First Look: Start Your Day the Jakarta Way at Bakmi Kochan 88

In 2020, Chandra Harsono and Sheila Handijatno were at a crossroads: should they go home to Jakarta or stay in Perth? 

Six years later, after a pandemic and many long days spent serving handmade noodles from their suburban home kitchen, the Perth breakfast circuit can rejoice in the fact the duo stayed.

Last month, they opened Bakmi Kochan 88, a restaurant that brings the liveliness of Jakarta breakfasts to an unassuming cul-de-sac in Myaree, in the former Ipoh Garden space. The essential order is bakmi, a wheat noodle that’s springy enough to hold your choice of toppings: from minced pork to barbeque pork and poached chicken. All noodles are served with a side of chicken broth, adding a homey warmth to the end of your meal.  

“You can find bakmi everywhere in Jakarta. There are stalls everywhere selling their own version, and people have bakmi for breakfast as a ritual,” says Eveline Indra, who co-owns the restaurant alongside Harsono and Handijatno. The version at Bakmi Kochan reflects familiar flavours from the trio’s childhood – a Chinese Indonesian bakmi with a base that’s less sweet and more savoury, with a notable emphasis on pork toppings like crispy pork lard and minced pork. 

Indra describes bakmi stalls as “humble” breakfast places, but don’t mistake this for simplicity. This is a serious breakfast. There are three house-made noodle options to choose from: bakmi karet, which retains the chewiness of the original recipe that the couple made back in 2020; the thinner bakmi kecil; and bakmi hijau, which has a  distinctive pastel green hue thanks to the spinach extract kneaded into the flour base.

Like with any good breakfast place, there’s plenty of room for – mostly fried – sides. Expect baso ikan (fish balls) and baso sapi (beef balls). There’s also hekeng, a pork and prawn sausage wrapped in tofu sheets that crisp up like edible cellophane when fried. Wontons are served as crunchy and fried wrappers, or filled. Hadijatno makes the wrappers in-house and was perfecting the recipe three days before opening.

“We wanted to recreate the breakfast atmosphere where people would have their morning walk, go and get bakmi and hang out at the very humble stall. We wanted to introduce the idea of noodles for breakfast here and create that culture [in Perth],” says Indra.

Behind her, the kitchen hums: Harsono getting toppings ready for service, Handijatno carefully measuring flour for the next batch of noodles. Around them are papers with Chinese script and a table full of self-serve condiments. All these little handmade touches reflect the effort that Bakmi Kochan is making to create a breakfast routine that brings Jakarta and Perth closer, one bowl at a time.   

Bakmi Kochan 88

44 Hulme Court, Myaree

0426 411 688 

Hours:

Tue to Sun 9am–3pm

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