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Carlton has another Japanese café worth bookmarking. Dora’s Table used to be Nijuusan, the shaved-ice shop, and it’s now taken over by Dora.
The first bite of the taro roll cake got me. The sponge is incredibly soft, and it’s packed with taro cream, light but dense. It isn’t one of those Swiss rolls where the cake is fluffy and the filling has no presence at all. The taro filling is very generous, and I would honestly go back for it. It was so good, and I love it.
I’d been complaining for ages that Melbourne had no fluffy cloud roll. The old shop has reopened as Dora’s Table, so this feels like redemption. It’s one of a kind. The taro roll is super moist and fine, and it melts in your mouth. I love it, and I was moved to tears eating it.
The shop’s interior is cosy too, and it’s easy to photograph.
The purin is firm and creamy
The purin is denser and heavier on cream cheese, more like a smoother, lighter cheesecake. It was good too.
The drinks match the baking books on the shelf
The drinks look just like the Japanese baking books displayed beside them, which is so cute. The packaging has a very Showa childhood feel, and it’s adorable.
A table of Japanese yoshoku, in a storybook cottage
The café feels like a picture-book cottage, right next to the University of Melbourne.
It’s very different from the many minimalist, cool-toned cafés in Melbourne, and walking in gives you a soft, healing feeling.
We ordered a whole table of Japanese yoshoku, and the biggest surprise was the atmosphere, somewhere between a Japanese family restaurant and a kissaten. The curry, omurice, fried food, desserts and drinks were all laid out with a sense of ceremony, and it all photographs beautifully.
The Japanese curry rice comes with a red-box curry that looks very appetising, with rice and fried items. It’s solid yoshoku.
The omurice comes with a fried prawn. Soft egg wraps the rice, the prawn on the side is crisp, and the curry sauce is fragrant. It suits anyone who likes classic Japanese yoshoku.
The thick-cut French toast is golden on top, with fruit and a small dessert on the side. The sweetness is just right, and it’s the kind of thing that heals you in the afternoon.
The melon cream soda is green melon soda with white ice cream and a red cherry on top, and it looks gorgeous. I’d dig down for the bite where the ice cream meets the soda, which is cold and refreshing.
Who it suits
Overall it’s a cute, warm little shop with a bit of a Japanese zakka feel, and the space is comfortable. It suits University of Melbourne students between classes, or a weekend lunch or afternoon tea with friends.
Besides the caramel purin and melon soda, there are doughnuts and cakes in different flavours, and even hot food like curry rice. If you like Japanese cafés and desserts, this one is worth saving.
Dora’s Table is at 237 Faraday Street, Carlton VIC 3053.
What else is worth knowing
The address checks out as the former Nijuusan site. Nijuusan was a Carlton kakigori shop at 237 Faraday Street, known for finely shaved ice in flavours like matcha, oolong and tiramisu.
The two styles of food in your notes have names worth knowing. A kissaten is an old-school Japanese coffee house, and yoshoku is Western-style food adapted in Japan, such as curry rice, omurice and fried prawn, which is exactly what you ordered. sitchu
Would we go back?
Yes, mostly for the taro roll. If you like Japanese cafés in Melbourne, OMO Cafe in the CBD is another one tucked into a laneway, and L’Arte Della Gelato in Fitzroy is worth a detour for something cold. There are more in our Japanese café reviews and dessert café reviews.
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