Archive for the ‘indonesian’ Category

Ubud – Kingsford, Sydney.

Ubud can be described as one of the most well presented Indonesian restaurants in Sydney in terms of atmosphere and setting. The wall is decorated by lanterns, stone-carved pictures and the incense that infuses the room with an addictively welcoming and invigorating scent that can only be described as the dreamy smell that makes you reminisce sipping young coconut juice on the beach bar of Bali. Anybody know what the scent they burn is? I need it desperately.

Though I highly commend the ambience of Ubud, it appears their dishes can simply described as hit-or-miss. After sampling a variety of dishes which are the most basic ones you could order from an Indonesian place; it felt like Ubud’s selling point was their setting rather than the food (though there was a gem found – read further!)

Here Comes The Food

Udang Goreng Mentega: Deep fried King prawn and Stir Fried with Sweet Soya Sauce and Onion. A very sweet composition of ingredients which would normally be successful however it sadly failed as there was a lack of authenticity. The soy was thickened to gooey consistency and overpowered the sweet chunk of prawn which was generous and not overcooked. The onions were also a bit undercooked and had the jarring taste that comes with it as a result. Overall, a dish that should have been easy to execute but simply did not hit the mark – smelled great but lacked taste.

Soto Ayam: A traditional indonesia chicken soup that simply missed as it did not taste anything like chicken. There was no sense of a expected hearty flavour that has infused the broth which would be achieved through a slow simmer. Rather, the soup was watery and the only flavour that could be tasted was the fried onion and fresh green shallots that had been sprinkled on top.

Kangkung Cah: Stir Fried Morning Glory with Shrimp Paste: Another dish that didn’t hit the mark; it did not have the intense smell of shrimp paste that you should waft furiously craving for attention as the dish is served. It simply tasted like basic wok-fried greens with garlic. This dish is so simple yet there was a lack of any shrimp paste at all.

Beef Rendang: Traditional beef curry which falls easily to apart into pieces when jabbed at with your fork; this dish when compared to its predecessors was definitely tastier and had a refined sense of authenticity about it. The mild curry did not overpower the tenderness of the beef which was flavoursome and resulted in a second order.

Ayam Bumbu Ubud: Grilled Chicken with Special Ubud Sauce was a combination of sambal, a gritty peanut sauce and the smokey-taste from the grilling process. Not a bad dish, but for me the sauce wasn’t as “special” as I hoped.

Ayam Goreng Ubud: Nothing stood out about this dish either; yes it is ayam goreng and there’s nothing more you can do to make it better than it is, but when compared to places that also serve this dish such as Ayam Goreng 99; a question arises of why you would pay $12.90 for half a chicken – when you could go elsewhere and pay for the same dish at a lower price but be given something that makes you foodgasm.

Lodeh: A vegetable curry which was the aforementioned ‘gem’ in the introduction to this entry. The curry was not watery but had the liquid-consistency to be poured and soaked with rice. What made this curry delicious was the coconut milk that had been generously infused into the ingredients causing a sweet yet still subtle flavour to accentuate the muted flavour of the vegetables. By far, my favorite dish of the meal.

Ubud – Indonesian Restaurant

582 Anzac Parade
Kingsford NSW 2032
Sydney, Australia

Telephone
02 9344 4961

Trading Hours
Dinner: 6 nights (Tuesday – Sunday)
Tuesday – Thursday, Sunday: 6pm – 9pm
Friday – Saturday: 6pm – 10pm
Monday: Closed

Posted by D under eating out, indonesian • 3 Comments

Ayam Goreng 99 – Kingsford, Sydney.

It’s about time I continued on with my pursuit to review the strip of restaurants on Anzac Parade. If you haven’t read or simply forgotten the last place we tried; feel free to check out the link: Tropicana. Anyway, onto Ayam Goreng 99! This is an Indonesian restaurant that specialises in…yep…ayam goreng (which translates to ‘Fried Chicken’); as a regular customer here before I started the blog, I can state with certainty that they do ‘it’ best compared to most eateries in Sydney that prophetically advertise their takes on this particular dish.

As one of the three indonesian restaurants (Ratu Sari and Shalom) that are lined-up next to each other, Ayam Goreng 99 doesn’t really stand out from the exterior – a simple and snug restaurant that can be easily overlooked without notice by a casual on-walker. But does a customer that knows of its quality and authentic cuisine really care for the exterior and atmosphere that is perceived? not really – there are some things that can slide. The same can be said about the interior – simple and clean; which means all the attention is on the food.

Here Comes The Food (no playing with it this time)

Nasi Uduk: the coconut’s flagrance as it’s a key ingredient in the preparation of this dish is euphoric as it wafers – causing our palate to salivate in anticipation. The rice is at room temperature and isn’t soggy or hard. On its own, you could describe it is repetitive and needing something a bit more to make it perfect – that’s why you need to order ayam goreng

Top Left: Ayam Goreng (Deep fried Marinated Chicken) – we ordered the Breast (Dada); Bottom Right: Ayam Bakar (Charcoal Grilled Marinated Chicken) – once again it’s the breast (Dada). If I were to choose the favourite, it would be Dada Bakar, there’s just something enjoyable and very guilty about eating the burnt bits. You know you shouldn’t do it – but it’s that good. A combination of: the faint taste of teriyaki, aromatic herbs are aromatic and tender chicken makes this a great dish to be enjoyed by all (or even smugly by yourself!).

Beef Rendang: it’s a bit different from what I usually see at other Indonesian places – I’m normally use to eating it a bit more dry and with less oil. The meat is tender and the sauce is a bit over-powering when eaten on its own. I should have saved some rice!

Ayam Goreng 99
Address: 464 Anzac Parade, Kingsford
Opening Days/Hours: Wed-Sun, 11:30am-4pm and 6-9pm (Closed Mon&Tues!)
Ph: 9697 0030

Posted by D under eating out, indonesian • 2 Comments

Indonesian Food Festival – Chatswood, Sydney

One of the many events that celebrated Indonesia’s Independence day (17th August) was held at the Dougherty Community Centre; a small and well-suited location which housed a never-ending sate (grilled skewers) queue that stretched to both ends of the centre, entertainment quarters for the kids (the amount of space to move was cramp enough – it was a huge relief to not see any children amongst the amoeba-like bunching of adults) and overall a great cultural experience for passer-byers.

The so-said line that stretched the length of the complex! I regrettably did not tag onto the end as due to the limited time I was able to stay here; I was only here to peruse very quickly on what was being offered.

The reward for reaching the front of the line: food…glorious..food; which tastes even better after the wait and anticipation.

The Indonesian method to get ‘that’ unique flavour: fanning the charcoal grill with your skewers lined up and occasionally coated with sauce.

My photo-ninja-esque snaps didn’t go unnoticed for long – one of the grillers happily posed for a photo.

The pempek vendor: as my Indonesian counterparty had ventured off to explore further I was entertain them with my continuous questions that centred around what various types of foods were in each dish.

I’ll have to sadly quote from wikipedia: “Pempek or Empek-Empek is a delicacy from Palembang which is made of fish and sago. Pempek is eaten together with a dark sauce called cuka or cuko (in bahasa Palembang). Cuko is produced from adding brown sugar, chili pepper, garlic, vinegar, and salt into hot boiling water.”