SWEET TASTES OF JAPAN IN THE HEART OF MELBOURNE
By Jessica Walsh
Save yourself the airfare and satisfy your travel cravings! Melbourne’s CBD is full of decadent, authentic Japanese desserts that will make you feel like you’re on your own holiday in Japan.
‘Soooo, how was Japan?’
I’ve sat down with a friend and asked this question more times in the past eighteen months than I have in my entire life. And if it isn’t me asking—it’s them. We’ll be dissecting every part of each other’s trips while our forks are busy dissecting the Japanese-inspired desserts on our plates; as if tasting and talking about Japan might take us back there.
From the moment you open social media, the recent boom in tourism to Japan is evident almost everywhere: either you, or someone you know, or someone someone you know knows, has recently been to Japan. Or, it’s thousands of videos delving into the boundless secondhand clothing stores, top attractions to see in each city, how to navigate the train system, and, most commonly, all the food ‘you have to try’ when you’re in [insert Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto]. With all the carefully decorated sweets, cheap 7/11 eats, and mouth-watering clips of low-light omakase and wagyu restaurants, it’s becoming increasingly difficult not to want to plan your own trip to Japan.
But life is expensive! If not just that, maybe you don’t have the time to travel, or, you might just want to indulge in all those mouth-watering foods without flying for at least ten hours. Japan is one of my favourite places to travel to as it holds a rich nostalgia and familial comfort for me, so I’m always pondering my next trip back. Luckily, Melbourne’s food culture is plentiful, with many places offering authenticity and spins on traditional dishes and flavours. On a stroll around the CBD, you’ll find many of the exciting and intriguing desserts that have been luring you towards booking that Japan trip, without having to worry about the airfare ( ...for now).
HARERUYA PANTRY (CBD AND CARLTON)
The shade of a gingko tree sheaths your skin from the warm early evening sun, and through the breeze you can hear the bustling nearby streets leading to the temples and souvenir shops around Gion. The sweet scent of melting ice cream tempts you to a small opening in the side of a nearby building.
Hareruya (ハレルヤ) translates to ‘sunny shop’ and is the earned namesake of the two Japanese convenience stores tucked away in Carlton and Melbourne’s CBD. Specialising in Japanese flavoured ice creams, Hareruya Pantry also offers pastries, bento boxes, onigiri (Japanese rice-balls), sandwiches, and drinks that are perfect for on-the-go workers and students, and those looking for a small refreshing treat.
Hareruya Pantry is always at the top of my recommendations lists for their consistently creamy and balanced house-made gelato flavours that you can choose to enjoy either in a cup, wrapped in mochi skin (daifuku), or sandwiched between rice wafers (monaka). Their gelatos incorporate popular Japanese tastes such as sesame, matcha, yuzu, and ichigo (strawberry). The flavours instantly transport you to the quiet streets of Kyoto, where you could be chewing on the soft mochi skin as the sweet ice cream melts into your tongue. It’s the perfect quick treat and—if you want to indulge further—the gelato can also be enjoyed in 500 ml and 1 L tubs!
KUMO (CBD)
Tokyo’s neon lights are starting to dry your eyes, and the cover of night is bringing on a cool wind in Shibuya. Maybe you’ve just seen another animated food commercial and now you’re craving something as bouncy and picturesque as the food in a Studio Ghibli movie. A sign twinkles in the distance, shaped like a pancake.
The fluffy soufflé pancakes at Kumo not only jiggle like animated food, but the explosion of sweetness and decadence in your mouth is sure to bring on some animated, starry eyes. Kumo is hardly a hidden gem, and though this means you’re likely to wait a little while to get a seat during peak dessert times, the wait is worth it. No need to travel across the world for soufflé pancakes—the ones served at Kumo balance texture, flavour, and a lightness that leaves you full but not sick with sweetness.
Kumo’s core dessert range features flavours of many different palates with generous serving sizes that are great for indulging in alone or with another. To accompany their sweet, cloud-like pancakes is an exciting menu of drinks that pull together ube, yuzu, matcha and even nashi pear. To avoid queuing, organise an early afternoon indulgence date with your partner in crime. Kumo will transport you straight to all those Tokyo fluffy pancake cafés—with more flavour and less travel.
NANA’S GREEN TEA (CBD)
Matcha, matcha, matcha. You’ve seen it—or heard it—in many languages a hundred times while walking around Kyoto. It’s been a long day of sightseeing, and all you need to revive yourself is a sweet treat—the hotel won’t be seeing you for another few hours.
Nana’s Green Tea is a Japan-based franchise that has opened two stores in Melbourne’s CBD. So quite literally, you can indulge in exactly the same desserts here as everyone visiting the Nana’s stores in Japan! The extensive sweet and savory menu offers something for those wanting to try something new and those looking to indulge shamelessly. From parfaits to cheesecakes, be ready to sink your spoon into layers of decadent sweetness.
The matcha blend at Nana’s uses unique techniques dating back to the Edo period and is sure to ignite you with a rich matcha taste that takes you straight to Uji—the home of premium Japanese green teas. And if matcha’s not for you, they also offer flavours like sakura, hojicha and sesame that will instantly make you feel as if you’re beneath the boughs of cherry blossom trees.
HARAJUKU CREPES (CBD)
Takeshita street has been a notorious hotspot for tourists for decades and with all the clothing stores, quirky cafes, and exciting street fashion, you’ve found yourself amongst the chaos. Everyone is walking past you holding a cone shaped dessert drizzled with different assortments of toppings and sauces. You swallow your pride and follow the sweet scent to one of the many famous crepe stores and join in on the fun.
Harajuku Crepes in Melbourne Central offers a variety of savoury and sweet crepes that are loaded with an assortment of fillings rolled into cones—just like the infamous creperies in the buzzing heart of Harajuku. Often seen in the hands of tourists, groups of schoolgirls and shoppers passing by, Harajuku crepes have become a staple when visiting the area with creperies often displaying rows of plastic crepe models that tug at any sweet tooth until they inevitably give in.
But don’t let the photos of the creperies make you feel left out! Made to be enjoyed on the move, at Harajuku Crepes in the CBD, you can choose from a range of flavour combinations or create your own. Then, simply enjoy your treat as you explore the streets of Melbourne. With all the great fashion in Melbourne, it’s almost just like being in Harajuku itself!
