13.5/20Critics' Pick

Updated October 22, 2026,first published October 13, 2025

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.

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Last visited: 2025

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Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

At a glance

Topic
World
Country
🇦🇺 AU
Publisher language
EN
Added to Allnira