Review Pondok Buyung - Kensington

Best Indonesian Padang in sydney and certainly the most authentic. The food is just amazing and unpretentious. Pretty inexpensive. Will be back trying more options

Always great indonesian food. A favourite for taxi and Uber drivers. One plate is never enough.

Best Indonesian food joint in Sydney. Full of delicious and authentic selections. I used to live across the street and the only place I get my Asian cuisine. 2 choices of meat and 1 choice of veggie at $12.50.

Simply the best value Indonesian and great taste. Hasn't changed in 10 years. Love it!!!

One of the Best Indonesian Nasi Padang in Sydney..As authentic as it get !!! Highly recommended if u crave for decent good Nasi Padang !!

I have tried a lot of good Malaysian food and this Indonesian joint makes the equally good slow cooked meals. I had Beef Rendang and it had a unique smoky flavour and lamb curry was also pleasant to eat. It’s worth the trip to Kensington. I give this place 4 bears.

Food served cold. The meat was dry. The vegetables were not very fresh.

I just love this place, I’ve been eating here since 2006, mostly for a quick takeaway and eat in occasionally. The food is just so tasty and I always think the freshness and quality is spot on. Simple and casual to eat in and super generous on portions. Will always keep coming back here

It’s great, but it’s often close way earlier than what’s the schedule said. I came there twice just before 7pm and they were closed. So I wouldn’t try to go there for dinner, just lunch haha.

I would say, probably the best, most affordable nasi padang in Sydney. Usually visit the place on the weekend. Best time to visit probably around 11:30 - 12:00 hours as the food just come out fresh and not too many people at that time.<br/><br/>I heard, in the past, they have issue with hygiene and get inspected a few times but so far, personally, I haven't experienced any problem with the food. You know, when you dine outside, what looks clean outside may not be so clean in the kitchen.<br/><br/>If you're nasi padang lover, you probably have heard or been to this place. For those who want to try, definitely recommended.

This takes me back to the warungs in Indonesia with big feasts of classic Indonesian food. There's a good range of meat and vegetables to mix and match, generally tasty but about standard warung quality - the beef rendang was a bit chewy. You'll also pay over $10 but you will get a big pile of food for that. The restaurant's all afternoon every day so is a good option for a feast to cover two meals, and indeed it was quite popular at 3pm on a Sunday.

Have been coming here so many times. Food is always consistent and quite well-priced. It’s quite rare to find other ‘Padang’ restaurant so this place is my go-to for this kind of food. On this particular visit I bought their calamari curry. It was delicious and flavoursome even though I wanted it to be more spicy :)

Best nasi padang around. Food is awesome and price is reasonable too, can’t ask for more. <br/>Must try - ayam rendang, tempeh, cassava leaves.<br/>Pair it with teh kotak. 👍🏻<br/>Suggestion - Walk to Rosebery Martabak for the famous martabak if you are still feeling hungry.

Affordable Indonesian food, although not as hot as I hoped it would be, especially the beef rendang. They have lots of food (lauk) to choose from.

I know several places which sell nasi padang in Sydney, but this is my favorite place cause strategically located (only take 1 bus from central ~ i live in wollongong) and the food were displayed in counter same like padang restaurant in Indonesia. Food taste okay (at least if i were missing my hometown food) and cheap.

👅Taste-wise : delicious.<br/>💰Price-wise : very cheap.<br/>🙇🏻Staff treatment : friendly.<br/>🍽Portion size : decent, meat a little bit small.<br/><br/><br/>Never knew this restaurant existed and so glad I found this Padang restaurant. They’re very cheap and the quality of the food reminds me of the real deal. But the rendang was a bit dry, but still alright. The unlimited chili was also the highlight of my lunch visit. Too bad it’s too far from where I live. But definitely recommended.

Hands down one of the best cheap eats in Sydney, Pondok satisfied my Indo craving! For a measly $24 for two people we both walked out full and with leftovers. Hot tea was free but the Indonesian juices and teas are nice too and also cheap. Awesome vegetarian options, packed full of flavour. SO good for the price. This place is so genuine that I actually felt like I was in Indonesia! The lady serving at the front was totally slammed, I went around 5pm (expect a line usually) but she was still lovely, smiley, and patient, very welcoming to a first timer who wasn't sure what everything was. I recommend the Jackfruit curry and Belado egg but feel free to ask what anything is - it all tastes good though so you can't really go wrong! <br/>

I always go here when I miss my home cook. Food always fresh, tasty and feels like home cook meal.  The curry puff is a must for me everytime I go there.

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. <br/><br/>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 during meal times.

One of my comfort food in Sydney. Whenever I crave Nasi Padang or Indonesian food in general, I'd go to this place.<br/><br/>So there you'll stand in front of hot bar and choose up to three side dishes to go with rice (you can order more or less side dishes according to your own preferences). As an Indonesian, it's pretty easy for me to decide which side dishes to go with, but I don't think it'll be easy for first timer to choose their own as there are no labels of the dishes' name. In this case, you can just ask the ladies there for the name and contents of the dishes, and if you can't stand spicy ones, most of the time they'll warn you.<br/><br/>Now let's get into the details. For a price of  $10-11 (they recently raised their price by $1), you'll get a big portion of rice and equally decent sized side dishes. My favourites are teri kacang (deep fried anchovies with peanuts), kulit ayam goreng (deep fried chicken skin), balado terong (spicy braised eggplant), balado kentang (braised potato), oseng-oseng tempe (stir fried tempeh). They roll their menu almost everyday so sometimes you might miss your favourite dish. In terms of flavour profile, most of the dishes here are in the range of savoury, salty, and spicy, with a little hints of sweet and sour here and there.<br/><br/>Pro tip: <br/>• Order your food with rice. I've seen some people (obviously not Indonesian) just eat their meal without rice. I think the taste will be too overwhelming because those dishes are traditionally cooked to be eaten with rice. So unless you've got dietary problems or restrictions, there is no reason to skim on rice.<br/>• Order extra kuah (or gravy) and bumbu rendang (rendang sauce) on top or your rice. This will crank up your meal to extra level. Especially if you ordered dry dishes (fried chicken, fried fish), the gravy will give nice, smooth flavour to your rice. Think about Indian food.<br/>• If you fancy something more au naturale and authentic, try to eat the meal with your hands. Yes you read that right, go commando with your hands and get them dirty. It's the authentic way to eat nasi padang.

You'd never choose to come in here based off the crowd and the ambiance. It was never made with design in mind, but with great tasting food being the main focus. Go inside and grab yourself rice with a choice of meat and veg - but be prepared for an explosion of flavour and spices! This place is known for its authentic Padang food. You won't be disappointed!

Don't judge a book by its cover. Not the greatest looking decor in this place, but it adds authenticity to this Indonesian home cooked dining experience. It gives a feel like you are dining in Indo. At $10 for rice with choice of 2 meat + a veg option it is great value for for a variety of delicious Indo food. There is a range of great curries including jack fruit curry, lamb curry, beef rendang and a few curry chicken varieties and ayam goreng. There are some tasty vegetable dishes and my favorite part of the meal were the accompaniments which include sambal, peanuts with a dried anchovies and crispy chicken skin. Will be back to sample all this bargain gem has to offer.

We asked our Sydney folks to take us to Indo (Padang) restaurant, so they did. As soon as I walked in, it reminded me of real Indo restaurants, as if we're not in Australia! Nothing fancy, just a humble restaurant with "warteg" kind of atmosphere, hehe.. There're so many choices. You can choose whatever dishes you want. $10 for 2 meat and 1 veg dishes (rice included) was a bargain. Hubby of course went for his favourite rendang and others. As for me, I missed a lot of Indo veg dishes so I had 2 vegs and 1 meat dishes for $10. Portions were quite generous. Taste wise, quite authentic! I loved that we can grab unlimited sambal terasi as much as we want, though it's not the best sambal. So our crave for Indo cuisine were fulfilled, we moved on to next restaurants.

This eatery is famous for their authentic Padang food. Padang is the capital city of West Sumatra province in Indonesia. This is the origin of Beef Rendang which is arguably the best Indonesian dish.<br/><br/>I have been religiously eating in this restaurant for at least a decade now. Their best dishes are: Beef Rendang, Gulai Nangka (Jackfruit curry) and Balado Eggplant. Their fish dishes are not bad either. Others would prefer their Chicken Rendang, crispy chicken skin or the more hard core Curried Beef Tendon and Tripe.<br/><br/>How it works:<br/>You would normally pick three dishes plus steamed rice which will cost 10 dollars.<br/><br/>Bottomline : Great food. Good service. Excellent value.

I mean who doesnt love this place. It s affordable and there are heaps of selections. It reminds me of how they serve nasi padang back in Indonesia. Love the cassava leaves and green jack fruit curry. Try any dish on that bain-marie, guarantee you ll come back for more.

I have been going to Pondok Buyung since I first arrived in Sydney. It's always the same $10 (increased only slightly) for 3 choice of dishes with rice!

The best Nasi Padang in Sydney, as close as you can get to eating in Sumatra. Back in the ye olden days, way back in the mid 1990s, I found myself wandering around Sumatra and falling in love with nasi Pading: a cuisine that is a smorgasboard of saucey an

Oh, what a feeling!. Good stuff to be had here folks. This is the epitome of what a halal meat and three ought to be. Reminiscent of certain parts of asia where rice is the staple, you choose from a bain marie what you want. Freshly refilled, I could see they were gearing up for a serious dinner crowd. Good value, unpretentious eating here folks. Those of you who want ambience, you can go suck your own duck. Those of you who want to keep it real, well, Pondok Buyung's your beach. Cendol was not too impressive - I'd come back for the savoury. A pity they don't do sup bakso or buntut as this would really help warm the cockles of me heart on a cold rainy day like this.

One of those unassuming little treasures.<br/><br/>Simple, some would say grungy, decor but in front of the bay windows with a breeze blowing through, what better place to enjoy some authentic, home style Indonesian food? <br/><br/>Nice helpful staff, if you don't know a Redang from a Padang, fear not, they'll plate you up something nice.

AMAZING AUTHENTIC INDO FOOD! My sister discovered this restaurant a few yrs ago and we have been going there once a week ever since. Delicious Padang food. Very authentic and reminds me of home. Ladies that work there are lovely and give decent portion sizes. Value for money for sure! Highly recommend for those missing traditional indo food! Or even those who want to give it a try!

Very very authentic. Went there once and it was very good! i am indonesian and this is the closest to the Padangnese/Minangnese food back home, compared to all other restaurants in sydney and melbourne.