It was a long walk, from our hotel in Batam, to check out a supposedly pretty good bak kut teh stall but the place was closed on Sunday. Sweaty, thirsty and tired, i suggested going for some drinks and rest our feet at the nearby coffee shop (above) by the name of Swees Kopitiam.
Aside from the drink stall, the only other store that's open for business offered nothing but only curry puffs (known as epok-epok in Indonesia)! Now, my curiousity was piqued as it wasn't just a small setup and there were like four to five busy staff members!
From cutting to folding the pastry and then deep frying them on the spot, nothing beats fresh curry puffs and i was enticed to buy a few even though all of us had a filling breakfast just an hour plus ago.
There were only three basic flavours and i guess it's only fair to try all of them since there were four of us; the savory curry puffs that consisted of chicken with potato, sardine and lastly, the sweet puff with yam.
Curry Chicken with Potato Puff - totally enjoying the thin, crispy shell with a nice sweetness to it; however, i had the deepest love for the filling which wasn't overly spicy yet so addictive! Control, control, control! If not, i would have wasted my months of running!
Sardine Puff - the pastry was thicker to hold the wet, sardine filling within. If you are looking for spiciness, this sardine puff might just be your cup of tea. Not for me though as i always prefer my sardine curry puffs to be filled with flavour-enhancing onions.
Yam puff - this would definitely appeal to the older generation as it appeared rather similarly to the teochew yam mooncake. Flaky with a fluffy yam filling that had just the right amount of sweetness and not overbearingly heavy! As expected, this was the favourite for my parents!
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You wouldn't believe the price of these puffs; even though they were similar in size to the ones we have in Singapore which usually cost from S$1 to S$1.80 apiece (depending on which brand), each of them was priced from 3,000 - 3,500 rupiah. That's less than 34 Singapore cents each!
We couldn't resist the good deal and bought a total of 25 puffs (15 curry chicken and 10 yam)! Do eat them on the same day as texture waned slightly the very next day. You can try popping them in the oven for a short toast though.
Address
Nagoya Citywalk Northwalk, Block B, No 1, Jalan Imam Bonjol, Lubuk Baja Kota, Kec. Lubuk Baja, Kota Batam, Kepulauan Riau 29444, Indonesia
Map
As above.
Pricing
Curry Chicken with Potato Puff - 3,000 rupiah
Sardine Puff - 3,000 rupiah
Yam puff - 3,500 rupiah