Bintan Angsana - Day 1 (30 Oct 2008)

The ferry to Bintan was at 2pm and that gave us enough time for lunch. I decided to have the laksa and iced coffee from Killiney Kopitiam. Much as I like the kaya butter toast, I didn't think it would be that substantial :p The Kopitiam also served chicken rice, mee rebus, mee siam, nasi lemak (sold out), mee goreng and other noodles dishes.

The laksa was not too bad but definitely not as lemak or as good as at Sheraton Towers. I missed the cockles in laksa. A bit plain with just taupok and fishcake and regular egg.

It has been some years since I last boarded the ferry from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and I was a bit impressed with the new boarding pass. It is a card with your details on it. That is pretty cool! We also did the self-immigration thing where you scanned your passport and then thumbprint. I am undecided if I like that as sometimes it seemed to take longer than going to a ICA officer for immigration.

The garuda. I didn't realize it means eagle which is also the national bird of Indonesia. Hmmm....something in common with the USA then.

I didn't really take much pictures the first day when we got to Angsana Resort. Basically I hit the pool which was gorgeous. It seemed small but it was actually a decent size. One end is the baby pool and the other end is the jacuzzi area. 6 little acloves which can seat 4-8 persons. I was short enough to even stretch my legs out on the shorter end :p

Dinner was at Lotus Cafe (also where breakfast was served) which was casual dining. Though the prices were in USD, it was actually not too bad. Definitely not as bad as I always thought. Not exorbitant at all. Local food or pizza were around US$10-US$12. Appy around US$4-$8. Western mains from US$18 or so. It was pretty much the amount you pay in the States/Canada.

I ordered the butter chicken dish which was not very good. The chicken pieces were not as tender as those found in Indian restaurants in Singapore. Plus it didn't really taste that buttery. Then I realized maybe I should have pour in the clarified butter in the side dish :p The rice was a bit lemak and definitely not rice pilaf as described in the menu. The naan was more like pita bread. I only like the yoghurt and chutney.

Nasi Goreng which Mom ordered. This was the best dish! The fried rice was so fragrant and full of flavor. It came with keropok (very nice and crispy), chicken (tender), achar (didn't try), fried egg (didn't try) and satay (didn't try). The rice itself was already amazing.

V ordered the fried fish fillet which came with a side of kangkong and steamed jasmine rice. The fish was not deep fried enough to achieve the crispiness. Plus it was a bit rubbery with a bit of fishy smell. Not that great but probably better than my butter chicken :p

Total bill came to US$39.30 or so for the 3 dishes. Service was impeccable with the staff coming over to top up the water glass and checking if everything was to our satisfaction.

We were given the cold towel to refresh ourselves or to wipe our hands after applying the insect repellent. The sachets were available everywhere as there were lots of mozzies in the resort and sandflies in the beach area. The room also had incense stick and essential oil burner to repel the mozzies/insects. An electric burner was also in the room to be used.

Our room keys. I love the starfish keychain. As we were on the first level, we found out one of the keys could be used for the balcony/patio door. And our room was just steps away from the Lotus Cafe and pool. Very convenient to get around.