Matcha Latte 抹茶ラテ hunt in Melbourne

Hello and Happy Friday, everybodehhhh! As the post title suggests, today I am writing about one of my most favouritest (if such a word existed) drink which is none other than matcha latte! :)

If memory serves me right, I reckon it was some time last year when green tea started becoming a "healthy trend" in Melbourne which saw many cafes introducing matcha latte to their menu.

If you've noticed, the demand for matcha latte has also been increasing lately, and more and more cafes are brewing this delightful, green "coffee" which is basically a concoction of matcha powder, milk and a sweetener such as sugar or honey.

As I've been a big fan of matcha from years ago, you can imagine how this is only good news to me. ;) If you too love matcha latte as much as I do and often wonder where you can have matcha latte in Melbourne, then this compilation is for you.

But if you haven't yet heard of what matcha is, it is basically green tea powder that offers a number of health benefits such as being high in antioxidants, helps boost metabolism, assists in weight loss and increases your energy level, just to name a few.

Matcha is originally brewed with water as part of traditional tea ceremonies in Japan, but the modern take on it (which I believe was started by Starbucks) is the bittersweet matcha latte that I love.

I personally love my matcha latte strong without being too sweet and I hope you appreciate that this review is based purely on my personal preference. Regardless, I hope this post helps you find a good matcha latte that'd you enjoy and keep you wanting more! :)

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One of the first few sweet matcha lattes I've had in Melbourne was at Tana Cafe which I absolutely love and have returned multiple times since. The matcha latte at Tana have been consistently good over my few visits there. I can still remember how it was oh so creamy and delicious!

I like how tana's version is slightly sweetened, but not overwhelmingly so. The owner mentioned that they make their own mix using matcha powder from Japan and honey but did not disclose further.

One other plus point is that Tana uses bonsoy so there's no aftermath of tummy issues for those with lactose intolerance yay! Even though I don't usually like soy milk in my coffee, but this tasted different, in a good way, of course.

Tana Cafe

 

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Little Rogue is also very popular for their matcha latte which I've spotted all over my Instagram feed so I am glad I finally got around to try. My verdict? I loved it!

The bittersweet matcha flavour was really strong and I like how it isn't too sweet at all. I think out of the lot, Little Rogue's is probably the least sweet. I totally regretted getting it in the regular size. The next time I'm there again, I'm opting for the large!

Little Rogue

 

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The next one on my list would be Momo Sushi in Hawthorn. I'd say this is one of my top 3 favourites as the matcha latte at Momo Sushi has the perfect blend of bittersweet with a notable matcha strength. As you can also see in the picture above, it was also very smooth and milky... I gulped it all too easily! Definitely one of the best. For coffee lovers, I've heard they've got a coffee matcha version too if you want a bit more of a caffeine kick. ;) Oh, they also serve amazing sushi!

Momo Sushi, Hawthorn

 

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Since The Boyfriend and I moved to South Yarra, we've been frequenting Maru Shih a fair bit for their reasonably priced and delicious Japanese food. But I often find myself there for their amazing matcha latte. I first tried their matcha latte mid last year and I remember it to be quite good, but I find it even better now as the matcha flavour is definitely stronger than it was before.

Maru Shih's matcha latte does have a deep matcha flavour but please do note that it is leaning slightly on the sweeter side. Although I do enjoy the original version, I have been trying to cut down on my sugar as you all know I am on a diet so I have specifically requested for a "less sweet" version and I am glad to report that it was still good!

Maru Shih

 

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Moving on, Operator 25 also recently introduced yuzu matcha latte to their new spring menu. I found that the matcha flavour isn't strong enough for my liking as the yuzu was rather overpowering, but I appreciate how the drink is light and very refreshing. Op25's version is very unique, and it certainly is something different for a change!

Operator 25

 

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I remember I first discovered The Baba Sus when I was looking for places that serve matcha latte. I was really excited when my matcha latte arrived looking this gorgeous, but after having my first sip, I was a little let down. It was alright, but it didn't hit the right spot.

The matcha wasn't strong enough even though I specifically requested for a strong one. I felt like it tasted just like the ones I can make at home which was why I was disappointed. But thankfully the food there made up for it. We've been there thrice for the food and I absolutely loved every dish we tried there. You can read my full blog post on Baba Sus here.

Baba Sus

 

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I've also tried Cafe Carpenter's green tea latte a while ago but whilst I found that it has the right amount of sweetness, I did find the matcha flavour to be a little too subtle for my liking. It was decent, but I did expect a bit more.

I do however love the presentation and tableware used - it's too pretty, don't you reckon? And although the matcha latte did not quite make the cut on my list, they've definitely got the best takoyaki in Melbourne. ;)

Cafe Carpenter

 

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Next up on my list is Le Petit Prince's decent matcha latte but if I had to be brutally honest, it was nothing to shout about as I found the matcha strength to be a little weak for my liking. But if you appreciate a weaker version, then you'd enjoy this.

Le Petit Prince

 

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I was going through my list of matcha latte photos and came across this one I had at Sardi a while ago, which I have very conveniently forgotten about. May I selfishly conclude that if it wasn't at the back of my mind, it certainly wasn't mindblowing. Probably one of my least fav out of the lot. =/

Sardi

 

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And last but not least, one of the most recent matcha latte I've had was at Kuu Japanese Cafe which certainly did not disappoint. The matcha flavour is quite strong and it isn't too sweet. Another one to go on my good matcha latte list. ;)

With the weather warming up, Kuu's iced matcha latte might appeal more to you. It sure was refreshing but I did find the matcha strength to be slightly weak so I'd personally stick to the hot version. The Boyfriend on the other hand was totally enjoying this. He noted that it was "just right and not too sweet, but was perfect with the ice cream" in his exact words.

KUU Japanese Cafe

 

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And that's a wrap! If you've been looking for good matcha lattes around Melbourne, why not try one of the above? Or if you know of any others places, please do let me know in the comments below.

Of course, if I come across any other good matcha lattes worth mentioning, I'll be sure to update this post in the future. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend, guys! :D

Rustica Sourdough

I've had Rustica Sourdough on my never ending to-eat-list ever since I read about it on Broadsheet. After seeing photos of the French toast time and again on my Instagram feed, I was going to drag The Boyfriend there with me before I flew off.

So you can imagine, when the invitation to brunch at Rustica came through the very next day, I was so happy, I did a happy chicken dance! The law of attraction must be working in my favour woohoo!

As we made our way into the cafe, we were welcomed with a fragrant aroma of freshly baked bread. There was a wide selection of bread, rolls and pastries on display; and they all looked so so good!

We were kindly seated by the open pastry kitchen, and I watched in awe as the pastry chefs worked their magic through some almond and chocolate croissants. I could not stop staring; sorry chefs, it must have been awkward to have people just looking on as you work. :|

I started with a cuppa soy hot chocolate. I would usually order a mocha, but upon seeing that they serve Monsieur Truffe's hot chocolate, I simply had to have a cuppa. OH SO GOOD!

The Boyfriend had a cup of English Breakfast tea and at this stage, The Boyfriend said he felt a little unwell and I thought maybe he was just a little too hungry as it was past noon, we haven't had any brekkie and it did take a while before our order was taken.

I was really really keen on trying the French toast that I've seen multiple times on Instagram, however as I was having some bad tummy cramps, I thought okay, I should refrain myself from having sweets and ice cream so instead I settled for the croque monsieur.

The three-stack croque monsieur consisting of ham hock, swiss gruyere, and seeded mustard bechamel on pumpkin brioche was amazing! It was a guilty indulgence no doubt, but one very worthy of its calories, I can assure you.

The Boyfriend on the other hand, opted for the beef brisket burger with chipotle mayo, herb slaw and pickles on brioche bun, served with french fries. The rich crumbly brioche bun was a great match to the tender brisket. I stole a bite of the burger and absolutely loved it.

I was looking forward to dessert but unfortunately though, as The Boyfriend was struck with a migraine midway through, we had to make a quick dash without finishing our food.

The music was pumping loud which would otherwise have been great for the atmosphere if not for The Boyfriend's headache.

The few bites that we had were fantastic though. Well, at least I was really enjoying my meal, but my poor boyfriend had his head pounding away and could barely stomach any food. He did say to me the following day, "The burger was yummy, wished I didn't have migraine."

We excused ourselves, and were so surprised and pleased when we were presented with a goodie bag to take home. I am glad The Boyfriend managed to at least enjoy the bread after he woke up from his 3 hours nap, hungry and still a little groggy.

Fresh, light and airy; everything I'd ask for in a loaf of sourdough bread. It was also my first time having pumpkin bread and I loved it. A soft and slightly sweet loaf; I was enjoying it plain with olive oil and it was so satisfyingly good.

Thank you ID Collective and Rustica Sourdough for the invitation and great food. We will have to return again soon so we can take our time and enjoy a proper meal next time. I need to get my hands on the beautiful pastries and the French toast.

It's only been slightly less than 2 weeks since I left Melbourne and I am already missing the brunch scene. Oh, I just can't wait to be back. So please do enjoy an extra plate of the French toast on my behalf! ;)

Addict Food and Coffee

This is my first weekend back in Malaysia and whilst I am really enjoying the local food, a huge part of me is missing the other home that is Melbourne. I miss The Boyfriend and I miss the food scene in Melbourne, especially a good brekkie.

I have yet to try any western breakfast/brunch options here in KL but I've been told by many that they're not as good as the ones in Melbourne. Thankfully before I left, I filled up my brunch quota as much as I could.

One of the many Melbourne brunch places that I managed to cross off my to-eat-list before returning to KL is Addict Food and Coffee. It was a Thursday morning, both Daisy and I headed down to Fitzroy to catch up with Singaporean foodie, Michelle Li who happened to be in town.

All three of us had a drink each; whilst the other girls opted for coffee, I went for the Mork hot chocolate with almond milk. I love the beautiful mug that the hot chocolate was served in.

We decided to order 3 dishes to share amongst the three of us. Daisy opted for the eggs benedict with ham hock and tarragon hollandaise. The eggs were poached to perfection, and I really enjoyed the ham hock; so tender and flavourful!

The other Michelle being a lover of sweets, selected the wholemeal buttermilk pancakes. I love how pretty this dish looked, and may I add, the fluffy pancakes paired with raspberry, poached pear and mascarpone tasted just as scrumptious too!

And finally, this was my pick. Just how yolkpornlicious does this look? ;) Mushroom duxelles, topped with a crisp potato hash, a juicy roasted field mushroom, caramelised onion and a poached egg.

I loved the contrasting texture of the fleshy mushroom and the crisp yet soft in the inside potato hash. The flavours were very well executed, with the sweetness of the caramelised onion cutting through the savoury duxelles.

I was really pleased with our meal, and I'm sure both the girls were satisfied too. All three dishes were really well executed and delicious, but if I had to choose a favourite, I'd go for the eggs benedict.

Service was also great; despite the slight wait for the food to arrive, the waitstaff were all very friendly and attentive.

The cafe was packed and buzzing with lots of locals enjoying their food and coffee; and I can see why. I could not fault Addict Food at all and definitely wouldn't mind returning again.

I guess that explains the queue for a table. My advice would be to get in early with a smaller group as most tables are set for two. :)

New Shanghai

I've got a soft spot for dumplings. Be it Chinese style jiao zi, Korean mandu, Japanese gyoza, wontons... Any kind of dumplings basically. So you can imagine how excited I was when I received an invitation from ID Collective to dine at New Shanghai.

I am personally a huge fan of their dumplings and have been to New Shanghai numerous times since they opened for two particular dishes; their 小籠包 (xiao long bao) and  生煎包 (pan fried pork buns).

The Boyfriend however, being the westernised Asian that he is often laments, "They (referring to any sort of dumplings) all taste the same!!" So instead of bringing him to the lunch tasting, I brought along The SIL who was super excited as she too is a fan of New Shanghai.

We started with some steamed crab and pork xiao long bao. I appreciate how the skin isn't too thick, and the filling being all tender and juicy. They were just as good as the pork ones that we often have, but I found the broth to be a tad tastier with the addition of crab.

Ahhhh, they're so good, I swear I can eat the whole serve all by myself! Just a kind warning though, you have to be extra careful as the broth inside can cause quite a fair bit of mess if spilled.

Take a small bite up the top of the bun, and slowly suck the hot broth out; it is after all the best part! ;)

Of course, we could not go past the pan fried pork buns even though we've had them so many times before. I absolutely love how soft and fluffy the buns are, paired with a crispy bottom and juicy filling, oh so delightful! You won't be able to stop at one. ;)

Truth be told, when the waitstaff recommended these prawn wontons with chilli oil, peanut and sesame sauce, I was a little hesitant, but it turned out to be the highlight for me! These dumplings were smooth and silky with a generous amount of prawns.

And the sauce? It does sounds like a weird combo, but it comes together really well and was super delicious!  It was a dish I would not have otherwise ordered but now I see why this dish is popular.

I often associate New Shanghai to dumplings, and as such we've yet to try many of the main dishes. The Boyfriend upon seeing my photos of the dishes The SIL and I sampled said, "Why have we never tried these main dishes before? You always order the dumplings only!"

Now that The SIL and I have sampled the mains and really enjoyed them, I am pretty sure we would return again with our other halves. :)

Speaking of the mains, we started with a sweet and sour whole barramundi, which is one of my favourite childhood dishes and definitely brought back very nostalgic memories.

The SIL was really keen on the crispy American pork ribs with garlic as her colleague raved about this dish. I swear I saw her eyes lit up upon her first bite as she went, "Mmmmm!"

The ribs were so toothsome, we had no patience with our lack of chopstick skills, we ended up using our hands haha!

If you enjoy salty food, I highly recommend the deep fried tofu coated with salted egg yolk. It was delicious, however as we were not having rice that arvo, I found this dish to be a little salty for my liking. It would have been great if we had rice.

I used to frequent Hu Tong many years ago but I found the standard of the dumplings to have dropped a fair bit in recent days. They aren't as tasty and as well made as they were before.

I am glad New Shanghai came about as it has been my go to place for dumplings since their opening. I am also sure we would be returning for dinner to try the other mains next time. ;)

If you've never been, I highly recommend you pop by Emporium to try out New Shanghai one day. I hope you will enjoy the dumplings as much as I do. And as my SIL would say in excitement, "MUST HAVE THE AMERICAN RIBS!"