Lots of small cafes have popped up around Brisbane lately, and this one’s hiding inside QUT’s Kelvin Grove campus. KYO Bakehaus was on my list mostly for the matcha, so we went to see if it held up.
Shop 1, 88 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, in QUT’s X Block. Easy to walk straight past if you don’t know it’s in there. Mostly students and people from the surrounding urban village, so it feels more like a neighbourhood spot than a destination cafe.
The matcha with tofu foam
Two drinks between us, and we both agreed this one was the better of the two. Cold matcha with a layer of tofu foam on top, a little yellow soybean powder dusted over it, and a faint hit of ginger underneath. Sweetness sat in the right place, not too much. The matcha itself wasn’t especially strong, but the whole thing worked together. Reminded me of the tofu cheese-cap milk teas you get at bubble tea shops, with matcha swapped in. It’s a small cup and by the end it gets a bit rich. At around $12 to $13 a drink, whether it’s worth it comes down to how much you care about matcha.
Honey Earl Grey
The other drink, Tokyo Fog, honey Earl Grey with matcha foam on top. Tea base was fairly ordinary and sweeter than I’d like. The matcha foam on top was good. If I had to pick one drink, I’d pick the tofu foam matcha.
The steak sando
The House Steak sando was okay, nothing more. Sauce was good, and there was pickled mustard greens and shredded cabbage in there for crunch. The steak itself was the problem, hard to chew through, and it kept pulling out in one piece.
BBQ sauce sando
Also tried the No.1 BBQ Sauce sando. First bite was strong and fragrant, a punchy sauce that grabs you straight away.
Butter mochi
My favourite thing we ordered. Properly chewy and soft, the kind where you close your eyes on the first bite. Comes with condensed milk on the side, though I liked it fine without dipping.
Worth it
Fine if you live nearby or are already on campus. If you’re coming from far away, I wouldn’t make the trip just for this. Prices lean high for the size of the drinks. KYO Bakehaus is at Shop 1, 88 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove QLD 4059.
More Brisbane stops in our EggYolk Cat Lounge review, or compare the matcha at ODAYA TEA on the Gold Coast.