Yen Tand
Pempek Clovelly serves the best Ketoprak (vermicelli, rice cakes, vermicelli and tofu) I’ve known in Sydney so far. The peanut sauce is so tasty, and has very rich and intense garlic flavour! I would go to Pempek Clovelly anytime just to get that dish.
We also love their Pempek (Indonesian fish cakes). We usually order a few, with noodles. The pempek sauce is flavoursome too - great balance of sweet and tanginess. We tried their fried chicken and sayur asem (sour soup) with rice. Their deep fried chicken is so good - one of the best Indo fried chickens! Some other Indo restaurants have their fried chicken tasteless or too dry and overcooked. But Clovelly’s chicken is juicy inside, freshly fried with crispy skin, and well marinated! Our new favourite.
We also are glad to know that the restaurant seems to be improving with COVID guidelines: sign in using QR code, and they have a sink and soap for hand washing too. Though I think they could do the serving for the cutleries/ tea instead of keeping it as self service during this pandemic. Few things to improve, I remember once ordering from the phone and the lady answering wasn’t the friendliest. In general service is ok but could be more friendly/ welcoming. Also during lunch rush in the weekend, waiting time can be long. Once we waited for 35 minutes for our takeaway order. Just time your visit.
Overall, great Indonesian food - visit the place even if it’s just for the food!
Moony Dee
Soto Ayam: 2/5
Soto Mie: 2/5
Pempek Kombinasi: 5/5
As other reviewers have noted, the Pempek is really good here. Would recommend it if you're craving it. The owners are Indonesian too so I suppose that makes it more 'authentic'.
It's just a shame that the Soto Ayam and Soto Mie really fell flat. There was barely any chicken in the Soto Ayam and the flavour wasn't that great. The Soto Mie had beef inside but it mainly contained fat.
To state the obvious, don't expect to come here for a 'good atmosphere/ambience'. The presentation of the dishes is obviously lacking, with my bowl being chipped which is always a worrying sign of the standards a restaurant has.
vu minh
You can find Indo Fish Cake here which is very rare in Sydney. The place is tidy and clean with tasty food. The price is cheap if only you buy the fish cake (around $7 - $9). You can choose to have egg inside with the same price. The best thing is their homemade sauce whichbis unique and match the fish cake. The added noodle is $1.5 but very very little, not worth it. You can't bring outside food or drink. Highly recommended to take away and make your own noodle at home if want to be full.
Daniel Malia
Portions are small and priced too high.
Better off going to Roseberry martabak down the road if you're looking for a proper meal.
Below is rice and rendang. 1 egg split in 2 covered with the sauce to disguise how much you're getting. It was 12 dollars.
Tarn Siripanichgorn
Authentic pempek in Sydney. The restaurant is a bit run down but it's still clean and comfy for a quick meal. The price is at the higher tier compare to the portion served.
Will come back again when we miss the Indonesia food.
trisari paramita
Recommended for #Pempek and #Ketoprak. The taste is authentic and very #Indonesia. Well done, chef..
Hari Thanaseelan
Clean eating tied up with indo cooking. It has a home cooked feel to it.
R Y
I don't like pempek (fish cake) but this made me enjoy this indonesian dish.. much better than the pempek i've had even back in Indonesia. The sauce,mmm, pas banget!! Rendang was the best I've had so far here in Sydney. Don't mind the interior of this place, their food is one of the authentic ones you'll get here in Sydney..
Helen Stack
This place has been changed to a new management for the first time but luckily they maintain the flavour and service seems a bit better and more friendly. The price change a bit, almost everything go up $1 per item. Overall still quite good.
Prida
Best “pempek” (Indonesian fish cake) in town! My favourites include the “kapal selam” (with eggs in it), “lenjer” (long ones) and “bulat” (round ones). I usually stock up (non-fried) and keep in freezer. Then just fry them at home whenever I crave some. The sauce is very tasty too! Always coming back for more “pempek” 😋
Culinary Artist
This place has been around for ages, specializing in Indonesian style fish cake.<br/><br/>Venue: <br/>Easy access, right in front of bus stop on Kensington, if you are driving parking located at the back of the venue.<br/><br/>Service:<br/>Standard<br/><br/>Food & Drink:<br/>Tried couple of dishes.<br/>Fish cake start from $3/ piece and I’ve try 3 of them, and they have a different shapes.<br/>Fish skin fish cake was something different for you to try.<br/>Taste in general was ok, though.<br/><br/>
Dominic Svensson
Pempek (fish cake) is not really for me - it tasted like plain eastern European dumplings - but at least it's interesting. I got it in the tekwan soup which was served tepid and had little flavour - but at least the chilli sauce they offer has some kick. They have other Indo foods that could be good and everything's cheap, so it's another decent option along this strip.
Melanie Ng
have only tried the nasi rendang but ive gone back many times for it, one of the better ones in sydney, i usually get it to go and the lady that always ends up taking my order (i think shes the owner?) is very nice
Rachma Mctegg
Maybe one and only (cause i dont know other place which sell pempek in Sydney) the best pempek in town. Been here several times, aside their pempek i been tried tekwan (but not good for my taste bud, the broth too sweet) and nasi tim ayam (taste good).<br/><br/>More review is up in here (written on my lingo):<br/>https://gadisrakus.wordpress.com/2016/11/04/pempek-clovelly/
Daniel Tambasco
The Gado Gado is an absolute must in this place...it's the best Gado Gado I have tried in Sydney for sure. Can't wait to try some of the other stuff in the place. <br/>Very friendly service too.
Lidya
Been here for lunch and the restaurant was quite packed. I love the food especially their pempek (fish cake). This restaurant is very famous for its fish cakes variety. I came in to have Lenggang (fish cake omelette) and Mie Ayam (chicken noodles), really love the fish cake omelette especially the sauce, just perfect. The chicken noodles was alright. Just be aware though if you come to this restaurant when there are lots of customers, chances are the food might take awhile to come to your table. That was what happened to us when we came.
Orange_tree
A no-frills joint that specialises in pempek, an Indonesian fish cake. The woman taking our orders (the owner?) was kind enough to let us sub the fried chicken in the nasi rames and nasi kuning with grilled chicken (ayam bakar). The grilled maryland was tender, the sweetness of the sauce balanced by the charred bits of skin although the skin could've crisped up more. The accompanying vegetable curry was a rich, coconut-laden gravy that packed a flavour punch. It was a shame that there was maybe one mouthful of vegetables in it. We also shared the pempek combination plate. The greasy fritters had a doughy, chewy texture which was more like the Malaysian keropok lekor, rather than a bouncy fish cake. It was served in a thin sweet and sour gravy which was pretty addictive. I needed a hefty amount of the chilli sauce and sambal provided on each table to boost the flavours. It was underwhelming to say the least, and the $17 price tag was steep for what it was. Pempek Clovelly might be cheap (most items on the menu are in the $10-$13 range) but the quality isn't enough to draw me back.
Jewel Eats
No pretence Indonesian Chinese restaurant specialising in Indonesian fish cakes, noodles, with some rice dishes on offer. I tried the different variety of fish cakes, which tasted genuine, and the gado gado here is also yummy. The ayam Goreng served with a yellow rice was nice and generous, but the actual sambal on offer was a bit lacking in taste. Still, worth coming back.
Freyjadirtha Nurdi
Went several times here.. Just went there yesterday after a while, but somehow it changed.. Not as flavourful as I'd expected.. The indonesian fish cake was standard, the soto mie was alright.
Q_blob
Great pempek! My favourite go-to when in Sydney and craving pempek. It's always best to eat them freshly cooked!<br/><br/>Favourites are the pempek bulat and panjang.
Passionate Foodies
This family operated Indonesian eatery has been there for ages. Their Pempek (Indo Fish Cake) is one of the most authentic one in Sydney. For those not familiar with this type of fish cake, it is one of the most complex food to describe and to make. More so for the sauce which tastes more like vinegar plus plus. It is probably easier to drive to Kenso and try one yourselves.<br/><br/>In general I love all type of Pempek here but my favourites are: Kapal Selam (with Egg inside), Bulet(Ball) , Kulit (Skin) and Lenggang(Omelette). With the exception of the Lenggang, you can sample one each by ordering their combo meal (Kombinasi).<br/><br/>If fish cake is not your thing, you should try their Martabak Telur which is Indonesian interpretation of the "Murtabak". This dish is very popular in Malaysia but it actually originates from India.<br/><br/>Other dish you can try is Bakso Abang Abang, Sop Buntut (Oxtail soup) and of course their Sate Ayam (Chicken Satay).<br/><br/>Bottomline : Great food. Good service. Good value.
All About Food Blog
Being a specialist in pempek, Pempek Clovelly definitely delivered one of the best pempek I have ever tasted. Pempek is a sweet and sour fish cake. So you might need to adjust your taste palate to enjoy it.
All About Food Blog
Generally speaking if you compare it with the price in Indonesia, Indonesian food in Sydney is very expensive! However, if you compare it to Sydney’s food prices, they are still pretty cheap. One restaurant that I frequented is Pempek Clovelly. Pempek is a traditional fish cake originated from the city of Palembang in Indonesia. The unique aspect of pempek is that it comes with vinegar sauce. The sauce is a combination of palm sugar, garlic, vinegar, salt, and chili. The sauce is an integral part of the pempek dish. So, if you don’t get the sauce right, you will spoil the taste. For those of you who have never tasted pempek before, I must warn you that the dish is sweet and sour. The sweet and sour taste usually dominates the flavour.
Mr Shawn & Miss Chicken
One of the few remaining old school Indo joints on Anzac Parade is still going strong. Pempek Clovelly is run by the loveliest of lovely uncle and auntie. We visit on a public holiday Monday when they are slammed with customers. They're manic but still warm and smiley, bless them. The food is Chinese Indonesian, more towards the Indo end of the spectrum, with lots of pempek (fish cakes) on the menu as per their name, plus some fried chicken, soup and noodle dishes. Once the domain of cheap student eateries, Anzac Parade is heading upmarket and a lot of the family run, old school hole-in-the-wall joints are being replaced with more upmarket restos and chain stores (one of uber favourites, Kaki Lima, has been replaced by a Dominos, oh the humanity). So if you share our love of these places like this we urge you to visit soon, you never know when auntie and uncle are going to retire. Pempek kulit (fish cake skin) - $2.50 each plus $1 for noodles . We have to order Pempek at Pempek Clovelly. It's a fish cake with a lovely firm texture and a light crisp to the skin. It soaks up the sweet soy sauce like a fishy tofu puff. Nasi kuning spesial - $12 . Yellow tumeric rice with fried chicken, a divine slice of sweet coconuty slow cooked beef, half a fried googy egg and kind of an Indo potato salad - potato pieces in a lovely smooth and lightly spiced eggy goo, given a fresh kick with beans. Awesome.
The Hungry FoodTech [shirley.gondo]
As the name denotes Pempek Clovelly, an Indonesian restaurant located in Kensington, hidden from the other restaurants in Kingsford but definitely no less authentic than the rest. Pempek in indonesian means fish cake and usually eaten with the black thin spicy sour sauce. I know how I describe it is not appetizing but the flavour surely deliver!
Cherylie
This place had really bad customer service.<br/>Every food we wanted to ordered they kept saying they didn't have it but other people were ordering them.
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