24 April 2010

Pondok Buyung Review ~ Indonesian - Anzac Parade Kensington

The best Nasi Padang in Sydney, as close as you can get to eating in Sumatra.

UPDATE: Pondok Buyung has moved a few doors south to 140 Anzac Parade, see new post here



Pondok Buyung Nasi Padang Indonesian Restaurant Kingsford Sydney Australia

Back in the ye olden days, way back in the mid 1990s, I found myself wandering around Sumatra and falling in love with nasi Pading: a cuisine that is a smorgasboard of saucey and spicy food, named after the town of Padang in Sumatra, the city recently flattened by a tsunami.

I've never had Nasi Padang quite as good in Australia but Pondok Buyung in Kingsford is as close as you can get to eating in Sumatra. It is one of our favourite street food restaurants in Sydney, definitely our favourite Indonesian joint, and would definitely be in our top 5 if were bothered making one.

Pondok Buyung Nasi Padang Indonesian Restaurant Kingsford Sydney Australia

If you are new to this style of food then don't be put off by the bainmaries, this is a sign of good food. In Indonesia and all over South East Asia food is cooked in advance by lovely mammas then served luke warm or cold throughout the day. In some places in Sumatra you sit down and they put all the dishes on your table and you just help yourself and only pay for what you consume, a divine way to eat.

Pondok Buyung Nasi Padang Indonesian Restaurant Kingsford Sydney Australia

We find the best time to visit Pondok Buyung is midday when the food is freshest and the choices wider. You get three choices on top of a big mound of rice for about $8. Enough food to fill you for the day. I go for some spicy whole fish, tempeh and some veggies with tofu and tempe in a light yellow curry sauce. Bloody bagus.

Pondok Buyung Nasi Padang Indonesian Restaurant Kingsford Sydney Australia

Miss Chicken wisely choose the eggplant sambal, it is always delicious. She tries something new: jackfruit in a mild curry sauce, a nice plain counter to the other dishes. Her third choice is also the tempe.

Pondok Buyung Nasi Padang Indonesian Restaurant Kingsford Sydney Australia

Tempe is fermented whole soybeans pressed into blocks. It is sensational when cooked well and disgusting when I cook it. We are raving about this tempe, it is nice and crispy yet saucy, we think it has been fried and caramelised with some kecap manis and sambal.

Pondok Buyung Nasi Padang Indonesian Restaurant Kingsford Sydney Australia

Pondok Buyung has a wide range of Indonesian classics.

Pondok Buyung Nasi Padang Indonesian Restaurant Kingsford Sydney Australia

But everybody seems to come for the nasi Padang. It has to be the best in Sydney.

Pondok Buyung Nasi Padang Indonesian Restaurant Kingsford Sydney Australia

Pondok Buyung is in a lovely, delapidated old corner shop, it is spacious, airey and full of character. There are always plenty of punters and the cooking and serving is done by some lovely Indonesian mamas, this is as close as you can get to eating in Sumatra.

Pondok Buyung Nasi Padang Indonesian Restaurant Kingsford Sydney Australia

I think this means 'thanks and see you later'or 'thanks and see you again.'

Pondok Buyung Nasi Padang Indonesian Restaurant Kingsford Sydney Australia

We will be back but alas their beautiful shop is being demolished to make way for units. Never fear, Pondok Buyung is moving just a few doors up the road, the signage is in place already. We are sure the food will be just as wonderful but we will miss this great old corner shop, it's a special place.

Pondok Buyong is at 124 Anzac Parade Kengsington, almost opposite Peters of Kensington.

UPDATE: Pondok Buyung has moved a few doors south to 140 Anzac Parade, see new post here
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Pondok Buyung on Urbanspoon

6 comments:

  1. cool. was looking in the window yesterday. will check it out soon .thanx

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  2. what's the new address for this shop? thanks

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  3. Howdy - it's moved just a few doors down (towards kingsford) on the same side of the road, I'm not sure of the address, we plan to go back soon though :-)

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  4. Pondok Buyung (apparently pronounced Pon-dok Boo-yoong), is my favourite Indonesian joint on Anzac Pde. I highly recommend trying the Chicken Giblet curry.

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  5. The ayam goreng pemudi and fried bihun in Ratu Sari is the benchmark.

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  6. someone beat me to mentioning Ratu Sari. would love to hear what you guys think of it... just had nasi campur ( is there a difference between nasis'padang and campur ?) there...bloody fantastic. especially liked the eggplant curry. lot smaller selection that PonDok Buyung ...but 3 out of 3 goood dishes is better than I've done in 2 visits to Pondok. I like the place...but some dishes - like the beef tendon dish - are wrong as

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Thanks for your comment joy - please keep your musings happy - if you want to complain about a restaurant please do it on a restaurant review site (or your own blog) - we're all about celebrating cultural diversity and the great eats that come along with it :-)

Our ethics: We pay for all our own meals and travel (though sometimes Mum shouts us).