Pondok at West Broadway & Oak/Laurel St

Pondok is an Indonesian restaurant located on the second floor of a building in between Oak St. and Laurel St. I don't remember the exact reason why we were there, it might have been because another place we planned to go was closed on that day.



We went there around 6 p.m. and to our surprise, it was not very packed. In fact, it was very empty as the restaurant was the size of a large Chinese banquet restaurant hall, complete with a stage, gigantic flat-screen TV and a karaoke system. I imagine they have large functions with entertainment here.

Everything on the menu looked intimidating in terms of price, so we decided to go for one of the "Rice Tables" which were two-person combos that come with rice and a few dishes. We chose Combo #3 which came with spring rolls, vegetable stirfry, prawns and chicken for $29.



This was not what I was anticipating. I had imagined two servings of rice and a separate dish for each of the sides of the combo. Instead, this huge platter came to us and we were shell-shocked for a few seconds.

I mean, what kind of two-person combo comes with a single mound of rice? Pardon me if I am not respecting the dining culture of Indonesians, but I would think that we would at least each get a bowl of rice for the price that we are paying here.



We ended up getting another side of rice which cost an extra 2 bucks, because we are both bottomless pits when it comes to rice. *big grin*

After recovering from the shock that we were not going to get little plates separating each dish, we moved on to tasting each one. First up was the vegetable stirfry dish.



The menu calls it "a traditional dish of shredded cabbage and carrots stir fried with eggs and herbs." I found it no different from the food I usually cook at home. Cabbage, carrots and eggs all jumbled with some simple condiments was all this dish had to offer. The portion was quite generous, but this was not a dish I expect to taste at a restaurant.



Next up is the chicken curry with some potatoes and sauce. The curry tasted alright and not too spicy for my tastebuds. I would say they could have been a little more sparing with the chicken, as you can hardly see any in this picture.



The bright colour of the sauce the prawns came in scared me at first, but a quick taste told me the colour was more sweet than spicy. The menu said they were tiger prawns simmered in a tomato and chilli base sauce. The prawns did not fail -- they were juicy and fresh and went really well with the sweet red sauce. There was no hint of spiciness at all and there were about 6 to 8 prawns there, pretty generous of them.



And finally, the spring rolls! Indonesian-style spring rolls stuffed with minced chicken, shrimp, bamboo shoots and tofu served with a peanut dipping sauce. Again, very generous as there were four (as pictured) large rolls of deep-fried goodness.



They were good enough for me to take a picture of the inside! As you can see, there are lots of skinny tofu bits peppered with pork here and there. Dip it in the thick, creamy peanut sauce and it's a nice crunchy burst in your mouth! Definitely the best dish out of the entire meal!

So I was a little disappointed by the presentation and portion size of the meal, and the taste of everything was everything but extraordinary, so I doubt I would come to Pondok again. It might be good if you have a large party, since they have an abundance of tables in their spacious restaurant.

Pondok is located at 950 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C.

♥ Nikki