A good bakso (meatball) place has three things:a menu showcasing the dish’s various textures,traditional orange containers of vinegary sambal on each table and – at minimum – one faded European soccer poster on the wall. Meetbowl has the trifecta.

The go-to combo is a bowl of soft,airy beef bakso with golden wonton,stuffed tofu and both egg and rice noodles in a robust garlicky broth. Bakmie bangka deploys thick,curly noodles to hold onto the spices and oils from fried minced pork,with crackling and soy egg as toppings.

Spring onion-speckled spheres of fried bakso should be a mandatory side,whether bathed in broth or savoured with kecap manis. True to their Bandung roots,the owners also sell the street food batagor:Fishcakes with tofu dressed in peanut sauce fragrant with makrut lime.

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Melbourne’s Southern Suburbs

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