Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Bistro Godiva

On our 2nd (and also last) day in Batam, we ventured to 2 different malls, namely the BSC & the Harbour Bay Mall (adjacent to the Batam Centre ferry terminal).

I remember the 1st time I saw this Bistro Godiva branch at Nagoya Hill Mall, my SIL and I actually took a dig at their name. "Godiva, eh? In Singapore sure 'kena' sue. Let's see if they are selling anything chocolate.."

That was the Bistro Godiva outlet on the top floor. Then I discovered another one in the same mall, but on the ground floor. Hmm... They must be quite an established name. I also saw a branch at BSC Mall. And of course, another one at the prominent Harbour Bay Mall. They sure are everywhere! I'm impressed, actually. Wonder if the food is any good…

**so sorry that the pic quality is really crappy. Poor lighting plus the fact that my camera battery ran low so I used the phone instead.


Hungry faces

Seems like we almost always end up being really ravenous by the time we (finally) decide to eat.


Their speciality…

…which we didn't try, unfortunately.

I was initially apprehensive as to what kind of food they'll be serving. This is after all, more of a coffee place, right?

Wrong.

There's quite a variety of food items, actually. From western favourites such as steaks, fried seafood & fried chicken, to fried noodles & rice, white rice with varieties of dishes and Indonesian favourites like 'Soto' (spiced chicken soup), 'Sup Buntut' (oxtail soup) & 'Sup Ayam' (clear chicken soup).


Watermelon Juice

Got myself the juice instead cos' I was really thirsty! This is real fruit juice, by the way.

My hubby got this honeydew juice which is topped with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. That was pretty nice. But I think they also added a bit of that green honeydew-flavoured syrup stuff so it got sweet at some parts.


Avocado Juice

My MIL's prennial favourite. She ordered this everytime. I wonder why she browse the beverages menu, even.

That was my niece having a go at her grandma's juice.

The other nieces got the Apple Juice & Banana Smoothie.


Avocado Mocha

There was a picture of this on the poster outside and it had looked really tempting. I guess my BIL was enticed by that.

At the bottom was real avocado juice. It is then topped with ice-blended mocha. Seems like a good combo, eh? This would have been great on a hot weather.

My SIL, meanwhile, got herself a glass of Tropical Tea, a fruit-flavoured iced tea with bits of canned fruit cocktail.


Sup Buntut

I can't resist ordering this when I saw it on the menu. This is an Indonesian specialty and I don't wanna blow my chance of having this while on Indonesian soil (so cliche, I know).

Turns out to be a good choice. This soup taste great! I don't even bother with the calamansi/lime that's served on the side because I don't wanna affect the taste that I was comfortable with. The oxtail meat was fall-off-the-bone tender and the soup taste really refreshing. Even my MIL, who ordered Mi Goreng, can't resist having a sip every now and then.


'Pempek' campur

Ok, here's some explaination....

'Pempek' is actually short for 'empek-empek', which originate from Palembang, South Sumatra. This is actually something akin to a fish cake, just that the fish meat is mixed with tapioca flour instead, thus making it more chewy.

The plate above is a mix of 2 different variations, namely Pempek Lenjer & Pempek Telur or Pempek 'Kapal Selam' (submarine). Pempek 'Lenjer' is simply fish meat rolled into a long, cylindrical piece and cut into 1-inch bits, prior to frying. The 'submarine' meanwhile, is where the fish meat is wrapped around a whole, boiled egg and then fried.

The sauce to me, taste a lot like the one used for 'tahu goreng' (Indonesian fried tofu dish), except that it has a more watery consistency and there's no peanut. Those green cubes in the picture are cucumber pieces. Very, very yummy. And spicy.


Fried chicken set

No one ordered this, actually. The server asked if we have their membership. We asked her what the deal was. She told us that with the membership, we can get this set for a mere Rp10,000. That's not even $2!

My BIL signed up on the spot.

Freshly fried chicken, what's there not to like? Although we were pretty full after our individual choices, we just can't resist this!

A nice meal to end the trip, before we rush off to catch the return ferry back to SG…

PS: My MIL asked, 1/2way through our meal, "Eh, have you taken pictures of all the food?" Apparently, she's gotten used to my weird habit. But it's a tad embarrassing when someone asked a question like that, uh?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

OMG, I just popped by the Megamall (near the ferry terminal) outlet today! I'm from Singapore too, and I caught the ferry back right after the meal. I do hope they set up a branch/outlet/subsidiary/whatever in Singapore.

mkia said...

Hi.. er.. Anon.

You went to Batam on a weekday? What a luxury! So what did you have at Bistro Godiva?

I sure don't mind them opening a branch here, though I doubt they can use the name, "Godiva".

That avocado mocha.. tempting! And more pempek, pls!

Anonymous said...

My fav too!! & i have the membership cos it is so worth it! All their western dishes are great & esp.their sup buntut!
Try their Caramba next time sis, better than most frappucinos we get here in SG:))
ps. if ur at Nagoya Hill, go to their Gadeno Outlet for their sizzling steaks, entitiled for discount with your membership too! Enjoyss!!