Sup Ikan 96: This Food Stall in Batam (Indonesia) Specializes in Yam Fish Soup and Other Chinese Dishes (It’s My Favorite Meal of Our Trip!)
When we were researching for our Batam (Indonesia) trip, we encountered a food stall that appears to be serving delicious fried fish. That stall is Sup Ikan 96. It’s not originally in our itinerary but I’m glad we included it!
As its name suggests, Sup Ikan 96 specializes on fish (“ikan”) soup (“sup”), specifically Sup Ikan Keladi or Yam Fish Soup, and other Chinese dishes. It’s located in Good Taste, a kopitiam (local coffee shop) with a few food stalls.
So how do I find their specialty Fish Yam Soup? At first, I’m intrigued by the combination of fish and yam in a soup. I’ve never tried such a dish before. But believe me, it works!
The broth is tasty and gingery, and thick because of the yam or, technically, taro. Then there are huge chunks of fish (red snapper, if I remember correctly), which are clean-tasting.
The Ikan Goreng (deep-fried fish), the reason why we went there, is as good as it looks. It’s perfectly fried and tasty.
They also Ayam Goreng Bawang (garlic fried chicken) is lightly battered and crunchy. It’s also super garlicky, with a ton of garlic cloves that are interestingly battered.
The Sayur (stir-fried vegetables) is also garlicky. The veggies (I think it’s Chinese broccoli or kale, but I may be wrong) are fresh and crisp.
It’s a practice to buy drinks when you’re in a kopitiam (the stall who sells drinks usually is the owner of the kopitiam). So we got Bintang, an Indonesian beer, and Yeo’s Chrysanthemum Tea. The cold beer pairs well with all the dishes!
We seized the opportunity to drink beer because it’s not readily available in supermarkets and convenience stores (remember that Indonesia is predominantly Muslim and beer is not halal).
We’re so happy to have included Sup Ikan 96 in our Batam eat-inerary. All the dishes we tried are top-notch. It’s our best meal during the entire Batam trip. Needless to say, I highly recommend it to you!
Sup Ikan 96
Address: Jl. Komp. Penuin Centre, Batu Selicin, Kec. Lubuk Baja, Kota Batam, Kepulauan Riau, Indonesia | Operating Hours: Wednesday-Monday, 7AM-5PM | Facebook