1945, Pyrmont - 2nd Visit

Wine menu signed off by the chef, Natasha Roesli ; 1945 pebbles of different shapes

One cloudy Sunday lunch time I found myself back at 1945 again with a group of friends, simply because someone is craving for some Indonesian food (you know who you are *_^).

We have actually studied the menu weeks before the visit and decided on what we would like to have - da Risjttafels of course !!

As we were seated, one of the waitress & also co-owner (a reader just give me an insider tip LOL), Lenny, remembered me from my last visit !
That was a bit embarassing....LOL

Anywho...while we are waiting for the rest of us to arrive, we ordered some drinks first.

 L - R : Es Lidah Boeaya, Soda Gembira, Teh Boenga Madoe, Roedjak Air, Es Tjintjao

Between the 7 of us, we managed to order almost every type of drinks they have :P
Except for two drinks that unfortunately was sold out :(  There's always next time I suppose !

This time I got the Teh Boenga Madoe, chrysanthemum tea with bush honey lemon, you can have it cold or hot.
I'm glad that the tea is brewed from the chrystanthemum flowers, tasted nothing like the ready to drink tea, it tasted just like what my mom usually make at home :)
Also had a taste at my friend's Es Tjintjao, a grass jelly drink with pandan flavoured fresh milk and palm sugar. It was good, not too sweet at all and the flavour is just right.

Antique irons ; Wayang (Indonesian shadow puppets) ; Dutch aristocrats potraits ; Antique weighing scales

Wall display ; Dining tables set up ; Specials menu board

After what feel like forever, finally all of us are here and we can start ordering, luckily we all know what we want so we can order straight away  ^_^

The menu board frame ; Rijsttafel Set Menu 1

There are 3 types of Rijsttafel set menus, menu 1 is the standard , menu 2 is for vegetarian, and menu 3 is the Grand Rijsttafel to share between 2 people.
With the Grand Rijsttafel you get more dishes and more premium selection such as king prawns, calamari, etc.

Let the pictures do the talking ! ^_^

The Grand Rijsttafel from various angles

The Grand Rijsttafel has 16 different dishes (including soup and desserts for two). It arrives in this huge square wooden tray.  The prawns looked sooo good....

Risjttafel Set Menu 1

The Rijsttafel Set Menu 1 is a set of 10 dishes (including soup and dessert too). It arrives on a huge wooden tray as well, round ones but :)
Since this is my plate, I can comment on the dishes hehehe...
The highlight would be the Sate Babi, pork satay, the meat is tender and well marinated, it was yummm.
The Sambal Goreng Kentang Buntjis was tad too spicy for me but worth the pain, reminds me of what I usually eat back at home.
Smoor Daging, beef chuck stewed in a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg & clove, is another highlight. The meat is so tender that it just flakes of when you fork it.

Sajur Asem ( sweet & sour tamarind soup cooked with ground nuts and vegetables) that comes with the Rijsttafel sets.

First impression that we got when the plates were set down was , "Hmm...there is not much on the plate" LOL
I can just read it on my friends' faces !!

But once we tucked into it...we all agree....don't judge the book by it's cover *nod*nod*
Some of us are starting to struggle to finish what's on our plates...and then when we thought we are done....

Desserts : Boeboer Katjang Hidjao (front) ; Es Tjendol (back)

We forgot we still have desserts !!
Boeboer Katjang Hidjao (mung beans & sago cooked in coconut milk and palm sugar) for the menu set 1, and Es Tjendol (pandan dough with coconut milk and palm sugar ) for the Grand Rijsttafel.

We left with full tummies and satisfied  =^o^=
If you visit 1945 and not sure what to order , the Rijsttafel is the way to go.
You get to have a taste on what the cuisine is all about, the flavours and the various textures.

As we exited the restaurant...look who's out there !

Cute dog !!

Another co-owner of the restaurant pop by to say hello !  Her doggie has just finished the RSPCA Million Paws Walk, noted on the scarf.
The owner has styled its hair into a mohawk as well, how cool is that !!
Took sometime to make it stay still enough so I can take photos \^o^/

Thanks for allowing me to take photos of your dog dear owner :D

Previous visit to 1945 :
1945, Pyrmont

1945 , Pyrmont

I've been driving past this restaurant every day on the way home and did have a thought what kind of restaurant this would be ?

1945....sounds Indonesian-ish (1945 is Indonesia's independence year from the Dutch occupation).

So as usual, I did my Googling.

To my surprise, my suspicion was right ! It is an Indonesian restaurant :)

According to the brief intro on their website, "1945 is an Indonesian restaurant that specializes in Dutch East Indies cuisine".

They serve the Dutch colonial feast, Rijsttafel (rice table).

We turned up without making a reservation for dinner, luckily we got the last available table *phew*.

While chatting with the waitress at the end of the night, she mentioned that at dinner time it's usually packed. Not bad for a restaurant that has only been in operation for 3 weeks isn't it ?

As you stepped into the main dining area, you are greeted by a big picture of Ibu Kartini (she is a pioneer in Indonesian women's right in the early 1900's. Her birthdate of 21st April has been declared as a national holiday in Indonesia).

Portrait of Ibu Kartini ; Antique Dutch Indies Chandelier

Sometime, having the wrong settings on camera can be good ^_^

After we were seated for a while, we were handed......WOODEN PHOTO FRAMES ?!?!

Wooden menu frame and a bried intro into 1945's concept

Open the window....and voila ! The menus is inside....love the presentation of the menu :)

The menu is written in the old Indonesian spelling, so they may look or sound different to the usual menu you see.

The waitress, Leni, explained to us how it works. You can order the set Rijsttafel menus (it's pretty much a degustation , you get to try a bit of everything), or you can order from the A La Carte menu.

She also mentioned that the serving size is small to allow diners to try out many different dishes , I'm calling it Indonesian Tapas, because that's what it is really.

Since I was left to choose from the menu, it is not a big of a surprise that once I again I've ordered more that we can consume >__<  ( Eyes bigger than my tummy issue )

Teh Potji ; Es Lidah Boeaya

When I ordered the Teh Potji (strong brewed Jasmine tea served with rock sugar) I was expecting a porcelain teapot and cups.

You have no idea how excited I got when I saw this engraved wooden tea set was set down on the table ! Too cute !!

Nice to see rock sugar used instead of cubed or normal sugar :)

The Es Lidah Boeaya (aloe vera drink with a hint of lime) is very refreshing and the lime is a great idea.

The food came out quite quick (despite the waitress telling us in advance that some dishes 

may come out a little late because of the cooking process :) )

Two type of rice & two types of sambals (condiments)

At this point...I think I have decided I want their wooden menu frame, wooden tea pot, and now...the rice baskets and the mini Cobek (mortar & pestle made from volcanic rock).

Especialy the mini Cobek...how cute is that thing ?!?!

We got 2 different rice, Nasi Pandan (pandan infused jasmine rice) and Nasi Oedoek (fragrant coconut rice flavoured lightly with lemongrass & candlenut).

The nasi oedoek is delicious and the nasi pandan just have a slight hint of the pandan (usually the smell can be quite overpowering).

The Sambal Hidjao (green chili with mini whitebaits) were good and can't go wrong with Sambal Ketjap (chili sauce with shallots and sweet soy sauce).

Tahoe Gedrjot (sweet spicy & sour garlic chili sauce pounded to deep fried tofu)
Siomaj Daging & Oedang (steamed dumpling of pork, prawns and shiitake served with sweet peanut sauce)

Rijsttafel plates being set down

While eating...I couldn't help noticing the huge plates (more like trays) of Rijsttafel being set down on tables next to ours.

It looked like the dishes are set on the one plate on top of a banana leaf...must try next time !

Ayam Goreng Koening (deep fried tender tumeric & spices braised chicken - 1 drumstick per serve)
Pepes Tahoe (spiced mashed tofu with basil & mini whitebaits, steamed in banana leaf - 1 per serve)

The ayam goreng koening tasted like the one we usually have back in Indo and I love the pepes tahoe.

Drizzle some Sambal Ketjap and it's extra yumminess !

Ikan Bakar (grilled whole snapper brushed with sweet soy sauce, served with sambal tomat)
Tjah Kangkoeng (stir fried morning glory with prawns)

These 2 dishes are from their special blackboard menu.

The fish is very soft and flavourful, cooked just perfectly, the accompanying sambal is hot but good.

It's a pity that the morning glory stir fry is too salty :(

And as if we are not full yet....we still ordered some dessert .... as I always says to my dining companions, dessert goes to a different stomach...*nod..nod*

'

Kolak Pisang (banana & some other jelly like stuff, cooked in coconut milk & palm sugar)
Es Pelangi (aka Rainbow Ice, a mix of various jellies, longan, basil seed, rose syrup and fresh lime)

After all the spicy meal, I'm glad I ordered the Es Pelangi. It's very refreshing and not too sweet at all to my surprise.

So, is it an authentic Indonesian restaurant ? To me , it is :)

Dining at 1945 does cost more than dining at other Indonesian eateries in Sydney.

However, the ambience, decor and the way the dishes were presented worth the extra costs.

Not to mention the food tasted delicious and the service is lovely.

I'll be back to try the Rijsttafel set menu next !

Update :
My 2nd Visit to 1945