At Osoi, every matcha is whisked by hand, no matter how far down Albion Street the lines stretch. And thanks to the new cafe’s popularity on Tiktok, the lines can get long, with wait times reaching over an hour.

“We’re not Japanese ourselves, but we’re heavily inspired by Japan and we’ve chosen to hand-whisk each matcha to honour the practice of matcha-making over convenience,” Duy Nguyen, who co-owns Osio with Shy Akter, tells Broadsheet. “I think a lot of our customers can taste that difference, too.”

Nguyen, who grew up making coffee at his mum’s business Patterson’s Bakery, and Akter, who always used to brew chai and herbal tea remedies for friends and family, met four years ago and started dreaming of a coffee shop people could use as a refuge from daily life. Last November, Akter and Nguyen took the plunge and quit their jobs in healthcare and corporate law, respectively, to bring that dream to life.

We think you might like Access. For $12 a month, join our membership program to stay in the know.

SIGN UP

Matcha is the main draw – it’s served traditionally, in a strawberry matcha and in the banoffee matcha affogato made with gelato from Hot-Listed Luther’s Scoops. But there are plenty of other creative specialty drinks on offer, too.

Coffee options include a dark cherry cola espresso; a take on ca phe sua da (coffee with milk) made with dark-roasted Vietnamese coffee from Phin Coffee and a salted yuzu citron cream; and a fruity double-shot espresso tonic, with Korean honey citron and elderflower tonic water.

The newest tea-based number is Besaid Island, named after a tropical paradise in Final Fantasy X (one of Akter and Nguyen’s favourite video games), it’s a melon oolong with a toasty genmaicha cream on top. The flavours remind the duo of their go-to gaming snacks: puffed rice and melon candy.

Each drink comes with a card featuring background information and a link to a special playlist made to pair with the flavours. Snacks comes from local businesses and include canelés from Brunswick West’s Wakewake and pastries, such as a plum, caramelised almond and lemon thyme danish from French bakery Alex Bake 3057.

When it comes to decor, the duo says it was natural for them to turn the coffee shop into “a second home”. A small shrine to Akter’s mum and Nguyen’s first dog watches over the shop, and there are polaroids, Super Mario figurines and knickknacks scattered throughout the space. And if you’re lucky, you might run into Winston, the resident corgi.

Akter and Nguyen’s favourite spot in the shop is the book nook, where you’ll find affirmation cards, journaling prompts and postcards designed by local illustrator Misu Juju. More than decorations, you can buy stamps for the postcards at the counter and ask the team to post them for you. “These little details are an intentional invitation to bring you into the present moment,” says Nguyen. Osoi, Japanese for “slow”, is meant to be “a space to remember the wonder of slowing down and looking closely.”

Osoi
Unit 3/219 Albion Street, Brunswick
No phone

Hours:
Wed to Fri 7.30am–2pm
Sat & Sun 8am–2pm

@osoi.brunswick