Fat Oma, Swanston St CBD

I have been to Fat Oma twice now, both with Indonesian friends. That says quite a bit about the reputation of the restaurant among the Indonesian community. I am told that the food is quite authentic... so authentically Indonesian that when I asked my Indonesian friend whether nor not I should order a particular dish, she tells me not to because she can cook the same dish to the same taste for me at home.

I ordered the Ayam Balado with rice on the side ($12) which comes with a fried tofu square, fried tempeh and salad. If you looked closely at the chicken, it is topped with lots and lots of chilli. And this is the mild version... there is another hotter version. Fortunately, it is not too spicy but is just enough to add some kick to the dish. The chicken is first cooked in spices then flash fried for the crispy skin effect.

Ayam Balado with Jasmine Rice

For those who do not know what tempeh is, and myself included, it is fermented soy cake. Pretty much like natto without the slime. But the taste is still pretty funky. Having now tried natto and its milder cousin tempeh, I must say that I dislike both!

I did enjoy the fried chicken which was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, even though the piece I received was my least favourite white meat part of the chicken.

The Mie Ayam is also tasty with springy noodles and delicious marinated chicken pieces on top of the noodles. The chilli sauce on the side was hot.... so spicy that even my chilli loving friend who adds chilli oil into curry noodles commented that it was on the hot side... The soup was quite salty, due to the preserved vege in the soup.

Mie Ayam

On my previous visit, I ordered the Sup Buntut, which is translated into ox tail soup. At $12 per serve, and jasmine rice ($2) separately ordered to go with the dish, it was not the best valued dish. I also much prefer the Malaysian version of Sup Kambing, a heavily spiced mutton soup. Too bad I have not found a restaurant here that serves the dish.

Of the 3 dishes I have tried at Fat Oma, I think the Ayam Balado is the best. All the spicy chilli, the crispy yet juicy chicken is just perfect with a big bowl of steamed jasmine rice!