Three To Try: New Japanese Delis and Convenience Stores

Melbourne has no shortage of Japanese venues. But in the past few months, three new exciting casual spots – all open for dinner, but each an excellent place for an easy weekday lunch – have opened across the city.

In Fitzroy and Elwood, Tomoya Kawasaki (formerly of Neko Neko) and Manato Deleon (formerly of Parco Ramen), have respectively opened Obanzai Mama and Gaku. The delis both specialise in obanzai, a meal of Kyoto-style side dishes mostly prepared using seasonal vegetables and seafood. The everyday dishes are, as Kawasaki says, “really traditional, grandma-style cooking”.

And in Cremorne at the new 65 Dover Street commercial development, the Future Future team has taken the Japanese konbini (convenience store) and added a Melbourne twist. Add these spots to your list, pronto.

Obanzai Mama, Fitzroy

This deli from Kawasaki in the former Neko Neko space specialises in obanzai and made-to-order onigiri. The deli case is filled with dishes such as daikon salad, simmered eggplant and shira-ae (a delicate salad of mashed tofu and spinach) that you can mix and match to create your own bento.

There’s also a killer dashimaki tamago katsu sando – a fluffy Japanese rolled omelette that’s breaded, fried and layered onto soft shokupan with a house-made mayonnaise – and the shop’s signature kingfish collar nitsuke (simmered).

Suupaa, Cremorne

Hot-Listed Suupaa (Japanese for supermarket) is a convenience store and restaurant hybrid from Future Future’s Stefanie Breschi and Alex Boffa, and executive chef Atsushi Kawakami. Here the team puts a Melbourne spin on konbini with Vegemite-spiked Bull-Dog (tonkatsu) Sauce; mortadella onigiri (a riff on the popular spam and egg rice balls); and udon noodles with bolognaise, katsuobushi (simmered, smoked and fermented skipjack tuna) and parmesan cream.

They also worked with former Parcs chef, Dennis Yong of Furrmien, on dishes including a fried egg sando with a slab of crumbed omelette, melted cheese, curry ketchup and black garlic relish between thick toasted shokupan. And with Max Allison of Hot-Listed Good Measure to design a banana-infused cold brew (available through a self-serve tap) and iced matcha with Milo foam.

Gaku, Elwood

Deleon opened this small obanzai deli in a former Japanese restaurant at the end of last year. There are eight changing dishes available daily, that may include beef stew; potato salad; and the best-selling yuzu, red cabbage and broccoli salad.

Set meals start at $22 and come with miso soup, three obanzai dishes, rice or an onigiri, and, for an addition cost, a choice of protiens including agadashi tofu, karaage chicken and teriyaki salmon. They’re open for dinner and also serve Japanese curry with pork katsu, alongside cold bottles of Asahi.

Additional reporting by Claire Adey and Daniela Frangos