Ayam Goreng 99 - where the chicken comes first

Most students of the University of New South Wales are probably familiar with the broad selection of Asian eateries on Anzac Parade near 'the roundabout' of Kingsford. There are plenty of both Chinese and Indonesian options at affordable prices that even students can't resist.

One such institution is Ayam Goreng 99 which serves up signature Indonesian style grilled and fried chicken and is oddly not located at 99 Anzac Parade.

Ayam goreng kalasan with nasi uduk and ati goreng from Ayam Goreng 99,
Anzac Parade, Kingsford

Most of the menu is quite a mouthful to pronounce for the non-Indonesian, but the great thing is that you don't actually need to utter a word at Ayam Goreng 99. Diners jot down their menu choices onto a notebook, which is then handed to the waitstaff - brilliantly simple.

You come to Ayam Goreng 99 for the ayam goreng - fried chicken. In this instance, it was the paha goreng kalasan deep fried, marinated Javanese style chicken. Most diners knowingly choose the juicy thigh portions although breast pieces are also available at the same price of $6 per piece of chicken.

A rich serve of nasi uduk coconut rice on the side and perhaps a dollop of the restaurant's own chilli sambal makes it a meal, albeit a vegetable free one. A treat of ati goreng deep fried liver turns out to be more dry than livery, and perhaps more appropriate tail-wagging consumers.

Ayam bakar with nasi uduk and sate telor goreng

I've opted for the charcoal-grilled and marinated ayam bakar; a thigh piece, of course, with a serving of coconut rice. The juicy chicken and sweet marinade ensured that I cleaned every miniscule bit of meat off the tasty bones of the thigh and drumstick.

My side treat of sate telor goreng deep fried egg yolk with satay is an unusual skewered offering of three cooked yolks lightly dressed with satay sauce, and is essentially cholesterol on a stick.

Pepes teri

We also have something similar to Malysian otak otak fish mousse wrapped and grilled in banana leaf - the pepes teri anchovies pepes blended with onions, chilli and spices including turmeric. There's some serious charred flavour infused into the banana leaf package in which little white anchovy fish swim amid numerous other ingredients.

With a sour vegetable soup on top of it all, it turned out to be a little too much food for an early lunch for two. But with uni student prices and some of the best chicken in town, Ayam Goreng 99 settles any chicken- or egg-related debate.