Martabak Cafe in Ultimo is one of a few places in Sydney where you can find good martabak manis (another is Rosebery Martabak in Kingsford).

Owner Merry Gita says the reason you don’t see it so often is because of how difficult it is to make. If something goes awry in the cooking process, it can’t be adjusted or redone. And she would know – she’s been making them since she was a child in her hometown of Surabaya (a port city in Java, Indonesia).

It starts with a slightly sweet batter of flour, eggs, coconut milk and baking soda (and sometimes pandan, which is added for colour and flavour). That mixture is poured onto an iron grill smeared with butter. As it bakes, the bottom crisps and the top puffs up like a pancake, but with many tiny holes – similar to what you’d see on the surface of a crumpet.

Then it’s time for toppings – any combination of durian, condensed milk, chocolate sprinkles, cheese, banana, sesame seeds or Nutella. The most popular option is chocolate, cheese and peanuts, with an avocado shake on the side. Finally, the sweet pancake is folded over itself like a massive dessert omelette.

Martabak launched in 2014 with a small menu that also included savoury martabaks and nasi campur (rice served with sambal, peanuts, cucumber, egg and either rendang or curry chicken). These days, the offering also includes rawon (a black soup made with a rare nut called keluak); fish cakes served with egg noodles; and Surabaya-style dumplings with peanut sauce. But it’s still the martabak manis that draws the crowds.