Pondok Buyung — Restaurant in Sydney

This is an absolute Gem .Best Malay/Indunisian/Sri Lankan/Kerala type Rice and curry shop in Sydney by a country mile.I am a Sri Lankan and the mentioned countries have similar type cousin where curries based on Coconut milk.I went to all Sri Lankan Kerala shops in sydney for past 5 Years but couldnot satisfy my taste buds 100% like I used to have when I was hoem until my wife took me there today for lunch where she got a recommendation from a youtube channel.When I first saw the name board I was bit skeptical and worried that this place even closed down but when I came to the ordering counter which is few paces from Entrance I was mesmorised.My memory went back several years where I used to eat at colombo and the food didnt dispoint either.If you heven been there yet try it and you will never bother to find another place for the...

Operated by a native indonesian couple, pondok buyung is one of the few places which serves up pretty authentic indonesian (padang) food. For true padang traditionalists, i realize that padang food is not normally served out of bain-marie.

Since there was too many dishes to choose from, we thought we'd try them all (almost) by ordering 6 containers (each with 3 choices of dishes heaped on top of rice). I must say that nothing stood out of the dishes we ordered, though most are slightly above average in terms of taste. The good news is that their food looks spicier (hot) than they really are, which explains some of their clientele. Even their green chilli with anchovies (sold separately, recommend you try) or their supposedly red hot chilli (served free) are quite mild, thankfully quite full of flavour. Be prepared to Q...

It can be a great experience for foreigners and Indonesian diasporas who miss food back home.

I personally didn’t think the foods were authentic enough for a Padang food. In addition, the foods were cold :(

Beef rendang: The rendang is more on the wetter side, making it a kalio. Padang rendang served in Indonesia is more towards the drier side, making it tougher and saltier. They probably did it to accustom to foreigner’s tastebuds.

Sambal: I couldn’t see the iconic balado or green chili sambal that you will usually find in a Padang restaurant. The sambal they served is shrimpy, which, I would say, doesn’t really match Padang food. It is refillable though, which is a plus.

My personal favorite would be the cassava leaf stew. It is soft, tender...