Warkop Richmond

At Warkop, a former Navi sous chef is putting Indonesian flavours front and centre.

Tucked away on a Richmond backstreet, this quaint corner store offers a refined sandwich list, each with Indonesian-inspired fillings.

The star of the menu is the chicken taliwang sandwich, which borrows cues from a charry regional specialty Susanto tried on his travels to Lombok. Warkop’s version is milder, but the chicken still packs a punch thanks to a marinade of sand ginger, lemongrass, shallots, garlic and shrimp paste. It comes with cheese, tomato and rocket between two slices of organic Zeally Bay Sourdough from Torquay.

There’s also sticky pork belly with lemongrass and kaffir lime on multigrain; beef pastrami with pickles, cheese and coconutty rendang sauce on light rye; and a vegetarian number with tofu, tempeh and gado gado (Indonesian salad) with peanut sauce, in a cross between a Turkish roll and focaccia. Plus, a punchy smoked-salmon bagel with alfalfa, salmon roe, green chilli and tartare sauce.

For breakfast (or dessert), grab the kaya toast with lashings of custard-like coconut jam on soft grilled brioche.

The pastries in the display cabinet are from Ned’s Bake, and despite the sachets of Indonesian instant coffee hanging down a curved shelf, the brews are made with beans from Dukes.

Inside, the space feels cosy and warm, with wooden bricks along accent walls and simple black shades across the rest of the cafe.