This was published 5 years ago
Seven dishes you must try on Bintan Island, Indonesia: Chef Ni Luh Ratnawati
Banyan Tree Bintan's pandan layer cake has flavours of pandan and coconut and is topped with a quenelle of jackfruit ice-cream.
OTAK OTAK KETAM
Chef Singgih at The Canopi, Treasure Bay, elevates a Bintan street food dish by using crabs from the local mangrove. Wrapped in banana leaves, the otak-otak is grilled to perfection and the burned banana leaves and charcoal aroma add unique flavour. See thecanopi.com
Ni Luh Ratnawati is pastry chef at Banyan Tree Bintan.
MI TAREMPA
These noodles come from the Bintan region of Anambas and have Chinese Peranakan and Melayu influences. Chef Angga from Angsana Bintan handmakes the fresh noodles and stir fries them with vegetables and a smoked local tuna farce, red chilli paste, and sweet soya and light soya. See angsana.com
AUTHENTIC IGA SAPI SOUP
Chef Wali from Nirwana Gardens uses local spices such as anise, cinnamon and clove to slow-stew ribs from the nearest market. The meat remains succulent and is fully infused with the spices. This soup is matched perfectly with a dash of lime or lemon juice and green chilli paste. See nirwanagardens.com
SAMUDRA SARI LAUT
Chef Adli Nizam of Bintan Lagoon Resort makes this dish, inspired by laksa but elevates the broth into a bisque. Then he adds local seafood: red snapper stuffed with laksa leaves, marinated minced prawn and scallop. He also adds pineapple and cucumber to balance the flavour. See bintanlagoon.com
NA TINOMBUR
This poultry main course dish presented by Chef Lambok from The Residence Bintan is inspired by childhood memories of his home town in the northern Sumatra Archipelago. He uses exquisite ingredients such as kecombrang (ginger torch) and andaliman pepper. The duck breast is cooked sous vide. To compliment the sumptuous duck breast, Lambok adds spicy and citrusy flavour with a chilli salsa.
See cenizaro.com
BINTAN FANTASY
Banyan Tree Bintan's pandan layer cake hails from the south of Sumatra. The flavours of pandan and coconut are common in desserts from there. To add a kick, we add a quenelle of our house-made jackfruit ice-cream. See banyantree.com
TURQUOISE BLUE
Turquoise blue is one of the signature cocktails in Bintan. Perfect for summer on the beach, this cocktail is reminiscent of a memorable beach getaway with blue sky and sea. It features white rum and blue curacao.
Ni Luh Ratnawati has been in the kitchens of Banyan Tree Bintan since 2003 and the pastry chef since 2011. She'll be part of Best of Bintan 2019, a six-course degustation featuring the above dishes by chefs from several hotels on Bintan Island. It's on January 19. To book reservations-bintan@banyantree.com
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.