Japanese Matcha and Sando Cafe Near the University of Melbourne
A few of us from work were scouting for somewhere to eat near Melbourne Uni and ended up picking Attakai at random, purely because the penguin logo was so cute! It’s a Japanese cafe on Bouverie Street in Carlton, all matcha and sandos, and the penguins on the logo are Atta and his son Kai, the cafe’s mascots. Japanese sandos are so much better than a regular Aussie sandwich, and overall this place is well worth a visit, if I lived nearby I’d happily eat here like it was my everyday canteen. We tried a lot of the menu, so here’s what I’d order and what I’d skip.
The tonkatsu sando
This one was the MVP of the whole table, $21.5. Thick cut pork loin, the crumb coating fried so crispy it practically falls apart, and the sound when you bite into it is so satisfying. The apple salad cuts through the richness, and the sesame sauce plus the yoshoku curry dip gives it lots of layers.
The tamago sando
$16.5, dashi tamagoyaki with nori and dukkah nut crumble. The miso mayo is the soul of it, the flavour is complex, savoury and umami, and leans salty.
The wafu steak sando
Really good, the steak was so tender and easy to bite through, and the mashed potato in it was soft and sticky-chewy, such a good texture. The only thing I didn’t love was the taste of the leafy greens inside.
The chashu and the prawn cake sando
We got both and they were both so good. The prawn cake is Thai-style, sweet and sour and really appetising.
The strawberry fruit sando
$9, strawberries cut so you see the cross section, with fresh cream that I think had black sesame in it, though I’m not 100% sure. The cream isn’t sickly, the strawberries are a bit sour, and together they’re just right.
The hotcake
$16.5 and the boldest thing on the menu! A ricotta hotcake base with lamb sausage, Swiss cheese and curry tomato sauce, and the Kewpie mayo ties everything together. If you love a savoury breakfast, you have to try it.
The red bean shokupan
$9, the simplest one and the most comforting. Red bean, butter and shokupan, and the moment the butter melts is pure happiness. I’d have it with a tea without milk, or a long black, to cut through the richness.
The matcha drinks
The Shirohana, $9.5, was the best drink of the day! Coconut, jasmine and matcha cream. The coconut is light and not cloying, and the jasmine and matcha layered together somehow work really well. My tip is to take a few sips of the plain tea underneath first, then drink it with the cream, you’ll taste way more layers that way.
The Tsuki Suiryo matcha latte, $9, is the one for classic matcha lovers. The bitter and fresh notes both stand out, the milk doesn’t dilute it, it’s silky with no grains and has a little nori flavour, and it’s low in sweetness, but the caffeine hit is serious. Their website says the Tsuki Suiryo comes from Uji and is deeper and more umami than the brighter Seiran from Shizuoka.
The Lychee Usucha, $10, I wouldn’t order again. The lychee sweetness comes first and the bitter matcha finish comes after, but they didn’t balance well for me and the combination didn’t work. Apart from that one, every drink I’ve tried here so far has been good.
The kome latte and the Shiro
The kome latte has a layer of rice foam on top, and once you stir it through it’s on the sweeter side with a strong, fragrant rice flavour. It tastes almost identical to the Momokawa snow jade latte that went viral at Galaxy Macau, so it’s well worth trying. The Shiro is a cold brew coffee with jasmine and grape flavours, also on the sweet side and quite light, the coffee bitterness barely comes through. The matcha fries are worth trying for fun too.
How much it cost
Food and drinks came to about $35 to $45 per person.
Where it is and when it’s open
Attakai Carlton is at 168-170 Bouverie Street, Carlton, a short walk from the University of Melbourne. It’s open Monday to Friday 7:30am to 4:00pm, and weekends and public holidays 8:00am to 4:00pm. They only take walk-ins, and Carlton gets busy on weekend mornings and around uni peak times, so getting in early helps if you want a seat. There’s indoor and outdoor seating, no wifi, and their website says it’s kid-friendly and pets are welcome in the outdoor area. Street parking nearby is limited and metered, so trams are easier, they say to catch a northbound Swanston Street tram to Victoria Street and walk along to Bouverie Street. If you’re in the city, they also have a smaller grab and go spot, Attakai Garden, inside Collins Arcade at 260 Collins Street.
Is it worth it
Yes! Order the tonkatsu sando and the Shirohana, add the hotcake or the red bean shokupan if you want something different, and skip the Lychee Usucha. It’s a nice place to sit down with friends or kids, and if you live nearby it’s good enough to go back to again and again.
We’ve got more new places to eat around the city in our Melbourne cafe and restaurant reviews, and if you love matcha, we also wrote about a popular matcha cafe from Tokyo that opened in Melbourne.