Feeling a little claustrophobic at Goreng2

Make sure you lean in close to prevent a satay-flavoured shirt...

Goreng² is a small but bustling restaurant situated off the popular eating strip of Mt Lawley, one of the neighbours of popular gourmet pizza chain Crust. It's a great little spot with the added convenience of free 1-hour parking next door, which might not be enough if you join the queue of people waiting to get a feed from Goreng².

Goreng²

This very highly-rated restaurant on Urbanspoon seems extremely adored by both locals and every other person who flock from near and far to Mt Lawley, a suburb which has developed quite the foodie reputation. Goreng² is a valuable asset to the suburb's growing collection of Asian eateries, contributing a menu of mainly Indonesian and Malaysian fare and featuring all the words I love to hear - well-priced, tasty and generous.

I can't believe it has taken my cheap and tasty food loving, generous self to finally getting around to trying a restaurant that has been in existence since 2005.

Phad Thai, one of many dishes from Goreng²'s varied menu

Although they serve the usual suspects of nasi goreng and kway teow, there is also the surprising and unexpected aspect on the menu named "Teriyaki Corner" with dishes such as teriyaki chicken and ginger beef. These Japanese cuisine dishes are scattered throughout the menu, as you can also order tempura vegetables, yakitori, udon laksa and miso ramen noodles amongst the favourites of mee goreng and stir-fried rice noodles.

Although this Phad Thai is not at all spicy, the cut chilli on the peak of Mt. Bean Sprout is a reminder that every dish can be made spicy upon request.

Make Your Own stir-fried egg noodles with vegetables and chicken - $11.90

We joined the queue and made our order, only to want to switch from our order of nasi goreng to the Make-Your-Own rice version. The staff were very accommodating and allowed us to change our order to a chicken and vegetable stir-fry. We chose satay sauce, out of a choice of Asian BBQ, Szechuan, Goreng²'s oyster sauce, sweet chilli and ginger soy.

Its also worth taking note that "Make your own rice" with chicken and vegetables does not mean fried rice, but simply stir-fried ingredients with a serving of jasmine rice on the side. Although we misunderstood, we were served a make-your-own stir-fried egg noodles instead, which we were fine with. This mistake-on-top-of-misunderstanding possibly was a mistake well-made, as we quite enjoyed the saucy noodles loaded with chicken breast, cauliflower, broccoli, carrot and choy sum. Make sure you lean in close to prevent a satay-flavoured shirt.

Phad Thai - $11.90

I had a hankering for Thai and made the easy (probably my personal fastest) choice of their Phad Thai. I really liked the sight of my dish, which was a deceptively healthy looking combination of wok-fried rice noodles, tofu and with an abundance of mixed seafood including fish, squid rings and prawns, which were all cooked just right.

My kind of comfort food :)

The rice noodles had a great charred flavour from the wok, but unfortunately were overpowered by a strange, slightly bitter taste in the tamarind sauce. It lacked that slightly sweet and tangy kick that I love in pad thai, and after a while of eating it I was glad to do a dish-swap to the satay noodles to mask that bitter aftertaste with satay. Although I loved the springy, well-cooked seafood and textural crunch from the chopped peanuts, I would probably stick to their other dishes if this is their normal pad thai flavour.

The limited but cosy seating inside Goreng²

The interior of Goreng² is extremely clean and cosy, but can get a little claustrophobic at peak dinner time when all its limited seating is taken and a queue trickles down the centre of the restaurant. It can also be a little awkward to swoop into a table when there is no number system to ensure an orderly way of allocating seats - you kind of have to just stand your ground and mark your territory.

I do think one of the most attractive things about the restaurant that lures people in are the extremely reasonable prices and generous portions. So next time you go walkabout on Beaufort Street, do wander a little further and a little wider, to discover places like these.

Goreng², Mt Lawley

***

Goreng²
Tues - Sun: 5:30pm - 9.30pm
Thurs & Fri: 5:30pm - 10pm
Closed Monday & public holidays

73 Walcott Street, Mt Lawley WA 6050
(08)9328 2811
(No reservations due to limited seating available)

***