Aroma of Indonesia is a new upmarket Indonesian restaurant and the second restaurant by Indonesian wife and husband duo Nessiana Pamudji and Ferry Tshai . They serve delicious Indonesian classics like beef rendang and satay sticks but also harder to find dishes like a lamb shank curry from Central Java. Find out more about what's on the menu and what you have to order.
It's Saturday night when Mr NQN and I arrive at Aroma of Indonesia at Barrack Place in the CBD. It's located down a little laneway on the ground floor of this restaurant and cafe laneway precinct.
Aroma of Indonesia is as a name suggests, very much a celebration of Indonesian food with Indonesian-born married chefs Nessiana Pamudji and Ferry Tshai (ex China Doll, Billy Kwong) at the helm. The duo also own The Sambal on Kent Street. Aroma of Indonesia is their premium Indonesian restaurant. The restaurant seats 44 inside and 12 outside but the outdoor section is not pet friendly.
We start with a cocktail for Mr NQN and a mocktail for me. His choice is the Aroma Island made with coconut rum, purple ube, pineapple juice and condensed milk topped with a coconut aroma bubble. It's as eye catching as it is delicious and we quickly take photos of it before the bubble bursts in a smoky cloud. My choice is the virgin Pina Colada with pineapple juice, coconut milk and lime that is deliciously tropical.
All of the dishes detail where the item originates from and these scallops come from Kimbarin in Bali. The grilled Hokkaido scallops are succulent and sliced in half. They're paired with a Balinese yellow tamarind paste with fresh onion and lemongrass salsa.
The beef skewers from Purwakarta, West Java are marinated and grilled beef tenderloin with crispy onions and tomato on top and kecap manis drizzled. The beef is smokey and tender although it is a bit of a balancing act to get all the garnishes in each bite.
My favourite entree is the duck breast on miniature roti parathas. The crispy buttery roti is designed like a duck pancake and you pick it up with your hands to eat them. The breast slices are so tender and melt in the mouth with the crispy roti, Betutu sauce and cucumber. Betutu is an aromatic spice blend used to marinate Balinese chicken and duck. A dozen of these please.
Then it's time for the mains and if I enjoyed the entrees, then I really loved the mains. Start with the half a serve or a whole serve of the beef rendang. The beef is an Australian full blood wagyu and it is cooked until meltingly tender but it also gives you a good punch with the depth of the flavour of the spices.
What I really like about all of this food is that none of the flavours are dumbed down. I had ordered the sambals on the side but I didn't need them. Usually I do have to up the heat quotient but this is perfect. In fact, almost all the customers look to be Indonesian which says a lot about the flavours.
Likewise, the lamb shank curry has a divine tamarind caramel sauce. The lamb shank could perhaps be cooked a little further so that it really falls off the bone but it's not far from that really. It's served with truss cherry tomatoes and the charred cabbage on the side. Make sure to get some coconut rice and some roti to soak up all of these delectable sauces.
Ikan Saus Mangga comes from Cianjur, West Java and is one of their signature dishes and it looks impressive when it comes out. It's a whole filleted snapper taken off the bone, cut into pieces and deep-fried has a sweet and tangy mango sauce. It's crispy and moreish and goes well with the other meat heavy mains that we ordered.
Our friendly waitress has not steered us wrong so we go to her for a recommendation and she says unequivocally to get the durian crème brûlée. Full disclosure Dear Reader: I'm ambivalent about durian. I cannot separate the smell from the taste but Mr NQN loves durian so he's excited to try it. It has a crisp toffee shell and underneath is a creamy custard made with real Durian fruit pulp with two lady fingers on the side. If you like durian this is for you. I think next time I'd go for the cendol.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you like durian? Have you visited many areas of Indonesia and is there a favourite?
Aroma of Indonesia
Barrack Place - 151 Clarence Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: 0410 017 959
Lunch Monday to Friday 11:30am - 04:00pm (last order at 3pm)
Dinner Monday to Saturday 05:30pm - 11:00pm (last order at 9.30pm)
Closed Sundays and most Public Holidays
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