A Mediterranean Meal on an Indonesian Island

Our last night in Bintan and the last restaurant we had yet to try – The Cove at the Banyan Tree. After another strenuous day of lying on the beach, we were pretty hungry and ready for a large bowl of pasta washed down with a chilled bottle of white wine.

Not wanting to ruin our appetites for the inevitably large servings we were about to partake in (bowls of pasta always manage to defeat me), we decided to share a light starter of Baked Summer Tomatoes and Mozzarella Cheese with a Balsamic Glaze and Fresh Basil, which was fancy-schmancy in presentation but unfortunately rather average-schmaverage in taste.

Undeterred, we continued to the main object of our evening’s desire – pasta dishes. I plumped for the Chef’s Signature Dish – the Home Made Ravioli filled with Prawns and Sun Dried Tomato in a White Wine, Double Cream and Fresh Basil, which was nice (I'm not really inspired to upgrade the adjective here) but a little heavy on the cream and I have to admit I was rather envious of Mr Greedy Glutton’s choice when it arrived – a simple and tasty Seafood Linguini with Mussels, Calamari and Shrimps in a Spicy Tomato Sauce with Fresh Basil.

Ah well, you win some you lose some…. and I’m afraid my holiday disengagement led me to completely forget about photographing the main course…

The Cove, Banyan Tree, Bintan – www.banyantree.com

Lunch at the Lotus Cafe

We normally avoid eating any other meal at a hotel restaurant where breakfast is served, but we made an exception for the Lotus Café. Its high ceilings, open windows with birds flying overhead and large menu focusing on local Indonesian dishes made it worth breaking the rules for.

I love a good Nasi Goreng and this one was as good as I’ve had – and not only for the presentation. It came on its own cast iron serving unit that allowed for the main rice dish and several accompaniments – namely (from the left) Vegetable Pickle, Chicken & Beef Sates, Prawn Crackers, Fried Chicken and Chilli Sambal.

The problem with a big lunch like that though is it does make you very sleepy… ah well, lucky we were on holiday and had a sunlounger to snooze on…

Lotus Café, Angsana Resort & Spa, Bintan – http://www.angsana.com/

Bintang Beer

One of our favourite things we like to do when we go travelling is to sample the local beer. Vietnam was the best place for this, where every town we went to seemed to brew their own version.

This was our first visit to Indonesia, and whilst there is very little to identify the resorts of Bintan as being in Indonesia, we did get an Indonesian visa in our passports (a full-page one at that) and the chance to drink Bintang beer on the beach - hurrah!

Treetop Treats

Wednesday evening and we once again headed back to the Banyan Tree for dinner, this time taking the buggy further up the hill to Treetops. As the name suggests this beautiful, breezy restaurant is spread across wooden decking up in the treetops, looking out to sea – dimly lit and incredibly romantic.

The menu was an eclectic mix of Indonesian, European and Grill items, so plenty to choose from. For starters we shared the Lumpia Udang Karang – crispy lobster spring roll with fresh vegetables, glass noodles and sweet chilli sauce (I mean, lobster in spring rolls? - did I die and go to Heaven?!) and the slightly less exciting Fried Scallop-Crab Meat Cakes which came with a jalapeno mayonnaise, snow peas sprout salad, diced mango and peppermint oil.



From main courses we both opted for Australian Black Angus Beef Sirloin Steaks from the grill section, served with Potato-parmesan Gratin and Ratatouille. Now, we normally have a rule against ordering the same dish - usually opting for different dishes so that we can sample as much as possible off the menu – but having spent the morning playing golf and the afternoon playing tennis, our appetites were large, and big juicy steaks were in order. And we did slightly differentiate our orders through our choice of sauce – Red Shallot Glaze with Port Wine for me, Champignon Crème with fresh herbs for Mr Greedy Glutton. And our cooking requests were also different although unfortunately my 'rare' was slightly more well-done than Mr Greedy Glutton's 'medium'…but I was on holiday, and sufficiently mentally-horizontal not to care too much.



No dessert tonight as (it rarely happens) we admitted to having eaten sufficient not to require one… instead treating ourselves to another bottle of full-bodied Aussie Red…


Treetops, Banyan Tree, Bintan – www.banyantree.com

Fine Dining at Saffron

After a hard day of lying on the beach, we hopped on the back of a golf buggy and were whisked over to the Banyan Tree hotel next door and to their 'fine dining' restaurant, Saffron. I was welcomed at the door with an orchid to put behind my ear and we were shown to our window-seated table with a view down over the rocks and the crashing waves below (there is only a few seats in Saffron so all tables are window-seats and are therefore afforded the same view). While we enjoyed perusing the large menu and even larger wine list, we were brought an amuse bouche to tantalise the tastebuds (or to amuse the bouche, I guess)- a truly delicious, if a little strange, pumpkin cappuccino in a mini coffee-cup.

Saffron offers two sides to its menu - Asian Fusion and Thai. We opted for Thai, having realised we hadn't had a good Thai meal since we arrived in Singapore. As seafood was still very much the order of the holiday, we went for the Yum Talay - a spicy seafood salad with tomato, onion, celery, chilli and thai parsley - and, on the recommendation of our informative waiter, the Gai Hor Bai Toey - fried marinated chicken with coriander-garlic and sesame marinated in pandan leaf (and all kudos to the waiter, it was a winning dish.)

For the mains, we got stuck into Kaeng Phed Pet Yang - roasted duck breast marinated in in five spices on red curry and coconut milk (ie. Red Duck Curry to you and me) and Pla Samlee Dad Deow - Crispy fresh water fish with spicy mango salad and cashew nut.

We were feeling fairly well-fed by this stage, but there's always room to share a dessert. We once again went on the recommendation of the waiter as he'd come up trumps with the starter and ordered up the deliciously sticky banana fritters and ice cream.

So the hero of the evening... definitely our waiter... who recommended the two top choices of the meal.

Saffron, Banyan Tree, Bintan - www.banyantree.com

Sun, Sand and Seafood

I have a confession to make... last weekend I fell off the Junk Food Wagon and went to (and I'm going to whisper this)... McDonalds!

I know, I know, you can't say anything to me that I haven't already said to myself. In my defence though, I was mildly hungover and delirious from lack of sleep from staying up the night before until 5:30am to watch the Rugby World Cup final. Anyway, it's done now and to make up for it we indulged ourselves in lots of fabulous food during a four-day break at the Angsana Resort and Spa in Bintan.

Having just arrived from the 'big smoke' of Singapore, we made our way to the Pantai Bar and Grill for our first evening where we could eat on the beach with the sand between our toes and to the sound of the crashing waves. And what else could be more appropriate than a seafood-fest?

We opted for the Thai Seafood Salad with Shrimp, Snapper and Squid in a Cilantro dressing to start with, which was fantastically zesty and spicy

and followed it up with barbecued mains -

Tiger Prawns for me

Red Snapper Fillet for Mr Greedy Glutton

both marinated in Garlic and Lime, chargrilled to perferction and served with Chargrilled Vegetables, Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream, and with Cafe de Paris butter and Barbecue Sauce on the side.

Sun, sea, sand and barbecued seafood on the beach... life doesn't get much better than this...

The Pantai Bar & Grill, Angsana Resort & Spa, Bintan - http://www.angsana.com/

A Dim Sum Blowout

When we were in Singapore on holiday a couple of years ago, we stumbled up the stairs to Yum Cha on the corner of Trengannu and Temple Streets in Chinatown to escape a thunderous downpour, and boy were we glad we did! I could eat dim sum for lunch every day of my life and still not get sick of it. And now I’m living in Singapore, maybe I will...

This time my lunch at Yum Cha was with a friend who was visiting Singapore and thankfully the food was just as good as I remembered from our holiday before. My favourite from my previous visit, Sesame Prawn & Mango Roll, did not disappoint, nor did the rest of the selection – Steamed BBQ Pork Buns, Prawn Dumplings, Vegetable and Meat Siew Mai, Sliced Fish Rice Flour Roll, Steamed Bean Curd Skin Roll, Fried Garlic Prawn Dumpling and Crystal Chives Dumplings.

Does that sound a lot for two young ladies? Well we did leave feeling rather full… and anyway, I’ve heard that Chinese tea is good for speeding up the metabolism…

Yum Cha – http://www.yumcha.com.sg/

Current Cocktail of Choice

I don't only eat you know - I've also been known to enjoy a drink or two...

Here's my current cocktail of choice:

It's called a SaVanh 49 and is served at the Indochine bars across Singapore. I'm assuming it's named for their bar called Bar SaVanh which is at no. 49 Club St, which is in fact where I first ordered one while I was here on holiday a couple of years ago.

I just re-discovered it on Saturday while having a break from Shopping at the Indochine Sanctuary at Wisma Atria on Orchard Road.

It's made from Vodka, Martini Bianco, Lychee Liqueur and Grenadine... it's much stronger (ie. better) than your average Lycheetini you get in all the bars here.

Mmmm... makes you feel all warm inside....

Indochine - www.indochine.com.sg

Meaty Madness

We have walked past the Carnivore restaurant on several occasions, but never gone in, deciding it was only worth it when you were REALLY hungry. Well that time finally came on Friday evening, so we loosened our belts and headed into the restaurant for a gluttonous meat feast. On arrival, we politely picked at the salad bar to show willing, but we were really here for was meat – and lots of it!

Having visited a churrascaria before, we were wise to the usual cunning methods of the Passadors (ie. waiters) of bringing round the cheap meats (sausages, chicken) first and waiting until you are already bulging out of your pants before bringing around the real meat – the lamb and beef etc. However, I am pleased to report that Carnivore did not stoop to such devious measures and we were presented with top cuts of meat from the outset.

I was fully anticipating the abundance of carnivorous treats and a piled-up-to-the-max plate from this restaurant but what I wasn’t expecting was such a high quality of food. Every slice of meat that was sliced from the skewer onto our plates was truly delicious – Lamb Leg, Lamb Fillet, Pork Sausages, Pork Shoulder, Honey Ham, Chicken Thighs, Chicken Breast wrapped in Bacon, Butterfish, Beef Tenderloin and Beef Rump. It had all been barbecued to perfection – especially the Beef Tenderloin which was black and sticky on the outside, red and tender on the inside.

Add to this the strong and tasty Caipirinhas, the Brazilian Samba music and the extremely friendly Passadors and you’ve got yourself a great night out.

But be warned – you will suffer the consequences… we walked home afterwards and lay on the sofa for half an hour, not talking, not moving, too full to even reach out for the remote control to turn the tv on…



Carnivore, VivoCity – www.carnivore.com.sg

A Singaporean Wedding

We were lucky enough to be invited to a Singaporean wedding at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel last Saturday. Thankfully the highlight of a Singaporean wedding seems to be the food… in fact no sooner had the last mouthful been eaten, than everybody got up and left - literally, within seconds! Anyway, it certainly didn’t disappoint. A nine course banquet was served up and was happily wolfed down by everyone at our table:

1. Combination Platter – Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Prawn Salad, Sliced Suckling Pig, Roasted Duck, Roasted Eel
2. Braised Shark’s Fin Soup with Three Treasures
3. Deep Fried King Prawn in Honey Sauce
4. Roasted Crispy Chicken in Thai Style
5. Braised Sliced Abalone and Sea Cucumber with Seasonal Vegetables
6. Steamed Fresh Garoupa in Superior Sauce
7. Sauteed Broccoli with Dried Scallops and Golden Mushrooms topped with Crispy Salted Fish
8. Steamed Eu-Fu Noodles with Shrimps, Shredded Mushrooms and Chives
9. Double Happiness – Manjari Chocolate Mousse with Chocolate Jelly and Mango

So not only my first Singaporean wedding but also my first time to try Eel, Abalone and Sea Cucumber – I may not be rushing to have them again that soon, but the experience is always good!

But just imagine, a nine course banquet… just heavenly for a greedy glutton like me…

A Mound of Curry on a Banana Leaf

Last night we finally made our way to the famous Banana Leaf Apolo, having read so much about it but never made it there. I met Mr Greedy Glutton from his office in the CBD and headed up to Little India – I love that about Singapore, that just a few stops on the MRT and you could be in a totally different country altogether. We past lots of very tempting smells from the various restaurants on Race Course Road, but we had our sights set on one place and one place only – The Banana Leaf Apolo.

I’m afraid to say we shied away from the dish that made this restaurant famous – the Fish Head Curry – better to try it when we are with someone experienced at digging out the flesh from the cheeks and eyes (or at least that’s how we justified our cowardice!). Instead we opted for Chicken Masala (very tender chicken on the bone in a masala sauce), Mutton Mysore (a dry lamb curry riddled with chillies) and a Prawn Masala (an enormous prawn in a spicy masala sauce).

Our banana leaves were duly delivered to the table (no plates here) and a man appeared with buckets of vegetable curries which were sploshed on top of our banana leaves – you don’t order vegetables here, they just bring you their selection of the day. Today’s selection was a cabbage dish and an okra dish, awash with fresh spices. Another man appeared and piled up our banana leaves with a mound of vegetable rice, again full of fresh spices.

Altogether a delicious and hearty meal – and we were certainly grateful for the large glasses of lime juice to take the edge off the spiciness of the dishes. We left there having totally overeaten (no surprises there!) and waddled our way back to the MRT.

And this morning… my hands are still stained yellow from digging into the curry with my fingers…

(no photo to accompany, my camera chose last night to run out of batteries)

Banana Leaf Apolo – www.thebananaleafapolo.com

A little taste of Heaven

My first Sunday Brunch in Singapore - an appropriate place to begin my love affair with Singaporean food.

As the four of us sat at our table at the Terrace at the Sentosa Resort, we decided that this must be what Heaven is like - free flow champagne and as much seafood as you can possible ram down your throat in 3 hours. (Except in Heaven it would be free... and you could have it every day... and you wouldn't get fat... ok, maybe not quite like Heaven, but certainly not far off).

My first decadent plateful was piled with lobster, oysters and tiger prawns from the chilled seafood section, and was finished off with both a prawn and avocado salad and tuna sushi plate on the side. After a return to the oyster bar, we progressed to the outdoor barbecue section for steaks, lamb, chicken and tiger prawns so fresh they were still swimming in the tank next to the barbecue. There wasn't even room for the carvery, the malay dishes, the stir-fries or the selection of steamed fish, but we did manage to force ourselves to partake in the dessert and cheese buffets... because it seemed rude not to...

The Terrace at the Sentosa Resort - http://www.thesentosa.com/