Alimah Bilda’s Island Dreams Cafe has been a mainstay of Haldon Street, in the south-western suburb of Lakemba, since 1996. As the only Cocos Keeling Islands restaurant in the city, its menu reflects the Australian territory’s unique cuisine, influenced by Malaysian and Indonesian flavours and generations of family recipes. In the aqua-blue dining room you can try signature dishes such as ayam panggang (Indonesian grilled chicken) and nasi kuning (Indonesian turmeric rice), along with nasi lemak (Malaysian coconut rice) and some of Sydney’s best chicken satay.

Alimah Bilda and Mohammad Zarqa at Island Dreams Cafe in Lakemba

Bilda’s family friend Mohammad Zarqa (pictured with Bilda in her café), the man behind popular cheese dessert pop-up Yummy Yummy Knafeh, started eating at Island Dreams as a teenager and the pair have been close ever since. They’ll both be feeding revellers at Lakemba Nights (every Thursday to Sunday until 30 March), the annual food festival that runs during Ramadan. Here are the local eateries they recommend.

Image credit: Alana Dimou

Muslim Cafe for pani puri and chips

1/6

Bilqa: “This is a new food van that opened last year (29 Haldon Street). It’s got local street food, plus burgers and chips, and it’s my hangout. I go two or three times a week. They have pakora [Indian-style vegetable fritters] and pani puri [an Indian deep-fried bread snack filled with a spicy mix of potato, onion and chickpea]. The café has everything and is open late. In Lakemba, you don’t see people having lunch until 4pm or 5pm and 9pm or 10pm for dinner.”

Image credit: Alana Dimou

Mataam al Mandi for chicken mandi

2/6

Zarqa: “There are a lot of Hyderabad [the Indian city] restaurants here. This place (93 Haldon Street; 02 8971 2490) serves a dish called mandi [slow-cooked meat and rice that originated in Yemen]. It’s generous and you can dine in or take it away. The version here is very good and because of the owner’s success, other restaurants are making mandi.”

Image credit: Alana Dimou

El Manara for kibbeh nayeh and hummus

3/6

Zarqa: “Apart from Island Dreams, this is my favourite place to eat. It’s been here since the 1980s and is now one of the only Lebanese restaurants left in the area. They’re famous for their falafels but I like to order hummus and kibbeh nayeh [raw minced lamb or beef mixed with bulgur wheat and spices].”

Image credit: Alana Dimou

Big Fresh for Arabic cheeses

4/6

Zarqa: “It’s an international grocery store (131 Haldon Street; 02 9740 8066) with lots of fresh produce and Middle Eastern ingredients. They also have Arabic cheeses and I like to buy one called akkawi [soft, mildly salty and made from cow, sheep or goat’s milk] and another called baladi [a creamy Lebanese cheese made with cow, sheep or goat’s milk].”

Grameen Restaurant for haleem

5/6

Zarqa: “A casual spot for takeaway that has Indian street food, including mutton haleem. It’s one of my favourite places in Lakemba for haleem [a dish of lentils, grains and meat, such as lamb, goat or beef]. It’s quite delicious and I usually order it during Ramadan.”