Viktoria Jean

Dinner at Pondok Jawa Timur  on a Saturday Night, before our excursion to the iLights festival at Marina Bay. Thank you Aveline for hosting us!

Before I go deeper into the authenticity of Pondok Jawa Timur’s Indonesian cuisine, I wanted to touch a little bit on HOLLER OUT, the latest foodie-tech app on the block, available on both iOS and Android. When you quote “VIKTORIAJEAN” on @holler.out app, with a minimum spend of $30, you get 10% off your total bill! In addition, you automatically become an ambassador for Pondok Jawa Timur by using my promo code on payment.

What Holler Out app does is to encourage word-of-mouth and social media affirmation of bistros, cafes, bars and restaurants. By sharing your code, or using someone else’s, both parties benefit! Because as an ambassador, you gain a teeny share of cash in your stash, which you can choose to cash out in future. As a code-user, you stand to get 10%-20% off your total bill. As a restaurant owner you get loads more social media mentions by being a participating vendor. Currently there’re more than 40 vendors, including spa and recreational outlets, and the app is ever expanding.

Pondok Jawa Timur is a participating vendor, and if you use my code “VIKTORIAJEAN” when you dine, you get a 10% discount. Simple relational equation. Use it now!

Let’s talk food now. Here I am, holding the Bakwan Jagung, or the simply irresistible fried minced corn cake and prawns. When I think about Indonesian food, my vocabulary falls short and stops somewhere between “Chendol” and “Ayam Penyet”. Hence, dinner at Pondok Jawa Timur was really an educational tour of the Javanese food culture.

Dan decided to crash my photo. Hahha.

I love how our rice came in 3 colours: White, Green and Yellow – Green being pandan-infused and yellow being tumeric-infused. The restaurant’s signature prawn crackers go so well with rice, and almost every damn thing, that its scattered all over our dishes. We had crackers for starters as appetisers.

Avocado is supposedly healthy fat, and does wonders for your skin. This rich avocado shake comes with creamy chocolate sauce, and is the best drink to ruin all diet plans…and to make your skin smooth as a slab of butter. Choose wisely.

Who am I kidding? I choose avocado chocolate any damn day.

Thanks to our fabulous host, we enjoyed this array of dishes and almost had to roll our fat bellies out of 737 North Bridge Road. I especially enjoyed the Sate Ayam sticks, as we all know, are grilled chicken skewers served with special peanut sauce. Their sauce is smoother and definitely less chunky than the version that I’m used to eatting from Satay by the Bay or East Coast Park. And the taste is less peanut-ish, and stronger on garlic and spices.

As you can see, there are 3 types of soups in the photo:
The one furthest away is the Rawon, or the rich tasting Javanese beef black soup. Ayam Kare is the one in the middle and it’s essentially chicken curry.  Then there’s Soto Ayam, or  Tumeric Soup with shredded chicken, boiled egg and vegetables.

That delectable dish in the forefront is the Ayam Penyet – the traditional fried chicken served with fried tofu, tempeh and sambal belacan. Loved it! It’s crispy and crushed tempeh actually tastes like pork floss.
Beside the curries, beef rendang and its traditional spice blend with coconut milk sauce goes perfectly with rice. It’s so good.
This is the Ayam Bakar Kecap, the marinated grilled chicken with sweet sauce. I like it that it resembles teriyaki, and retains the heavy spice-infused flavour of most Indonesian dishes.

Ayam Bakar Kecap – $7.90

Satay Sate Ayam 5 Sticks – $8.90
And the Bakwan Jagung (3pcs) – $6.50

I loved this! Chicken curry/ Ayam Kare – $7.50

Ayam Penyet – $6.90The Tahu Penyet (3 pcs) $2.50

Beef rendang – $8.90Ikan Asam  – $9.50Sambel Goreng Kentang Kering, or crispy sambal potato  –  $2.00

Sambal Kacang Ikan Teri or Sambal fried anchovy w nuts – $2.00

Kerupuk (prawn)  –  $2.00 / pkt

Of course, what’s a meal without desserts?

Introducing the Ice Campur ($4.50), a classic Indonesian ice shaved dessert served with chendol, grass jelly, young coconut and atap seed. Yummy! A must-have for the recent wave of humidity. 

We were also served the Ice Kepala Muda Gula Jawa ($4.50), shaved ice with young coconut served with javanese sugar. Very interesting combination that tasted of gula melaka and sweet fresh coconut. 

This is the Ice Teler ($4.50), an all time favourite Indonesian mixed ice served with young coconut, jackfruit and avocado! I loved this one especially, as there was a hint of lime and tasted super refreshing. I think I can eat one all on my own.

Opened by Indonesians, this restaurant has authentic recipes down to a T. Plus the prices are very affordable at the $13 – $20 range for a good full dinner. For Pondok Jawa Timur’s full menu, check out their website, or head down to their homely physical store at 737 North Bridge Road. I know I’m definitely heading back there for more Indonesian food soon!

xoxo,
Viktoria Jean