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.

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More:

• South Yarra
• YTB
• Melbourne
• Modern Asian
• Japanese
• Good for business lunch
• Licensed
• Vegetarian-friendly
• Walk-ins only
• Cafe
• Reviews

Tomas Telegramma is a food,drinks and culture writer.