There are plenty of Japanese restaurants in Melbourne, but Kuu Cafe is one of the few that focuses on home-cooked meals. This humble space in South Melbourne is one of my favorite Japanese cafes in Melbourne, not only do they serve beautiful food, but they also got one of the best matcha drinks, and such lovely cakes too! If you’re searching for delectable lunch or dinner options in South Melbourne, keep reading because you might want to pay them a visit.
Kuu Cafe
Japanese Kitchen
Lies in Park Street, South Melbourne, Kuu Cafe can easily be accessed by trams. You can take either number 1 or number 58 and it will be a short walk from the tram stop. The space inside is fairly small, in total, they can only accommodate 20 people inside and out. They also don’t take bookings, but I feel like Melburnians are pretty considerate individuals who won’t stay for more than an hour in a small cafe like this.
Although I’ve been here many times, but I’ve dedicated the past couple of visits for the blog, so I’m going to share a few extra food photos for you. The ordering process in here has fully gone digital, you simply scan the barcode through your phone, you can view the menu, place an order, and pay all in one go. I feel like it’s a clever approach to running a business because it’s quick, efficient, there is less confusion & orders always go through.
Japanese breakfast platter ($26)
This weekend-only Japanese breakfast platter is definitely not for the faint of heart. Honestly, they might look like they all came in small portions, but I needed Billy to help me finish these dishes. I love mostly everything about this platter, but I must say that the onigiri mushroom was a bit too mushroomy to my taste (they use shiitake), and it has an overly sweet flavor from the teriyaki sauce that isn’t really suitable for me. It’s just a personal preference, I guess.
Chicken katsu sandwich ($15.5)
Billy ordered this Chicken Katsu Sandwich for his lunch and he enjoyed it. He preferred the bread untoasted, but other than that, it was a lovely meal. I would say, from the look of it, the chicken appeared to be really crispy. He even stated that the chicken was so crispy it stabbed his hard palate somewhat when he chewed on it, poor thing, haha..
Smoked trout ochazuke ($20.5)
I ordered this on a different day when I went out for lunch with my friend, Steph. I’ve been a long-time fan of Kuu’s Agedashi Tofu, but that particular day, I wanted something similar yet in a different form. Hence why I’m trying their Ochazuke. The first thing that stood out to me the most was the presentation of it, IT LOOKED SO FREAKING BEAUTIFUL!
The meal was served on a tray, they put the broth inside a teapot, while colorful pickles and wasabi were placed in a condiment dish on the side. I had to take about 50ish shots with my left hand while pouring the broth with my right. It was really satisfying when I finally got the perfect shot of this stunning-looking meal.
Despite the fact that there appeared to be a lot of colors and things in the bowl, I found it to taste significantly different. The Ochazuke was very clean on my palate and I absolutely adored it. It may sound unusual coming from someone who loves her rich umami flavors, but I just simply felt that it suited the dish.
ONIGIRI Rice ball chicken omelet ($6) | Miso Soup($4) | KAKIAGE SHREDDED VEGGIE TEMPURA ($8)
For her lunch, my friend Steph opted for the chicken onigiri, shredded veggies tempura, and a miso soup. It was a wonderful combination of textures, I see. She enjoyed both the onigiri, and the miso soup, but we both agreed that the tempura was a little too greasy. Nonetheless, I found the idea of using matcha powder as a condiment was brilliant.
Greentea Ganache Cake ($8.80) | Matcha green tea latte ($5) | HouJICHA LATTE ($5)
Last but not least, I picked a sliced of the green tea cake to share. If you love green tea, this is a good one. Personally, I prefer my green tea stronger and not as sweet, but this one isn’t bad at all. Their green tea and houjicha were delicious, the milk was properly frothed and the taste is well-balanced.
Overall, I had a wonderful time at Kuu Cafe as always. The food was beautifully presented and tasted great. The staffs were friendly and accommodating, I would definitely recommend this cafe to anyone looking for a delectable Japanese home-cooked type of meal in Melbourne.
SUMMARY
- Kuu Cafe + Japanese Kitchen
- Operation Hours :
- Mon – Fri AM : 11:00 AM – 03:00 PM
- Mon – Fri PM : 05:00 PM – 08:30 PM
- Sat – Sun : 09:00 AM – 04:00 PM
- Type : Cafe
- Price : $$
- Coffee : Yes
- Cuisine : Japanese
- Alcohol : No
- Dessert : Yes
- Indoor Capacity : +-15
- Outdoor Capacity : +-6
- RSVP : Walk-in Only
- Waiting Time : 15+ minutes
- Toilet : Not sure
- Wifi : Not sure
- Vegan / Vegetarian : Available
- GF Option : Not Sure
