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13.5/20Critics' Pick

Pandawa Nasi Bungkus

1 / 12 Edwina Pickles
Pandawa Nasi Bungkus is hidden inside the Wesley Mission Building on Pitt Street.
2 / 12Pandawa Nasi Bungkus is hidden inside the Wesley Mission Building on Pitt Street.Edwina Pickles
Nasi bungkus are scooped to order.
3 / 12Nasi bungkus are scooped to order.Edwina Pickles
Nasi bungkus (wrapped rice).
4 / 12Nasi bungkus (wrapped rice). Edwina Pickles
Nasi bungkus are wrapped up in banana leaf then brown paper.
5 / 12Nasi bungkus are wrapped up in banana leaf then brown paper. Edwina Pickles
Pandawa Nasi Bungkus is popular with expats looking for a taste of home.
6 / 12Pandawa Nasi Bungkus is popular with expats looking for a taste of home.Edwina Pickles
Gado gado.
7 / 12Gado gado.Edwina Pickles
Nasi rawon pincuk (herbed black soup with rice).
8 / 12Nasi rawon pincuk (herbed black soup with rice).Edwina Pickles
Beef ribs.
9 / 12Beef ribs.Edwina Pickles
Nasi padang complete.
10 / 12Nasi padang complete.Edwina Pickles
11 / 12 Edwina Pickles
12 / 12 Edwina Pickles
13.5/20Critics' Pick

Pandawa Nasi Bungkus

Indonesian$

Wrapped rice is just the beginning at this catchall canteen.

Nasi bungkus is in the name, but there’s so much more to this canteen slipped into the Wesley Mission arcade. Still, an order that doesn’t include a parcel of banana leaf-wrapped rice loaded with picks from the bain maries is an opportunity missed.

Rendang, saucy and fragrant, is a staple but Padang-style gulai ayam, featuring bone-in curry chicken, is an aromatic call, too. Add the likes of cassava leaves and crisped boiled eggs doused in chilli and it’s a meal for one or two, wrapped up in a neat package.

The menu is deep, covering all corners of the Indonesian archipelago. Smashed fried chicken (and its sambal) packs a punch, and the lamination on the pastel goreng, the fried hand pies stuffed with chicken and glass noodles, is mighty impressive. It may be a generalist, but there’s enough here to keep Pandawa pumping, and to keep you coming back.

Best for: A taste of home, or of something new.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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