Over the past two years, Tokyo Lamington has brought Sydneysiders a rainbow of lamington flavours, from matcha to red velvet, yuzu to fairy bread. Now it's Melbourne's turn for squares of sponge in the vein of Australiana-meets-Asia. A Carlton branch of Tokyo Lamington opens on October 18.

Co-owner Eddie Stewart decided Melbourne had to be the next location for the Newtown bakery that he dreamed up in Tokyo, before having to move back to Australia when the pandemic hit and open in Sydney instead.

He noticed that Victorians have a thing for lamingtons. "Once [Victoria's] borders opened, there were lots of people coming straight from the airport with their bags to try our lamingtons," he says.

The small pink-and-white shop on Elgin Street is now saving Melburnians the trip to Sydney, offering the same range of lamingtons, pies, quiches and onigiri.

The namesake item comes in nine flavours, more than half of which rotate each month. This month there's a pumpkin-charcoal special, made with black sponge for Halloween, plus pandan kaya and black sesame. These are alongside the mainstays of fairy bread, the classic chocolate-raspberry and yuzu with a torched meringue shell.

Melbourne also gets a chance to try the Arnotts range that debuted this month, inspired by three classic biscuits: Iced Vovo, Mint Slice and Lemon Crisp.

Stewart (an ex Black Star Pastry chef) is also keen to offer the focaccia that's an occasional Sydney special. "We find it fitting, being in Carlton," he says. Slices of the spongy bread will be topped with the likes of miso eggplant or lap cheong and onion.

Inside the shop is a long counter, "lam lam" merch and cosy window nooks to sit at, with a pared-back aesthetic in keeping with the shop's name. Coffee is from Single O, a Sydney roaster and joins hojicha lattes and other Japanese drinks.

Open from October 18 daily, 7am-3pm

258 Elgin Street, Carlton, 0402 392 258, tokyolamington.com