YTB
Formerly Yugen Tea Bar, now with more approachable cafe fare.
Modern Asian$
Yugen Dining’s Chapel Street sibling has entered a new era. Yugen Tea Bar – with its tea sommelier and 40-odd distinctive varieties from around the world – was seen as a special-occasion spot for high tea. Now it’s morphed into the more approachable YTB.
Asian-inspired sangers mostly use house-made shokupan, and flavour-packed salads are a lunchtime win. But executive pastry chef Kay-Lene Tan’s sweets are the real showstopper, ranging from matcha-white chocolate cookies to calamansi olive oil cake. Ceremonial-grade matcha leads a tea list that’s shorter than before, but is set to grow.
A cosy must-order: Buckwheat taiyaki, a Japanese fish-shaped waffle filled with miso egg, aged cheddar and togarashi. It’s served with pickles and a pickled-ginger dressing.
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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/vic-good-food-guide/ytb-20250428-p5luus.html