9 Indonesian Restaurants in Sydney

Australians have taken to Asian cuisine in a big way and the Indonesian restaurants of Sydney offer some of the most popular dishes around. Nasi goreng, for example, is often considered to be Indonesia's national dish and you'll find it on the menus of most Indonesian restaurants in Sydney. This fried rice classic is often served with a sweet and thick soy sauce called kecap manis and garnished with carrots, acar and cucumber. Nasi gila, or 'crazy rice', is a fun variation with lots of different meats in the rice. The of course there is satay. This staple consists of tasty skewers of meat, marinated in turmeric, grilled and then served with a delicious peanut sauce. Rendang is another classic hailing from Pendang and is a curry dish brimming with tender meat, cooked slowly in a spicy sauce until it is almost falling apart.

If you enjoy Middle Eastern or Indian cooking, you might want to look out for Indonesian restaurants in Sydney serving dishes from Sumatra. The spicy curry flavours in dishes such as gulai are heavily influenced by dishes brought to Indonesia by traders from these regions. Dishes from Java tend to be influenced by Chinese cooking, with lots of noodles, spring rolls and meatballs, and when you move towards the east of the country, the food tends to be lighter and more influenced by tastes from the Melanesian and Polynesian regions. You will even find dishes in Sydney's Indonesian restaurants with origins from as far afield as Portugal and Holland. These recipes were brought by merchants from across the globe who flocked to the famous spice islands of Indonesia to trade for nutmeg, cloves and pepper. Together, all of these influences help to create a cuisine that offers delicious dishes for almost any palate and preference.