Anchor Cafe & Roastery — Restaurant in Batam City

Massive portions, tasty food, great service.

While he was there, Steven (the owner) came out to warmly greet pretty much every guest, and that included our party of four.

We appreciated the human touch, something that's been missing since COVID.

Wait staff all spoke good English, which was very helpful since it's been 20 years since I last spoke Bahasa.

Kopi Luwak came with a certificate, a very nice souvenir for first timers like us. Can't comment about the taste - not coffee experts, but I'm glad I tried it!

Mocha and hot chocolate were both very smooth and topped with detailed foam art. The baristas take pride in what they do.

The chicken and waffles while good, was a distant second to all the other dishes. The chicken was a tad tough. Having said that, the honey butter sauce that accompanied the waffle was awesome. Waffles were also flavourful.

The pulled chicken burger (halal, so no pork) was excellent. The flavour was smoky and spicy. Didn't need the wedges at all. I forgot how the bun was like, but with a patty this good...

The spouse loved the do-it-yourself pancake. Light, warm, fluffy, massive. Generous heap of salted caramel ice cream. Pretty much best pancake we've had for awhile.

Deep dish style brownie was very good, but only if you have a sweet tooth. I loved it, but my doctor wouldn't have approved. I stopped after four chunks - when my teeth literally felt like they hurt haha.

Would return, just for the burger and pancakes. The portions were so huge that we couldn't even entertain the thought of getting the cakes in the display - they looked scrumptious though.

Thanks for the good food and great memories!

P.S. as with pretty much the whole of Batam, sit indoors...

We heard this place takes their coffee seriously and boy do they. When ordering your coffee, you choose the type of beans and the grind. They also have a coffee lab upstairs where I assume the staff test and try out different beans and roasts. By the door, they also have a huge machine with a connected laptop to do analysis. I have no idea what the charts show but the staff sure looked like he knew what's what.

We ordered the eggs benedict and chicken with waffles, together with mocha and peppermint mocha. The eggs were perfectly done, and when the yolk flows out, it does so onto a generous portion of sweet spinach, ham and crispy toast. It was also served with a bowl of potatoes which were just perfect. I can't even tell if it's baked or roaster cubes of potatoes but they were fantastic!

The chicken and waffles weren't as great for us. The chicken, while chunky and crispy on the outside, was dry and tough on the inside. The waffles were also a tad too dry.

The mocha was good and the peppermint mocha was the surprise. Usually peppermint mocha tastes a little too sweet because of how peppermint can be overwhelming, but this one had just the exact balance between the minty flavour and the coffee fragrance.

Our friends ordered the sliders and the potato and meat dish. The sliders were all of the same burger type, which we found odd since we thought we could select one of each type. The potato was a sort of mashed potato dish, which was nice but just felt like a middle of mash and a potato cake. The meat, however was really tender and juicy.

Definitely worth...

This review is mostly for the food rather than the coffee or the environment.

For man who needs at least two ayam penyet at Ria to feel full, the serving size at Anchor is about there. For two ladies maybe they can share one plate.

I do not appreciate or know coffee, I only ordered because I was curious. The coffee is prepared American style. Other reviewers have shared the options I shall not waste your time by repeating.

I ordered the eggs benedict because I am a huge fan of this dish and rarely find well executed ones. This was also not well executed. The eggs were slightly over and the sauce lacked depth. There was a layer of zest that didn't work for me.

Chocolate cake was ok. The mousse was delicious and the sweetness was ok for me. The value wasn't there for the price though.

The scrambled eggs were good, not over cooked or under, however it didn't feel American. It wasn't buttery nor creamy.

The toilet needs attention to privacy.

Due to the trip advisor this cafe has gained a lot of attention and wants to charge a premium in this run down neighbourhood. I don't think I will return the next time I am in the area. There is another cafe Picolla around the corner more worthy of my attention. They also have the same coffee processes.

If you want to claim the cafe is Southern, then it should reflect southern in the food. I didn't feel it.

If you enjoy coffee and ambience, skip the food. It will significantly lower your bill.

I reviewed Picolla before, look for my review if you are interested. The pizzas are...