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YTB

Formerly Yugen Tea Bar, now with more approachable cafe fare.

Tomas Telegramma

Savoury buckwheat taiyaki, a fish-shaped Japanese waffle.
1 / 4Savoury buckwheat taiyaki, a fish-shaped Japanese waffle.Jana Langhorst
Pastries are flavoured with matcha and calamansi.
2 / 4Pastries are flavoured with matcha and calamansi.Tim Harris
Asian-inspired sandwiches are made with shokopan.
3 / 4Asian-inspired sandwiches are made with shokopan.Jana Langhorst
Assorted dishes.
4 / 4Assorted dishes.Tim Harris

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.

Tomas TelegrammaTomas Telegramma is a food, drinks and culture writer.

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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/vic-good-food-guide/ytb-20250428-p5luus.html