Entree Kibbles: Love Seafood Nagoya @ Batam in Indonesia

Saturday, June 07, 2025

Love Seafood Nagoya @ Batam in Indonesia

My mom doesn't remember much from her travels but one thing she remembers very well was the seafood we had at Love Seafood in Batam Island back in 2019, before the pandemic!

Five years have passed and we were finally back in the Indonesian island again! The pandemic only strengthened Love Seafood as there are now four branches to choose from and we opted for the one nearest to our hotel; Love Seafood Nagoya.

Located within the 168 Food Court, there wasn't the authentic kelong atmosphere encountered at its original branch but convenience was key here, as the Piayu branch would be an almost 45-minute drive, one way!

There were glass tanks of live seafood although that's quite a common feature in most seafood restaurants nowadays. Anyway, I wasn't too anal on the atmosphere and decorations; I just can't wait to rekindle the taste of Steamed Seafood in a Pan!

Basic table setup - I was happy to see tissue paper provided for free. I was happier to see a nearby sink for me to wash my hands; a must when I am eating seafood using my hands, without gloves! Here comes our makan!

Avocado Juice - Original with milk and chocolate that was rich with a thick consistency! Tasty it sure was although you can get the one without milk and chocolate that tasted pretty diluted.

Bitter Gourd Egg - I prefer loofah with egg but this was surprisingly not bad, with the bitterness somewhat countered by the well fried, savory eggs.

Petai Fried Noodle - this reminded me of punggol mee goreng, albeit less saucy and not as exceptional. At 40,000 rupiah, (about S$3), the pricing was reasonable although could have performed better with more ingredients.

Steamed Seafood in a Pan - the star of the show that deserved a lot more photographs given how much both my mom and I had been craving for it! At a promotional price of 400,000 rupiah (after a discount of 80,000 rupiah), the visual impact as it was placed on our table was literally unmatched! Not to mention there were just four of us.

So what we do have within this massive pan? Fishballs, corns, cabbage, mushrooms, six clams, 15 gong gong, eleven flower crabs and numerous decently-sized prawns!

The food didn't disappoint - the ingredients were fresh and I absolutely love the seafood, from the delicious gong gong, to the crunchy, solid texture prawns. It was a seafood feast for both my mom and I as both my sisters didn't want to overly dirty their hands.

Flower crabs were not as big as the mud / Sri Lankan crabs we were accustomed but their softer shells were easy to crack and the meat within was full of seafood sweetness!