IDN: The Kelong Seafood Restaurant @ Nirwana Gardens

Springy deep-fried crayfish with butter, but crispy chicken...?

Easily the most packed restaurant within Nirwana Gardens, The Kelong Seafood Restaurant is built on stilts, facing the South China Sea. As we forgot to make a reservation earlier, we had no choice but to wait for a table to be vacant, which resulted in us drinking at Calypso Floating Bar before dinner.

Thankfully, the wait wasn't too long. I didn't take note of it, but I believe it was less than an hour. Pika's advice: The restaurant offers a range of Set Menu that cater to different number of people. Check them out!

Appetiser & Chili

The pickled vegetables were crunchy and refreshingly sour. In my opinion, the chili sauce wasn't that spicy as sweetness dominated the arena.

Deep-Fried Crayfish with Butter Rp 255,000 (~S$26.95)

Taste: 8/10

We decided to munch on crayfish that were breaded and deep-fried with butter, which amount could be increased to further moisten the dish. While I'd prefer the flour coating to be thinner, I was delighted by the fact that the crustacean meat was springy and adequately sweet.

Crispy Chicken (Half) Rp 165,000 (~S$17.45)

Taste: 2/10

Yes, you see the score right. The level of crispiness was at the end of the spectrum, not too mention that the skin was soggy. The flesh, while firm, was too dry. The fried garlic bits couldn't save the dish either. It was a disaster, decidedly ruining my mood until the time for dessert came.

Stewed Beancurd with Seafood Rp 165,000 (~S$17.45)

Taste: 8/10

The stewed Japanese tofu, which were first tossed with cornstarch before being lightly fried, came with mushrooms, sweet peas, carrots, prawns and fish slices. Overall, the sweet and salty balance was good. I also enjoyed the thick gravy, which didn't easily go runny as the dinner progressed.

Broccoli Mushroom Rp 165,000 (~S$17.45)

Taste: 7/10

The sautéed broccoli was good, but not extraordinary, especially since it was cooked with just a little bit of oyster sauce. Each stalk still retained its firm texture without losing much of its moisture. While the mushrooms were juicy, I actually had two small pieces that were kinda bitter.

Honeydew Sago Rp 48,000 (~S$5.10)

Taste: 8.5/10

As a closure to the dinner, the honeydew sago managed to uplift my sunken spirit. Finely cut honeydew and watermelon pieces were swimming in addictively rich and sweet cream. Having said that, I could hardly taste the sago pearls, perhaps due to the fact that they were too fine.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 6.5/10

Ambience: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Overall: 6.5/10

I was utterly disappointed with the chicken, and that's enough a reason for me not to return. Anyway, below is a picture of the restaurant that I snapped from the floating bar across the bridge.

The Kelong Seafood Restaurant @ Nirwana Gardens

Jalan Panglima Pantar

Nirwana Gardens

Bintan

Indonesia

(Daily: 11.00am - 10.30pm)

http://www.nirwanagardens.com/dining/the-kelong-seafood-restaurant/

*Prices quoted are nett prices.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)