Four soups (that aren’t laksa or ramen) for surviving Melbourne’s false spring

Think you can’t look at another bowl of soup? Add Burma’s sour-funky mohinga, Indonesian meatball soup or a soothing Korean broth to your regular rotation and kick soup fatigue to the kerb.Quincy MalesovasSeptember 5, 2026By winter’s end, your appetite for another bowl of soup is zapped. You can’t look at another pho or laksa. Absolutely will not line up for another ramen. But there are plenty of other exciting soupy discoveries to be made before spring truly wraps its arms around you. From the gentle and stripped-back to the big and boisterous, here are four great soups to try (and where to find them).At Meetbowl, the signature bakso comes with quail egg-stuffed meatballs, and is crowned with a fried wonton.Pete DillonBaksoBakso, the Indonesian word for meatball, has also come to describe the soup these bouncy spheres are often served in. The dish typically starts with a clear beef stock poured over egg noodles and vermicelli, then beef meatballs (made with tapioca starch for a springy texture) go in. Regional variations can include different combinations of noodles and meatballs, plus tendon, offal or fried tofu.Across Indonesia, bakso is sold everywhere from dedicated restaurants to roadside stalls. In Melbourne, Bakso Barokah in Carlton serves eight different styles, including beef tendon bakso, dry-style bakso (soup on the side) and bakso beranak, literally translated to “birthing meatball” thanks to a super-sized beef ball stuffed with four smaller ones. At Meetbowl, a South Melbourne institution of 20 years with a CBD location opening soon, the signature bakso comes with quail egg-stuffed meatballs, crowned with a fried wonton. For more simplified versions, head to Ulam Rasa in the CBD, Dale La Pau in Camberwell and Ayam Penyet Ria, which has several locations around Melbourne.Bakso Barokah, 498 Swanston Street, CarltonMeetbowl, 95 York Street, South MelbourneUlam Rasa, 295 Exhibition Street, MelbourneDale La Pau, 255 Camberwell Road, CamberwellAyam Penyet Ria, locations in Melbourne, South Melbourne and PrestonRestaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.Sign upBurmese House’s mohinga, a seafood noodle soup, is finished with a hard-boiled egg and more.MohingaAs the national dish of Myanmar, mohinga channels all the salt, sour, spice and funk of Burmese cuisine into one bowl. A fish-based broth infused with lemongrass and turmeric gives the soup its signature yellow hue; toasted rice powder and chickpea flour add body. While recipes vary between regions and households, fish and rice noodles are almost always present, with common garnishes including boiled egg, crispy split-pea fritters known as pe kyaw, coriander and lime. Typically eaten for breakfast, it’s one of the country’s most beloved comfort foods. Mote hin khar (often written as “mohinga”) is a famous fish noodle soup, seen here at Ka Gyi in Box Hill.Ruby AlexanderIn Melbourne, you can try it at Burmese Housein Richmond, a decades-old institution that recently reopened as a cafe-restaurant and community hub under new ownership. You’ll also find versions at Federal Taung Zalat, tucked inside Sunshine Plaza, and Chin Taung Tan in Hoppers Crossing, where it’s garnished with a large fritter studded with split peas. Ka Gyi in Box Hill, which takes a self-described fusion approach to Burmese cooking, serves its mote hin khar (an alternative spelling of mohinga) alongside dishes such as laphet thoke, a tea-leaf salad that’s another Burmese staple.Burmese House, 303 Bridge Road, Richmond Federal Taung Zalat, Sunshine Plaza, 324-328 Hampshire RoadChin Taung Tan, Shop 13-14/70 Warringa Crescent, Hoppers CrossingKa Gyi, 768 Station Street, Box Hill NorthAsh reshteh soup at Maryam in Preston.Eddie JimAsh reshtehWheat noodles, chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, herbs – ash reshteh has impressive hunger-busting powers, especially on blustery days. But what ties everything together is kashk, a fermented dairy product used throughout Persian cooking. Known for its distinctive salty tang, it gives the soup a satisfying complexity more commonly associated with meat dishes. Often associated with celebrations and the Persian New Year, ash reshteh is said to symbolise good fortune and is substantial enough to be a meal in itself.Maryam in Preston, the latest Critics’ Pick of the Year in The Age Good Food Guide, serves a particularly rich version finished with a generous drizzle of kashk. It’s so thick, it’s just as good scooped up with flatbread as it is eaten by the spoonful. Kurdish-Persian Mum Son Cafe in Abbotsford offers the dish alongside lesser-seen specialties such as makaroni, a Persian spaghetti dish with a crunchy layer formed at the bottom of the pan (similar to tahdig). Noon and Noosh in Niddrie can prepare a vegan soup without the kashk.Maryam, 589 Gilbert Road, PrestonMum Son Cafe, 311 Victoria Street, Abbotsford Noon & Noosh, 330 Keilor Road, Niddrie GomtangWhile many Korean soups and stews are defined by bold flavours and fiery spice, gomtang is all about restraint. The clean, meaty beef broth involves a combination of cuts simmered for hours, with the soup then carefully skimmed of excess fat. Great gomtang relies on patience rather than seasoning for its power. Unlike the richer, milky seolleongtang made with long-boiled bones, gomtang is typically lighter and clearer, allowing the flavour of the beef to take centre stage.Some versions, such as CBD spot Sagye’s, are remarkably delicate. The wagyu-based broth is slow-simmered and served with unlimited rice, kimchi and the option to add beef tendon. At Gaon Gamasot in Carnegie, the soup is cooked in the namesake gamasot – a 240-litre cast-iron cauldron imported from Korea and believed to be the only one of its kind in Australia. The stock is flavoured simply with beef, ginger and ginseng, and variations might include wheat noodles, oxtail or tripe. At Sogumm in Cremorne, the kitchen takes an even more minimalist approach, seasoning the soup only with salt and leaning on brisket and beef shank for flavour. You can also find gomtang at Korner Kitchen in Prahran and Misty Pot in West Melbourne.Sagye, 250 Russell Street, MelbourneGaon Gamasot, Shop 2/23 Koornang Road, CarnegieSogumm, 466 Church Street, CremorneKorner Kitchen, 99 High Street, Prahran Misty Pot, 35 Dryburgh Street, West MelbourneMore:Best ofIndonesianKoreanRestaurant newsBurmese HouseDale La PauGood Food recommendsPersianMeetbowlSogummMaryamMisty PotKa GyiSagyeFrom our partners