Island Dreams Cafe

A nice, casual lunch spot if you are looking to have Malaysian food. The service was friendly we got there just before 2pm on a Saturday, it wasn't busy. We had the Nasi Lemak Bungkus, mixed vegetables and rendang with biryani rice and a serve of chicken satay. They tasted great and authentic. I would say they're market prices and affordable. Sadly the curry puffs I heard were great had sold out so we couldn't try them.

Came to know about this restaurant from a hotel staff, at the hotel I was staying. I came during Ramadhan and was told they are also open during fasting month. Had a good satay, nasi lemak bungkus like back home in Malaysia. Was quite a good food and taste, portion and packaging.

Interesting Restaurant, offering an appetising Menu. Located on Haldon Street Lakemba near Railway Parade. The Owners are the Nicest, Warmest People you could hope to meet. Had the Beef Rendang, Roasted Eggplant and Chilli Chicken. A very tasty combination. The serving size was quite Generous.

Truly amazing flavoursome food. Best Satay skewers and peanut sauce I’ve had in Oz. The Lemon Chilli chicken and the pumpkin curry were some of the tastiest dishes I’ve experienced! Thank you to the Boss lady and Satay King for this tastebud extravaganza! Highly recommended ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Authentic cocos Island cuisine. I bought the Malay chicken briyani on a Friday. Tasty, generous portion and the Malay acar (veg pickles) add to the kick. Hands down best satay sauce in Sydney. None of that glucky peanut butter taste and the satay spices were just right.

Family lunch for Father's Day with some amazing food, and great service. We had the Beef Rendang which was luscious and tender and spicy. A whole crispy fried snapper with a really interesting dipping sauce was amazing. Only the bones were left. Fresh roti and rice as well meant there was more food than we could eat.

Alimah Bilda tells the story of her culture and its cuisine beautifully on SBS On Demand’s A Taste of Island Dreams. However you can’t beat the experience of actually eating it at Island Dreams cafe in Lakemba. Painted that impossible shade of aquamarine you only seem to find on tropical islands, the small cafe dishes up the Malay cuisine with Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island influences. These lesser known offshore Australian territories sit a long way off the Western Australian coastline. Chicken satay ($15.50/5) come with cucumber, red onion and lontong (squares of compressed rice) plus the best homemade peanut sauce I’ve had in many years. It’s made using peanuts rather than the cheat’s method of peanut butter. The hot bar delivers a good selection of curries to build over turmeric rice ($18/2 dishes): chilli chicken and a turmeric-tinged curry chicken both impress with the heat levels amped by a dab of sambal. Cooked vegetables and split eggplants also benefit from a good smear of vibrant red sambal. We didn’t see the beef rendang hidden away in the second Bain-Marie, but did pick up a couple of takeaway containers with fragrant coconut rice ($15) to enjoy for lunch the next day. Completely cooked in only coconut milk and rendang spices, these super-tender slow cooked chunks of chuck steak are the real deal. There’s a lot of strange and mostly unsuccessful variations on rendang to be found around town, this one will restore your faith in this timeless classic of a dish. We were treated to pandan rolls to celebrate the retirement of Lesley Unsworth from Taste Food Tours, staunch supporters of this (and many other) small family-run business. On regular nights you can get your sweet fix by buying a small container of pineapple tarts, makmur (round cakes made from powdered nuts, ghee, flour and icing sugar), or cornflake cookies.

Second visit to this Cafe. First time was quite a while ago when they had some kambing ala Cocos Island style. (That dish stayed in my memory for years now). For today's lunch, we had Nasi Lemak + Beef Rendang, Nasi Lemak +Malay Curry Chicken n Chicken Liver. Brought home some Nasi Lemak Bungkus as well. The food was delicious, Rendang was outstanding. Sambal was a little mild but overall a fantastic lunch. Pity this place is such a long way from our home.