I had a very pleasant lunch experience at Pondok, mainly thanks to one male staff member named Wahyu, who provided excellent service. It has been a long time since I truly felt such good and attentive service, so I think it’s worth sharing here.
I don’t eat at Pondok very often, so I was a bit confused by the menu at first. While I was still unsure about how to place my order, I called for help. Wahyu noticed me from a distance and came over very quickly. He was kind, patient, and explained the menu very clearly.
I initially chose an a la carte item, but he thoughtfully suggested a combo instead, which included a drink and soup for only a small difference in price. I was very satisfied with his recommendation.
After ordering, I asked for some chili and a pair of chopsticks because I’m not used to using a fork. He happily brought them to me very quickly. I also noticed that he paid close attention to customers around him and always maintained a very positive and professional attitude.
Overall, Wahyu’s service made my visit much more enjoyable. Truly great customer service.
Farhah Ryha
5
Authentic East Javanese food in the heart of Singapore!
I stumbled upon Pondok Jawa Timur while exploring Plaza Singapura and was blown away by the flavors. Every dish felt like a warm hug from home, the Pecel Kediri was rich and nutty, the Ayam Penyet super crispy yet juicy inside, and the sambal? Spicy but addictive.
Their Es Teler and Avocado Juice were the perfect finish sweet, refreshing, and generous with ingredients.
The atmosphere was cozy, with Indonesian art pieces that made the whole experience even more authentic. I also really appreciate that it's HALAL certified, making it a safe choice for many.
Perfect for tourists craving Indonesian food or locals wanting a nostalgic meal. Will definitely come back!
RCSC
5
Nice indonesian food. Nasi kuning komplit was rather delicious. Beef rendang was soft. The bakwan jagung also not bad but could not really taste the corn. Sate was ok, think I prefer our local satay instead. Skip the avocado though - was just ok.
Place was small and not many 2 seater tables. Need to share with people.
Nathania Lim
5
Coming here as a regular customer, i personally love the food and service. I always order their ayam penyet, tahu telor and terong belado and it is my go-to-food.
The tahu telor comes together with an addictive sauce not to spicy and kerupuk as well. The ayam penyet is so tender that it falls off the bone which makes it easier to eat.
Overall, this is best and highly recommended restaurant and i would personally recommend to my family and friends :)
Eliza Stephanie K
5
Pondok Jawa Timur is my go-to place whenever I’m craving for Indonesian food. I’m originally from East Java (Jawa Timur) and I think their food is pretty close to what we have back home - if you know what to order.
I love their Soto Ayam, Pecel Kediri, and nasi kuning komplit. Their pecel kediri is delicious, the sauce is thick, it’s the right consistency, it’s more on the sweeter side than spicy I think; but still pretty good.
Soto ayam is really yummy, my mom, who can be pretty picky with her Indo food in SG, said that it’s delicious.
Nasi kuning is pretty standard, nothing can go wrong with it :)
Other things we ordered: Nasi Campur, Nasi Pecel Rendang
Some feedback:
- Avocado juice- maybe put a bit more avocado as it’s not as thick as what we have in Surabaya
- Es Teler- with that much ice, maybe add a bit more sugar/syrup? But it’s still pretty tasty
- Maybe you can consider adding tahu goreng + petis 🤭🤭
lutz84
1
Chicken drumstick, whether cooked in curry or deep fried, is dry and tough. How does one even make a drumstick sooooo tough? Must try to believe. I tried to eat as much as I could but it’s just toooo tough. 0/5
Madeline Warnick
5
We loooved the food here! So comforting and nourishing. Being fairly new to Indonesian food we weren’t sure what to get, but ended up with beef rendang, nasi goreng jawa, nasi kuning, and a vegetable curry that I don’t recall the name of. Would recommend each dish! Perfect spice level for our western palates.
Ferhan Feroze
2
The location at PLQ Mall (newly open) is convenient—situated on Level 2, right in front of the UOB bank. However, the service standards could definitely use improvement. During the lunch period, the wait time stretched to nearly 39 minutes, which was far too long. As for the food, it was average at best. I tried the Gado Gado and curry chicken, both of which took close to 30 minutes to be prepared—again, a rather lengthy wait for a simple meal.
Lynn Lin
4
I won't miss trying out beef rendang whenever I spot it on a menu. I enjoyed every element of this nasi kuning rendang. The beef was tender and packed with flavours. I can't tell if the perkedel was made from scratch but it tasted like it was freshly prepared to me. I wiped down the sambal, chilli as well as the rendang gravy. It is that good. This plate of wholesomeness was not mind blowing fantastic, but definitely satisfying!
We arrived before lunchtime on a weekday so it wasn't packed yet. But tables were filled up pretty fast and there was constantly a short queue.
nat reviews
3
First time having dinner here. Will be our last too. There are better places to dine tbh.
Food 3/5
Very overpriced for what it’s worth. We had the nasi kuning komplit, mie goreng Jawa, ayam penyet and tahu telor.
I really don’t understand why reviews repeatedly mention “authentic” Javanese or Indonesia food. There is nothing authentic about the food here. In fact, the flavours are heavily altered to local taste buds.
The mie goreng tastes basically like chow mein - the local Chinese style.. Ayam penyet was crispy but very dry. Tahu telor is packed with tahu but telor was coated around the tahu without being fluffy.
Service 3/5
Standard service. But one thing that irked me was the rush to clear our plates. Imagine you putting the spoonful of food into your mouth and someone comes and ask if they can clear your plate. And this continued till we finished our last plate. I assumed it’s because they were closing but time was only 8pm.
Atmosphere 4/5
Standard casual dining environment.