Batam’s proximity to Singapore makes it the perfect weekend getaway for many Singaporeans. Batam is known for three things – cheap shopping, cheap food and cheap massage.
When it comes to eating, Batam is known for its cheap seafood. Golden Prawn 933 is a popular seafood restaurant in Singapore, but the price is a little expensive. Let me introduce you to an outdoor seafood barbecue restaurant called Acai Ikan Bakar.
“Ikan” means “fish” and “Bakar” means “burn” in Malay. When you put the two words together, its literal translation is “burned fish”, or rather grilled fish. Acia Ikan Bakar is actually just one of the stalls that occupies the stretch of stalls. There are many other stalls that sells various local delights and juices and beverages. Acia Ikan Bakar was awarded the “Certificate of Excellence” from TripAdvisor for year 2018.
Besides grilled fish, Acai Ikan Bakar also has prawn (udang), chicken (ayam) and squid (sotong) cooked in variety of ways. There are also vegetables (sayur), Indonesian fried rice (nasi goreng) and soups (sup). Drinks include normal beverages such as coffee and tea, juices and special beverages such as cendol and es koteng.
Ikan Bakar Jahe is the signature dish of Acai Ikan Bakar. The greenish paste on top is minced ginger with turmeric. I thought it will be spicy and pungent but it turned out to be sweet and mild.
If you just want plain grilled fish without any sauce, you should order Ikan Bakar.
You can order many dishes that are not listed in the menu. I am not familiar with Malay, but if my guess is correct, this should be Terung Jahe. “Terung” means “eggplant” in Malay while “jahe” means “ginger” which is the greenish paste on top. It is the same minced ginger with turmeric used in Ikan Bakar Jahe.
Sayap Bakar are grilled chicken wings. The meat is tender with a nice smokiness to its taste.
Sotong Bakar are grilled cuttlefish rings. They are similar to calamari, minus the breading and frying. You will be surprised by how tender the cuttlefish flesh are when grilled.
If you want to get a soup, I recommend getting a bowl of this Sup Seafood. Cooked with vegetables, this clear soup is loaded with pieces of fish and prawns. They are super generous with the fish, I counted at least 10 pieces inside.
You can also get local street snacks such as Fried Kway Teow (known as Kwe Tiauw Goreng in Indonesian), Oyster Omelette and Rojak. They are similar to the ones found in Singapore, yet not quite the same.
Get a freshly-cut Coconut from the fruit stall to accompany your meal. It is huge with more than enough for two people. The coconut juice is slightly sweet with lots of flesh to be scraped from the inside walls.
You can even have Durians here. There are 6 types of durians to choose from – XO, Musang King (Mao Shan Wang), Dang Merah, D24/Sutan King, 101 and 99 Biji Kechil.
Acia Ikan Bakar only accepts cash, so be sure to bring enough. The food are reasonably-priced and well-cooked.
Acia Ikan Bakar
Address: Komplek Batam Park Blok D No. 29-30 Batam, Indonesia
Telephone: +62 812-7002-807
Opening Hours: 11am – 11pm Western Indonesian Time”