Sashimi Set). Consisting of 5 different sashimi varieties, the total cost for this is $35, more worth it than most restaurants. Why did I say so? Because the slices of fish they give you are THICK and FRESH.
But if I would want to say what I liked about the sashimi, then I would only recommend the Yellowtail Sashimi, or Hamachi in Japanese. In fact, it is the BEST Hamachi Sashimi I have eaten in years to come. Other places might serve better sashimi types, but the Yellowtail here is indeed different from other places.
In all, the service is normal, the ambience is normal, the food is normal - EXCEPT for that Hamachi. If you want to try more of it, then get more money before you enter.
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