02 July 2011

Saucepan Cafe Restaurant ~ Indonesian - Darlington [CLOSED]

We stop at Saucepan Cafe for a takeway coffee, and discover they have an Indonesian menu. We came back twice.
[CLOSED - SEPTEMBER 2012]





Gentrification has been creeping in over the years on Abercrombie Street in Darlington, that little enclave between the University of Sydney and Redfern Station. The cafes are getting a little more upmarket, and some ad agencies have moved in, though the vibe is still Newtown boho mixed with Redfern edginess.



Across from the Glengary Castle Hotel (not as scary as it used to be) is the Saucepan Cafe & Restaurant. Saucepan does all the usual cafe and burger stuff, and some pan-Asian crowd pleasers, but most interestingly it has an Indonesian menu as well. Normally we'd steer clear of anywhere that served nasi goreng alongside parmigiana and chips, but we have a good feeling about this joint.



Dendeng Balado - Indonesian marinated beef topped with Saucepan's 'signature balado' chili sauce - $12. A small serving but it's all beef and it's perfectly cooked. The chili sauce has a real kick, 'you like spicy?'.



Ayam Goreng Rica-Rica - fried chicken with chili paste - $13.90. Light and crispy outside, moist in the middle, with a lovely, spicy chili paste. Not quite as hot as the beef but with more flavour to it, the sauce has melted tomatoes in the sauce which give it colour and flavour.



Sate kambing - char grilled lamb with Indonesian salsa - $9. Given the price of lamb these days, $9 for five sticks is a pretty sweet deal. The lamb is in small pieces as it should be, and it's perfectly cooked to. The sauce is based on sweet kecap manis with some chili to spice it up. It's nice but the lamb is so good on it's own. Must come back to try the chicken satay...



Soto madura - Indonesian hawker style beef noodle soup - $9. A turmeric flavoured broth with vermicelli style noodles and slithers of beef, squeeze some lemon in to give it a real zing. Alison is unwell so this simple, not-so-spicy broth works a treat.



Bakmie Ayam Jamur - Indonesian hawker style chicken noodles - $8.50. Bakmi ayam is one of our favourite Indonesian street food dishes. It's no Pinangsia Noodle House but it's pretty dang good for a joint where this dish is probably ordered only now and again.



Saucepan Cafe & Restaurant Menu



Saucepan Cafe & Restaurant Menu



Ms Elle J. Dog is up for some sate kambing. Sorry puppy, not this time.

Saucepan Cafe is at Shop 6/ 245-249 Abercrombie St Darlington.


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4 comments:

  1. What a great little find! Indonesian food is under-rated and the turmeric flavoured noodles look tasty.

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  2. I'm with you sister, Indo food is highly underrated - so many people spread out over so many islands means lots of diversity. And every Indo restaurant in Sydney is a little different, they're all worth exploring :-)

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  3. Noooooo! i wont i cant believe closed sept 2012??? really i have to see for myself.. , i used to live 2mins walk from this joint.. it was awsome!..

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  4. It's true, but the Japanese joint that has replaced it is superb - http://www.streetfood.com.au/2012/10/japs-table-japanese-darlington-redfern.html

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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).