Sweet Java Fine Indonesian Cuisine

Going back again and again, this place has it all!
Great fun and yummy food plus the added bonus of BYO!
Love the owner and always have lots of laughs.

I had my birthday here a couple of weeks back.
I wanted to book a BYO Asian restaurant and thought we hadn’t had Indonesian for a while. I checked my trusty Unilocal app, and Sweet Java came up highly rated. I thought why not give somewhere new a try instead of heading back to my tried and tested Tasik. I booked in advance (which is advisable for Saturdays).
The husband and wife team have run this restaurant for over a decade. It appears that the husband does his ‘bit’ on the restaurant floor (his bit is mostly being kind of rude to you at first, then sitting down with customers wanting to be your mate), while the wife is out the back cooking.
The setting is much like hanging out at one of your parent’s friend’s houses who has a passion for Asian décor. It’s very homely and not big at all, like a large lounge-​room with a few 6 – 8 seater tables in there.
The menu is pretty limited, probably due to the fact there is just one or two people busting the food out in the kitchen. The food was really good.
For entrees we shared some spring rolls, and skewers (the meat skewers just melted in my mouth!). I had the bakmi goreng (noodles) which were great, the table shared some gado gado. Most dishes were around the low $ 20s.
BYO and no corkage.

As long as you know that service is going to be a little unusual, then I think you can really fall in love with (or at; read on) Sweet Java. Customers are pulverised over the owners «rude!» demeanour and «glacial service», but if you take it all with a grain of salt, you’ll find amusement in his eccentric personality and the laid-​back approach to hospitality.
The raffish hardly-​coverted-​old home, with mismatched decoration, is equal parts casual, charming, homely and peaceful. Low lighting and the tucked away location on a residential street, make it a kind of romantic place to eat. Alternatively, these details make it a destination for boozey dinners among well known friends and neighbours.
On that note, Sweet Java have a very liberal BYO policy (bring a carton of beer if you like) and even a self-​serve bar fridge to keep your grog cool.
The cooking here– by the truly lovely, Mrs. Sweet Java– is exceptional. Honest Indo fare in generous servings and presented simply. Gratifying comfort food when you want it to be. The Nasi Goreng is a Sweet Java staple — order it and tell me its not the best you’ve ever had outside of Bali. The ‘Gado Gado’- mixed veg and tofu in a sweet and salty satay sauce, is a killer dish if you’re vegetarian. Even if you aren’t, actually.
In conclusion: Sweet Java defines «hidden gem».

Excellent food. BYO. Very chill. Some may say service is slow but it’s fine cos is just a nice homely restaurant. It’s our favourite local.