Padi
Image: Nestled in a row of eateries that one wouldn’t have cause to notice unless one worked nearby, is a standout Indonesian. The cuisine’s actually Sundanese from West Java, mostly prepared by owner Noni Widjaya’s Mum Julia.
Nestled in a row of eateries that one wouldn’t have cause to notice unless one worked nearby, is a standout Indonesian. The cuisine’s actually Sundanese from West Java, mostly prepared by owner Noni Widjaya’s Mum Julia. She’s thrown in some quirky changes like red kidney beans into the otherwise excellent Rendang Sapi ($15.50). I suspect they’re a nod to Western preferences for texture, but of course rendang’s so epic it doesn’t need a fix. Over the course of six months of lunching, I’ve cooed over her sweet fried chook, Ayam Kalasan ($14.90); fought colds with a tasty oxtail soup, Rawan Buntut ($12.50); and began to trust satay again. The Sate Campur ($12.50) here (particularly the lamb) is bang on the money, arriving on a darling little rack. My partner’s finally been convinced that bean curd has a purpose, by a clever mix of prawn fritters, deep fried tofu pillows and egg called Tofu Gimbal ($7.90). My colleagues were first swayed by value – the $8.90 blackboard lunch special sometimes even includes a coconut drink – but now unwrap Otak Otak ($8.50) chewy grilled fish cakes like they’ve eaten them for years. Even the Nasi Goreng ($8.90) here’s special. Service refuses to be hurried, in the politest possible way – how very Indonesian.
Padi
76 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills
Ph: (02) 9211 8777
Indonesian $-$$
