I had a couple of hours to kill in the Jakarta airport during a layover, and I figured I’d get a bite to eat. There were a few interesting looking places, but the soups at A Fung Baso Sapi Alsi caught my eye.
I ordered the baso kwetiau campur, which the menu describes as “3 beef ball + 1 tofu + kwetiau + tripe + vein.” They top it with a healthy spoonful of golden fried garlic, and it comes with a fiery chili sauce on the side.
For airport food, this is seriously, seriously good. The meatballs have a nice springy texture and a meaty flavour, the various innards are well cooked, and the thick rice noodles (kwetiau) are satisfyingly chewy.
The thing that stands out the most, however, is the tofu. This is actually quite interesting — it’s a big meatball wrapped in tofu. The sponge-like tofu does a great job of soaking up the flavours of the soup, and compliments the meatball very well.
The soup itself is tasty, too — especially once you add some of that sour, very spicy chili sauce. It’s a bit on the greasy side, but it doesn’t feel overly oily. And the very generous amount of fried garlic does a great job of perfuming the broth with its distinctive flavour.
Location: Tangerang City, Banten 19120, Indonesia
How to find it: It’s in the domestic departures area of the Jakarta airport (it’s also a chain with several locations in Indonesia).