When I think of Indonesian cuisine, I think of classic Indonesian dishes such as
nasi goreng, which is often noted as the national dish of Indonesia. Nasi goreng is a fried rice dish, which typically includes vegetables, chilli, garlic, eggs, prawns, chicken and
kecap manis. There are a number of variations of this dish, which may include beef, goat meat or salted fish.
Image Credit: Rizka Budiati (Wikimedia Commons)
Besides nasi goreng there is
gado-gado, a hearty vegetable salad with peanut sauce dressing. Typical ingredients include corn, string beans, cucumber, lettuce, boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, fried tofu, coconut sugar, chillies, lime juice and tamarind water.
Image Credit: Sakurai Midori (Wikimedia Commons)
Another typical dish is
satay; marinated and grilled sticks of chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork and fish. This dish is usually served with a spicy peanut sauce. There are many variations on this dish which feature different meats and marinade ingredients.
Image Credit: Gunkarta (Wikimedia Commons)
Indonesian cuisine has a range of influences including Indian influences (
roti canai), Chinese influences (
egg foo young) and Dutch influences (
kue cubit). It really is a wonderfully vibrant cuisine. In Melbourne, these dishes and many more can easily be found in various Indonesian cafes and restaurants in and around the city.
In this listing, we hope to list the very best Indonesian cafes and restaurants and you will also have the opportunity to contribute to this listing.
Let's start our Indonesian foodie adventure in the CBD.
Nelayan Indonesian, located on Swanston Street is an affordable Indonesian restaurant. It is casual and a great lunch spot. Most of the dishes are priced around $15. The spicy
beef rendang is one particular menu highlight - often described as the best in Melbourne. Another favourite is
opor ayam - chicken cooked in coconut milk. This is a great CBD spot to discover the various delights of Indonesian cuisine.
Wantilan Bali in Hawthorn is also renown for authentic Indonesian cuisine. The menu is a celebration of Balinese cuisine. The Jakut Gado-Gado is a delight as is the Sate Lilit Tuna. The house speciality is the Wantilan Crispy Duck. This is an elegant establishment and the mains are priced around the $25 mark.
Another Melbourne highlight is
Warung Agus, located in North Melbourne. This is another elegant Indonesian restaurant located in Melbourne. The menu is equally refined; recommended main dishes include Babi Guling; traditional Balinese roasted pork, Biri Biri Panggang; grilled lamb rack cultlets with tamarind and palm sugar and Nasi Campur; rice served with satay pork and chicken. The perfect way to end your meal here is with either
Kue Lapis or Bubuh Injin; black rice pudding. Main dishes are priced around the $25 mark here.
Bamboe Cafe, located in Malvern East, is also recommended. This is an affordable cafe/restaurant with main dishes priced around $15. The menu is wide and varied, with a range of rice dishes on offer as well as satay dishes. There dessert menu is limited. This is a great causal spot and as the various dishes are affordable; you can opt to try a few items on the menu.
There are of course, many more great Indonesian establishments in Melbourne, so if you know of a great cafe or restaurant which serves authentic Indonesian cuisine, please let us know about it by leaving a comment.
As always, we look forward to your feedback.
