IDN: Spice Restaurant @ Nirwana Gardens

A drink with a deep emerald colour?

Happy Chinese New Year! At the beginning of the long weekend, we took the time to go to Bintan Island, Indonesia for a 2D1N getaway. We stayed in the rustic Nirwana Beach Club within the Nirwana Gardens Resort. 

Not knowing where to go for lunch, we decided to hop onto the free shuttle bus, alighting at Mayang Sari Beach Resort. Located at the main lobby, the restaurant serves traditional Indonesian and Indian dishes, but we only tried the former. Pika's advice: This isn't directly related to the restaurant, but do note that as per the new government regulation, all transactions have to be in the local currency.

Nasi Goreng Nusantara Rp 185,000 (~S$19.55)

Taste: 6/10

As the plate arrived on the table, I knew straight away that the essential sweet soy sauce was absent from the purported traditional Indonesian fried rice, which made it taste somewhat like Chinese fried rice. While the fried chicken and prawn could be juicier, the beef satay was somewhat tender, going along with the chunky and not-so-sweet peanut sauce. 

Tongseng Kambing Rp 205,000 (~S$21.70)

Taste: 7/10

The Indonesian mutton curry turned out to lean more towards the sweet side without being prohibitively spicy. The curry sauce was adequately thick, while the meat wasn't tough at all. The crackers, unfortunately, were no longer crispy due to prolonged exposure to air. 

Lapis Legit Mochacino Rp 95,000 (~S$10.05)

Taste: 7.5/10

When I was young, I couldn't live without the Indonesian layer cake, which contributed to my obesity in the past. Having a mixture of chocolate milk and coffee, the cake was actually pretty tasty, but the edge of each piece was a tad hard. Served on the side was a small saucer of rich coffee sauce.

Blue Curaçao Ice Tea Rp 48,000 (~S$5.10)

Taste: 7.5/10

Among the list of flavoured ice tea, I tried the one that came with the distinctively blue, citrusy liqueur. Truth be told, the adequately fragrant tea actually masked the flavour of the latter, but I wasn't complaining. 

Mix them up thoroughly, and you'll get a deep emerald colour!

Melon's Rating

Taste: 7/10

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Overall: 7/10

For their prices, the dishes weren't impressive. Nevertheless, the lunch did charge me up before playing on the beach with Pikachu and Melon!

Spice Restaurant @ Mayang Sari Beach Resort

Jalan Panglima Pantar

Nirwana Gardens

Bintan

Indonesia

(Daily: 11.30am - 10.30pm)

http://www.nirwanagardens.com/dining/spice-restaurant/

*Prices quoted are nett prices.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)