Lestari Indonesian Restaurant, Ultimo

If you know about Lestari, you're one of the few Sydneysiders about the hidden alleyway running off Harris Street. It's a poky little pedestrian laneway tucked in between the Agincourt Hotel and the UTS Design & Architecture building. Lestari, which means everlasting in Indonesian, is a fitting name for a restaurant that's been serving up cheap and cheerful fare to homesick uni students since 2011. This year they moved to an even bigger space at the end of laneway, the former site of ATL Maranatha that served Indonesian pressure-cooked fried chicken (RIP).


Kwetiaw goreng ayam $10
Stir fried thick rice noodles with chicken

The menu is still the same, a double-sided laminated sheet with the most expensive dish topping out at $12.50. No wonder it's a favourite with students.

Kwetiaw goreng is the localised version of Malaysian kway teow fried flat rice noodles. The most noticeable variation is the sweet sauciness to the noodles, combined with a noticeable whack of chilli. If you need more heat, got nuts with the self-serve sambal chilli sauce pots. Proceed with caution though - the chilli sauce packs a serious punch.


Kwetiaw siram ayam $11
Thick rice noodles with chicken and gravy

At the other end of the spectrum you'll find kwetiaw siram. The thick rice noodles drenched in gelatinous-like gravy might take a little while to get used to, but for many locals, this is pure comfort food. It's not all gloop. Fresh bean sprouts, green vegetables and fried shallots add textural contrast and crunch.


Cap jai $11 and tempeh $2
Stir fried mixed vegetables with rice

Vegetarians don't have a lot of options, but the cap jai is a hearty choice. It's a crunch-fest of stir fried cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and leafy greens sauced up with gravy. The deep fried tofu puffs and your mound of white rice will soak up the sauce magnificently. If you want a little more substance, get an order of tempeh fermented soy on the side.


Ayam goreng penyet $9
Fried chicken topped with Javanese chilli sauce

It goes without saying that you can order chicken fried (goreng) and grilled (bakar). The ayam goreng penyet will make most peoples' eyes water. For chilli lovers, it's an adrenaline-packed treat.

The Javanese chilli sauce smeared across the top is less sauce and more chilli puree. You've been warned.


Nasi goreng special with chicken and prawn and fried egg $12

Nasi goreng fried rice is ideal for carb-loading. It might look like variations of brown on the plate but wait until you crack open that fried egg and the gooey yolk runs out.


Bakmi ayam jamur $9
Noodle with chicken and mushroom and soup on the side

The Indonesian Chinese dish, bakmi ayam, is popular too. Wheat noodles are topped with a tumble of chicken and mushroom seasoned with soy. Leafy greens make this a complete meal. You'll also score a bowl of clear soup with beef balls on the side.


Bakmi babi panggang $12.50
Noodle with bbq pork and wonton and soup on the side

Pork makes a surprise appearance here too - most Indonesian restaurants are halal and don't include pork on the menu. Here you can request pork in all the noodle soup and stir-fry dishes.  Get the babi panggang bbq pork on your bakmi and you'll score a pile of deliciously sticky fatty grilled pork.


Side soup with beef ball

The bowl of clear soup with two bobbing beef balls is just what you need to sip on in between mouthfuls of noodle.


Bbq pork with wheat noodles

Hoe into those crinkly chewy noodles with sweet pork and try not to eat that deep fried wonton in one go. It's worth savouring that crunch.



The dining room is bright and clean and relatively roomy. You'll have to get your own cutlery from the communal service area but tissue boxes and bottles of kecap manis are on every table. Priorities.




Lestari
Shop 96, 732 Harris Street, Ultimo, Sydney
Tel: +61 (0)430 138 268

Opening hours 
Daily 12pm-8pm


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Medan Ciak, Surry Hills

Surry Hills might be the last place you’d expect to find cheap and homestyle Indonesian food but that's exactly where Medan Ciak has opened. It’s a new favourite with Indonesian students and ex-pats - queues out the door are not uncommon, especially on weekends. There’s a reason for the frisson of excitement. Unlike most Indonesian restaurants across Sydney that focus on Javanese cuisine, here you’ll find the food of Medan, the North Sumatran capital known for its distinct mix of indigenous Batak, Malay and Chinese flavours.



Expect lots of pork - Batak people are predominantly Christian rather than Muslim faith - including regular cameos by Chinese lap cheong sausage. You’ll find it scattered in the nasi goreng fried rice and the cah kwe tiau – fried flat rice noodles with barbecue pork, prawns, fish cake and egg that mirrors Malaysian char kway teow.


Medan cah kew tiau $13
Fried flat rice noodles


Sio bak pui (nasi babi panggang) $14
BBQ and roast pork rice

Whatever you do, make sure you order the barbecue pork and roast pork rice. It’s a porcine feast of sweet marinated pork, barbecued so the edges are caramelised, and chunks of juicy roast pork topped with a tile of bubbled crackling. It’s not far removed from what you'd find at a Chinese bbq shop, except here you get cucumber slices, a soy sauce egg and plenty of sweet soy drizzled over the top.


Lontong sayur $13
Rice cake with vegetable curry

Lontong sayur is another house specialty, a spicy coconut milk soup loaded with carrots, beans, boiled egg and green jackfruit. Curried beef and fried chicken pieces bolster the protein content. Lontong compressed rice cakes at the bottom of the bowl are ideal for soaking up all that soupy goodness.


Nasi padang $12
Indonesian combination rice

Still can’t decide? The nasi padang combination rice provides a little scoop of almost everything from the bain marie. That means a mound of rice surrounded by beef rendang, fried chicken, vegetable curry, boiled egg with sambal chilli and cooked cassava leaves.


Cooked cassava leaves

Prices are deliriously cheap for this end of town, with nothing over $14. Even a can of Coke will only set you back two bucks. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for the weekend specials – there are new dishes every week.


Lunch for cheap in the city


Bain marie efficiency






Medan Ciak
Shop 3, 460 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills, Sydney
Tel: +61 (0)403 363 326

Opening hours
Tuesday to Thursday 11am-3.30pm
Friday to Sunday 11am-3pm and 5pm-9pm

This article first appeared in Time Out Sydney. Read this article online or read more of my Time Out Sydney reviews.


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