Matcha-ya is a green tea specialist bar that opened in June in Haymarket’s Steam Mill Lane. It was one of my most anticipated openings on the back of the offerings at Oh! Matcha by Chanoma. becoming more focused on being Instagram-worthy and deviating from the authentic Japanese cafe experience for which we’d enjoyed visiting it previously. It brought back a more traditional, yet modern, experience that’s retained by Cre Asion in its cramped location and long lost at Oh! Matcha by Chanoma.
Matcha-ya sources its matcha from Shizuoka, a prefecture that produces 40% of all sencha produced in Japan. The interior is a palette of wood and monochrome, and with the jazz playing overhead, the atmosphere is serene and calming, much like the cafes in Japan.
2018
We visited 2 weeks after it opened and it seemed that there were still some teething issues to be ironed out. Desserts – sundaes, fondues, anmitsu and parfaits – were not available when we visited at lunch hour (they open at 11:30) due to various issues that included their soft serve machine.
This is the Yuzu Matcha Straight ($5.50 for regular). It’s served in a handless mug.
The tea is a bright green colour with a fragrant yuzu aroma. Served hot and unsweetened, the zesty notes of yuzu came through ahead of the gentle bitterness and prominent vegetal notes of the matcha before a moderately astringent finish.
This is N’s Matcha Shiratama Azuki Float ($8.50).
N’s not one for bitterness and here, the whipped cream and azuki paste helps to take the edge off it. I enjoy the slight bitterness of the matcha and could’ve done without the whipped cream, although we both would have enjoyed more azuki paste. The shiratama have just the mochi mochi texture without being a tad too firm like the ones at Oh! Matcha.
This is the Mandarin Latte ($6.00), a seasonal item during August.
Pleasantly, this latte takes the edge off the straight matcha with a natural source of sweetness from the freeze-dried mandarin, which dissolves into the creamy beverage to leave a slightly chunky texture, which is surprisingly enjoyable. The addition of shiratama to hot drink isn’t something I’d try again as it takes on a mushy texture.
This is the Spicy Butter Soy Matcha-ya Chips ($6.50). We were after the ‘matcha wasabi nori’ flavour but they were out of that on the day.
The chips have an intense butter soy flavour – it’s flavour you can see – that borders on excess as the chips becoming so salty as to be almost bitter without dusting off some seasoning. The spiciness is very gentle and comes from the dusting of shichimi. Overall, I enjoyed the potential flavour delivered by these chips.
For the first month after opening in June, drink purchases came with a complementary Soft Serve Cone in matcha or houjicha. The soft serve wasn’t ready when we ordered our drinks, so we had to follow this up after being seated and even then they only had matcha available. The soft serve is smooth without a prominent dairy flavour and with a pleasant hint of bitterness from the matcha. We enjoy the matcha and the crispy waffle cone but were more curious about the houjicha flavour.
Finally, a few weeks later, they have the desserts available for order around midday. This is the Houjicha Shiratama Anmitsu ($8.00) with houjicha soft serve, a dollop of anko, three shiratama, two pieces of matcha sponge and a waffle cone.
The houjicha soft serve has an enjoyable mellow roasted flavour that’s instantly recognisable as houjicha without being overwhelming, while the anko adds a textural sweetness and the shiratama bring a chewiness, although they’re bland and lack the flavour of glutinous rice flour. The cubes of matcha sponge have a light matcha flavour but are dense and dry.
This is the Fruits Garden Swirl Sundae ($8.00) with a mix of matcha/houjicha soft serve, a dollop of anko, two cubes each of matcha, houjicha and agar jelly, two pieces of freeze-dried mandarin, two pieces of pineapple, a strawberry, three shiratama, two pieces of matcha sponge and a piece of honeycomb.
The anko, freeze-dried mandarin segments and the honeycomb are the highlights here, although we’d ordered this for the houjicha and matcha jelly. The latter were underwhelming – while both tasted like the teas, neither were sweetened and made with an agar base, the houjicha flavour was muted and the matcha flavour was bitter. The fresh fruit was neither here nor there, with the pineapple adding a jarring sourness. That said, for the same price as the Houjicha Shiratama Anmitsu, the variety and amount of toppings in the sundae was more generous although it lacked the balance of the ones we enjoy from Nana’s Green Tea in Japan.
Matcha-ya shows promise as a frequent haunt closer to the southern end of the CBD. The staff show characteristic Japanese work ethic – they’re never idle even when they’re not busy serving customers, always occupied with cleaning windows or tables or weighing out portions of matcha or houjicha powder into containers for future use. We’ll be back before long.
2019
Matcha-ya has easily surpassed Oh! Matcha by Chanoma as cafe to which N and I turn for Japanese style drinks. The relaxing atmosphere with the jazz playing in the background — the quintessential music choice of cafes throughout Japan — transports us fond memories of vacations spent in Japan.
This is the Iced Mandarin Matcha Latte ($8.50).
The generous amount of freeze dried mandarin acts as a natural sweetener to the matcha latte, giving it sweet and fruity flavour that pairs remarkably well with the vegetal notes of the matcha. The freeze dried mandarin also thickens the latte to give a viscous, creamy mouthfeel.
We’re not fans of the cream sitting between the latte and the freeze dried mandarin as it recalled cream cheese but it’s easy enough to avoid.
This is the Iced Mandarin Hōjicha Latte ($8.50).
The difference that this change in the tea base made to the flavour of the latte surprised us. As before, the freeze dried mandarin added viscosity to the latte, but pairing with the roasted notes of the hōjicha gave an much creamier flavour that reminds of a hot chocolate but tastes infinitely more enjoyable (not being fans of the orange and chocolate combination). Whereas the matcha brought out the fruitiness of the mandarin, the mandarin notes here are mellower and act predominately as a sweetener.
I follow later with the Strong Houji-cha Latte ($9.00).
I enjoy a prominent houjicha flavour so like the ‘strong’ option where available. The latte is unsweetened with a delicious roasted flavour and a viscous and creamy mouthfeel. I enjoyed the sweetness from the freeze-dried mandarin version, but this unsweetened version is allows the deep roasted, slightly floral notes of the houjicha to shine, which it does without any hint of bitterness.
Matcha-ya is located at NW.05 10 Steam Mill Lane, Haymarket NSW 2000.
2020
Matcha-ya expanded its dessert menu to include anmitsu, parfaits, sundaes, kakigōri and zenzai in mid-2019. While N enjoyed their kakigōri, I was excited by their zenzai offering.
This is the Zenai Shiratama Mochi ($5.80, iced (also available hot)). It consisted of a cold and sweet azuki soup with roasted soybeans and chestnut and a sprinkling of corn flakes. The combination of flavours and textures made this an enjoyable, light dessert, with the chestnut and soybeans adding a savoury pop and firmer texture that contrasted well with the soft shiratama mochi and the sweet azuki soup. While I enjoyed the flavour of the azuki soup, I did expect a thicker consistency that would cling more to the toppings.
This is the Matcha Zenzai Shiratama Mochi ($5.80, iced (also available hot)). This is a modern twist on the traditional zenzai, swapping the azuki soup for a cold, sweetened matcha latte. Honestly, the matcha latte was a pleasant surprise because I expected a deep green, unsweetened straight matcha, but it brought the only element of much-needed sweetness to counter the savoury flavour of the chestnut and soybeans. That said, while I enjoyed the creamy sweetness of the matcha latte, I’d be partial a straight matcha base with azuki for the element of sweetness.
This is the Matcha Yuzu Roll Cake ($9.90), featuring a matcha cake with yuzu-flavoured cream. The cake is a brilliant green colour and reflects its bold matcha flavour that’s grassy with an underlying hint of bitterness, while the cream delivered a bright yuzu flavour with its signature floral notes and a bold zestiness from visible and textural specks of the peel itself. Its sweetness balances the bitterness of the matcha somewhat, yet the overall sweetness of the cake is very much restrained as there is no reliance on yuzu marmalade to carry the flavour. We enjoy the adult palate but would appreciate a lighter, less dense cake sponge to go with the cream.
2023
Matcha-ya can always be counted on for an authentic and elegant modern Japanese tea house experience. This time, though, we returned for one of their coffee desserts.
Coffee Jelly with Mochi ($10.90), homemade coffee jelly, shiratama mochi, condensed milk and vanilla ice cream.
The quality of each element in this dessert seamlessly merged to create a harmonious delight. The coffee jelly, crafted from unsweetened Kyōto Ogawa Charcoal Roasted Ice Coffee, exhibited a remarkably rich and smooth aromatic flavour that distinctly stood out among the other components. The vanilla ice cream employed in this creation exuded a luxurious creaminess, generously adorned with visible flecks of genuine vanilla bean. The shiratama mochi pieces contributed an enjoyable bounce, with the portions in direct contact with the chilled ice cream offering an enhanced chewiness. The addition of condensed milk contributed a judicious amount of sweetness without overpowering the overall composition. In flavour, this coffee jelly proved to be the most exceptional rendition we have encountered, warranting a return visit to enjoy it again.
Hōjicha Latte ($7.90, iced, lightly sweetened).
The hōjicha latte remained consistently delightful, with the subtle sweetness allowing the deep roasted flavour to shine through in every velvety sip. As time passed, the regular hōjicha option proved to be satisfying enough to fulfil any craving for this beverage.
Homemade Houji-cha Cookie ($7.50)
This cookie featured a crispy outer edge encompassing a chewy, dense, and slightly moist interior. While the hōjicha flavour was present, it manifested as a subtle roasted undertone, somewhat overshadowed by the overall taste of the baked flour. Our preference would lean towards hōjicha-flavored chocolate chips to impart the rich hōjicha essence we were seeking.
Matcha-ya is located at NW.05 10 Steam Mill Lane, Haymarket NSW 2000.