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Warung Agus

Balinese roast pork and much more.

Inside Warung Agus, a Balinese restaurant in West Melbourne.
1 / 3Inside Warung Agus, a Balinese restaurant in West Melbourne.Supplied
Signature dish at Warung Agus.
2 / 3Signature dish at Warung Agus.Supplied
Balinese noodles.
3 / 3Balinese noodles.Supplied

Warung Agus

Indonesian$$

There’s sandalwood in the air and Bintang on the menu. Block out the occasional “ding” from the 57 tram and you’d swear you were in Ubud. Family owned-and-run since 1989 – though the team took a brief hiatus late last year after a near- catastrophic fire – this is one warm hug of a restaurant.

Its mandatory set menus (with options for vegans, pescatarians and the gluten-challenged) are such excellent value you might want to loosen your belt in advance. Prawn crackers with satay sauce kick things off: simple, generous and an absolute plate scraper. Avocado is made umami thanks to a punchy mushroom marinade.

Steamed fish is pumped-up with a garlic lemongrass sambal, and grilled chicken comes with caramelised tamarind. Save room for the roast pork, its skin cellophane-thin and all fatty, salty crunch, the meat imbued with candlenut and shrimp paste. The pork alone could keep this place in business for many generations to come.

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