Sederhana (Masakan Padang)
Location: 207 Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Featured Items: Hangry 4 Choice: 2 proteins plus 2 sides with rice and curry gravy ($24 AUD, plus $2 AUD for rendang). Ours: Rendang, Ayam Pop, Sayur Singkong, Gulai Nangka, Ayam Bakar, Dendeng Batokok, Telur Gulai, Telur Balado
Note: A Padang-style spot recommended by Indonesian colleagues. Prices are in AUD.
Verdict: The curry gravy and rendang are excellent, and the grilled chicken and spicy egg balado steal the show.
I think I have mentioned a few times that we do not have many Indonesian spots in Vancouver, so I asked my Indonesian colleagues to curate a list for me to try in the CBD. I received a list of five places, and for Thursday dinner, hubby and I went to Sederhana on Queen Street.
I think I am already letting my health goals slip with the amount of food I have been eating on this trip, but this was too good to skip.
Hangry 4 Choice ($24)
We each got the Hangry 4 Choice ($24): 2 proteins plus 2 sides with fluffy white rice and curry gravy. The rich, golden curry gravy is absolutely excellent, and I would be happy with just that over rice.
My Plate: Rendang, Ayam Pop, Sayur Singkong and Gulai Nangka
Of course, I got the rich rendang (coconut beef stew), which is an additional $2, and the tender padang chicken (ayam pop), with sides of leafy cassava leaves (sayur singkong) and creamy jackfruit curry (gulai nangka).
The rendang is so good, and worth the extra $2. The flavour is bold and deep, not watered down at all, so it is perfect. The beef could be a bit more tender, but the sauce is wonderful. The ayam pop is tender, though hubby's grilled version is better.
The cassava leaves looked a lot like laing, a Filipino dish of taro leaves stewed in coconut milk, but this one is not as thick and the sauce is more soupy. The same goes for the jackfruit curry. We have a Filipino version called ginataang langka, which is the same idea but this one is more liquid in sauce. Interesting, and all good. I am so happy.
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| My plate: ayam pop, rendang (+$2), sayur singkong and gulai nangka with curry gravy |
Hubby's Plate: Ayam Bakar, Dendeng Batokok and Eggs
Hubby's plate had thin, crispy chili beef (dendeng batokok) and smoky padang grilled chicken (ayam bakar), with sides of mellow egg curry (telur gulai) and fiery egg balado (telur balado). The hard-boiled egg balado is spicy and covered in chilies, and it is my preferred one over the curried egg. The chili beef reminds me a little of beef tapa, since both use thin slices of beef, but this one is spicy. As mentioned earlier, the grilled chicken on hubby's plate is better.
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| Hubby's plate: ayam bakar, dendeng batokok, telur balado and telur gulai |
Final Thoughts
Eating Indonesian food is so satisfying because it is so closely similar to Filipino food, and I am happily in a food coma. Sederhana is a hearty, flavour-packed stop, and I am grateful to my colleagues for the list. Four more places to go! Prices are in AUD.
Do you have a favourite Indonesian dish, or a Padang spot I should try next? Tell me in the comments!
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