2017
Oh! Matcha by Chanoma Cafe expanded in mid-2017 to World Square, with the shop serving drinks and soft serve exclusively. It’s a small space, previously occupied by nut and snack store, so there’s minimal seating with enough for about 10.
N goes for their Iced Yuzu-Nade ($4.50 for regular, $5.50 for large). After being disappointed by the Honey Milk Yuzu Frappe, and with faith that they’d stopped using lemon juice from Woolworths as they did in their hot yuzu tea a few years ago, N was pleased with this yuzu-nade.
And I have their Iced Hōjicha Latte ($4.50 for regular, $5.50 for large). The latte uses about 3/4 milk to 1/4 hōjicha with the flavour of the hōjicha being deliciously fragrant with roasted notes and (happily) masking the dairy. The milk brought a full-bodied mouthfeel, which I enjoy, but I’m not a fan of milk generally.
Oh! Matcha is located at Basement, World Square, 644 George Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000.
2018
Oh! Matcha celebrated spring in Japan by introducing sakura-themed soft serve and drinks to their menu in April 2018. A delay in their supply of sakura from Japan meant that after the 50 serves of the drinks on the first day, they had only 10 of each drink for the subsequent three days. Lucky for N and I we were able to get in early after their doors opened.
The sakura series uses azuki beans to achieve its pink colour and gains its sakura mochi taste from the sakura powder, which is made from ground sakura leaves. The sakura powder is green in colour and has a gritty mouthfeel. The drinks feature significant amounts of the sakura powder (hence the limited availability initially), while the soft serve cones receive only a sprinkle (hence the unlimited availablity).
Notwithstanding the lighting instore is quite terrible, the Sakura Strawberry Frappe ($6.90) doesn’t look half as pretty as in the promotional material. I was impressed that the sakura flavour came through as a floral, slightly sour taste in the frappe, but the sweetness of the additional strawberry jam was overwhelming without relief. The azuki red bean soft serve does not have a prominent flavour other than being sweet and add to that, the richness of the whipped cream, it wasn’t particularly enjoyable. Paring back the strawberry would be an improvement as would …
the addition of matcha! The Sakura Strawberry Float ($6.90)is a winner for sakura drinks. It has all the good parts and none of the bad of the frappe. The sakura flavour came through prominently as that floral sour flavour, while the bitterness of the matcha cuts through the moderate sweetness from the azuki soft serve pleasantly. As a float rather than a frappe, the grittiness from the sakura powder is more prominent and interfered with N’s enjoyment as she found it chalky.
For the sake of completeness, a few weeks earlier, we’d caught the tail end of their summer menu with their yuzu soft serve ($3.90). We’d had this before back when they were still called Chanoma. It’s just as good as we remember with a more zesty sharpness to the yuzu flavour.
It’s always exciting when Oh! Matcha (or Chanoma Cafe as it was formerly known) comes out with a new seasonal item on their menu. And just in time for my birthday back in November, they came out with desserts and drinks based on kinako (roasted soybean flour) and kuromitsu (black sugar syrup) as part of their Kyōto series.
This is the Kyōto Anmitsu ($7.90) with agar agar, anko (red bean paste), azuki beans, dango and kinako soft serve drizzled with kuromitsu.
The star here is the kinako soft serve, which delivered on the characteristic nuttiness with a gentle sweetness from the kuromitsu. The anko was smooth while the azuki beans added a firmer texture to the softness. As ever, I’m not a fan of the crumbly texture of agar agar jelly.
And this is the Kyōto Matcha Thick Shake ($6.90) with kinako blended with matcha soft serve and topped with whipped cream and kuromitsu.
It was a bit worrying when we visited the first day this new menu was available and the lady making the drink was followed around by another holding the recipe telling her how to make the drink. Unfortunately, the newness of this menu item shows in the drink with it having an overly watery consistency. The dominant flavour was matcha, although the characteristic bitter finish is rounded by the nuttiness of the kinako. That said, the flavour of kinako is very subtle and it’d be difficult to identify the flavour without prior knowledge.
We’ll likely return once they’re more practiced with their new items.
2019
The Oh! Matcha in World Square saw in autumn in Sydney with a Kyōto series that featured soy bean and brown sugar or kinako and kuromitsu, a natural pairing of two quintessentially Japanese flavours.
N tried their Kyōto brown Sugar Latte ($5.90), which consisted of black tapioca pearls, kuromitsu lining the cup with kinako flavoured milk and powder on top.
Watching them make the drink, we were a tad apprehensive about overwhelming milk flavour from the amount of milk that went into it, but we were pleasantly surprised that the nutty notes of kinako came through bright and lightly sweetened with the kuromistu. The pearls add some textural chew and the kinako flavour does fade after a while, but it’s nothing that a break doesn’t reset.
I went for their Kyōto Soft Serve ($4.20), which consisted of kinako flavoured soft serve drizzled in kuromitsu.
The kinako flavour was prominent here, but as with the latte, dissipates as the palate gets numbed from the cold. A short break between spoonfuls and the kinako is pleasantly nutty with a gentle sweetness from the kuromitsu. Compared to the kinako soft serve from a year ago, this one has a stronger flavour that we prefer.
While we still prefer the more standard tea flavours along with our all time favourite yuzu, we’re glad to see the World Square branch returning to more Japanese flavours without dabbling into the trendy coconut water and Nutella flavours of its original Regent Place location.
2023
It has been about four years since my previous visit to Oh! Matcha. During this period, they have significantly expanded their menu offerings.
Warabi Mochi Set ($9.80, kinako x 3 pieces, matcha x 3 pieces, hōjicha x 3 pieces, with cream or mini matcha soft serve, +$0.50 to swap for mini black sesame soft serve).
The warabi mochi had a delightful bouncy texture, offering a clean and non-gluggy bite. Its sweetness was well-restrained, with the richness coming from the kuromitsu providing depth to the overall flavour profile.The matcha was vividly grassy, although it did carry a noticeable bitterness, which the kuromitsu attempted to balance to some extent. The hōjicha delivered a deep roasted quality, which was thoroughly enjoyable with a controlled bitterness, harmonizing well with the kuromitsu, while the kinako provided a delightful nutty warmth. To complement these distinct and enjoyable flavours, the black sesame soft serve offered a dairy-free complement, which retained a pleasing smoothness, melting effortlessly on the palate. The ground black sesame contributed a subtle texture while offering a rich black sesame flavour.
2024
This is the Sakura Soft Serve ($6.50, +$3.50 for hanami dango).
The sakura soft serve was advertised as sakura-flavoured, but the taste was so faint it was almost indistinguishable, resembling vanilla more than anything else, likely relying on colouring for appeal. In contrast, the version from Gacha Gacha Plus had a more pronounced sakura flavour and a stronger visual impact. We opted for a cup instead of a cone, and appreciated the extra wafer, which added a nice crispness. However, the dango was doughy with a sticky, stretchy texture rather than a bouncy mochi texture (though we’ve encountered similarly textured hanami dango in Japan…). Interestingly, the green dango had a slight grassy note, likely from matcha, while the other two tasted identical, with a sweet, floury flavour, and the pink colouring lacked any sakura taste. Overall, this isn’t something we’d return for.
In recent years, we’ve been disappointed to see Oh! Matcha leaning heavily into Instagram-ready offerings, while other, perhaps less popular, Japanese cafes in Sydney have maintained a more authentic focus.
2025
This is a flavour round-up from Oh! Matcha for 2025.
Tōkyō Banana Soft Serve ($6.50)
Released in December 2024, this soft serve was modelled on Tōkyō Banana, the well-known omiyage featuring sponge cake filled with caramelised banana cream. The soft serve reflected the tan shade of the original filling.
The texture was smooth, though slightly more icy than creamy, and the sweetness was well balanced. The flavour closely replicated the deep, caramelised banana profile characteristic of the Tōkyō Banana. The accompanying wafer was unremarkable; a banana chip might have offered a more thematically appropriate garnish. Overall, it was a well-executed and nostalgic interpretation that honoured its namesake.
Hokkaidō Yūbari Melon Soft Serve ($6.50)
Available during April and May 2024, this soft serve aimed to replicate the prized Yūbari melon of Hokkaidō. The presentation mirrored the orange hue of the melon’s flesh.
On tasting, it conveyed the fruit’s mellow fragrance and concentrated sweetness with accuracy. The texture was smooth, with a creamy mouthfeel that remained light and avoided overt dairy notes, despite their presence. This was a faithful and distinctive flavour offering—particularly uncommon in Sydney—and well worth revisiting.
2026
This is Oh! Matcha, which has expanded its offering to include croissants (sourced from Dawn Baked Goods) and, of greater interest, the Hōjicha Almond Mochi Donut ($6.50) at its original Regent Place store.
The exterior carried an immediate oily aroma, which translated directly on contact, as a surface greasiness. Beneath this, the interior retained a mochi mochi structure, with a soft, elastic chew providing the primary textural anchor. The dark chocolate coating introduced a notable bitterness that effectively cut through the oiliness. However, its intensity dominated the profile, suppressing the hōjicha notes. The hōjicha itself presented with a roasted character but remained subdued, functioning more as a background element than a defining flavour. Almond inclusions contributed intermittent crunch, though their nutty presence was faint and did not materially shift the flavour balance.
Overall, an oily mochi donut with strong textural contrast, but an imbalanced flavour profile where chocolate overrides the intended hōjicha direction.
Oh! Matcha is located at Shop 11, Regent Place Shopping Centre, 501 George St, Sydney NSW 2000.