Japanese/Matcha Cafes

I’ve been a long-time matcha lover and even before the TikTok sensationalization of strawberry matcha, I’ve had a passion for exploring and finding the best Japanese cafes in Sydney. I never gatekeep in my blogs so let me take you to three of the most hyped matcha cafes in Sydney - let’s get drinking (and eating).

Sydneysiders are known coffee lovers so the rise of matcha in recent years is both unexpected and unsurprising given matcha is packed with health-boosting nutrients with a natural caffeine kick that tastes delicious in a matcha latte or as the base for viral drinks such as the trending “strawberry matcha”. As a tea and coffee lover nothing brings me more joy than the boom in Japanese bakery/cafes across Sydney serving yummy baked goods and authentic matcha - come matcha hopping with me in today’s blog, let’s go!

Azuki Bakery

We are kicking off strong with Azuki Bakery, an adorable Japanese bakery in Newtown (their new store just opened in Wolli Creek) that many hail as a hidden gem and their favourite Japanese bakery in Sydney. As soon as I stepped inside the door I was greeted with staff replenishing the shelves with goodies. My senses were immediately overwhelmed with the expansive selection of savoury and sweet treats - think cakes, pastries, bread, baked savoury pastries, and mochi.

Before we get into the food let’s start with the matcha - this tasted like a hug in a cup, smooth and perfectly foamy. I could tell Azuki only used premium or ceremonial grade matcha as the texture wasn’t grainy at all and the matcha flavour was strong yet not overpowering.

Top tip - you can always tell if a matcha powder is good/bad by how vibrant the colour is, if your matcha is a dull green with a grey-ish tinge I would tip that cup of matcha out and head to Azuki Bakery ASAP.

Rating: 9.5/10

Baked goods

From left to right (clockwise) and the numbering in brackets indicates my ranking (1 - favourite, 4 - least liked):

Yakisoba pan (2) - a Japanese classic created in 1950s Tokyo, the hotdog bun is filled with Japanese stir-fried noodles (yakisoba) topped with bonito flakes, dried seaweed, pickled red ginger, and a perfectly crunchy piece of vegetable tempura. If you are into savoury baked goods this is an 11/10 - so fresh and umami with the perfect bread-to-filling ratio, it’s a must-order.

Matcha melon pan (1) - this is the most requested weekly special item which has now made its way into the main menu at Azuki bakery, a soft bun filled with matcha custard cream with matcha cookie dough on top… need I say more? This was my favourite out of all the items we tried as I loved the contrast between the soft, gooey custard with the crumbly cookie dough. The combination of matcha with the traditional melon pan is genius and I must say although a dessert bun, this was “not too sweet”.

Mochi Ichigo (strawberry) (3) - if you are a mochi lover like me you will love this strawberry mousse wrapped in a soft mochi sheet with fresh strawberry, blueberry, and white chocolate pieces for decoration. The mochi was soft and stretchy with the mousse perfectly whipped and fluffy - next time I’ll get one for myself as sharing this gets a little messy.

Kinako mochi donut (4) - Kinako translates to roasted soybean powder and this donut was chewy and umami however there was too little of it. Although not my favourite I thought the soybean flavour was quite interesting and good to try as not many Japanese bakeries would offer this as an option.

Rating: 9/10

Pa.ra.mi

Pa.ra.mi is a new onigiri and matcha cafe on Alberta Street, the same spot where Cre.asion used to be located (note Cre.asion has since moved to a new location in Pyrmont). This is such a cute cafe with very cozy vibes and they also sell matcha/hojicha powder from the brand Matcha Matcha (which I have at home and can confirm is a premium, authentic matcha powder made in Japan).

As I already had a matcha latte at Azuki I opted for the hojicha and this was a great choice - the hojicha latte was whisked to perfection, and the quality of the hojicha powder shines with a nutty, earthy, and toasty flavour that’s incredibly smooth and melds into the milk. If you like hints of cocoa and caramel then hojicha latte might be the next thing to try.

Rating (hojicha latte): 8.5/10

Onigiri

Did I mention that Pa.ra.mi also sells onigiri and they mean business - look at the range of flavours available from the more traditional grilled salmon to unique flavour combinations such as mushroom and cheese or wagyu beef. I tried the chilli cha-siu onigiri and it was bloody yummy - filled with umami cha-siu that was well-seasoned with fluffy, glutinous rice. My only criticism is that the seaweed was a little soggy from being encased in the packaging or it might have been the time of day I visited (late arvo so the onigiri may have been sitting on the shelves since the morning).

Rating (onigiri): 7/10

T Totaler

Photo credit: @ttotalertea on Instagram

T Totaler is located in The Galeries and is a Sydney loose-leaf tea company focusing on Australian-grown tea and herbs, I remember purchasing sample tea test tubes from T Totaler a few years ago at the Sydney Tea Festival or another market however it’s nice to see that this brand now has a permanent store on the Ground Floor of The Galeries.

T Totaler has been riding the matcha wave recently with new additions to its menu including blueberry and strawberry matcha (pictured above), however, we visited around closing time, and given it was a rainy day I just wanted something warm before heading home. I decided to try the hot chocolate matcha which was… interesting. I’m unsure whether the richness of the hot chocolate works with the matcha as it tasted a little jarring given both cocoa and matcha are naturally bitter, with the addition of soy milk it was a lot more palatable however I probably would try the blueberry/strawberry iced matcha latte for my next visit.

Rating: 5/10

So there you have it - my favourite cafe from today’s blog was Azuki bakery but I think T Totaler is the most experimental in terms of the creativity in infusing matcha into their drinks. Other matcha places on my hitlist include Outta Coffee, Kahii, Chinatown Country Club, and Akipan - let me know if there are any others I should add to the list and hope this blog has inspired you to give matcha a go.