We did a spontaneous trip to Le Bajo Milkbar, a fusion Japanese cafe in Melbourne city, specialising in shokupan 🍞 (Japanese milk bread).
Since this was not planned, we had no idea what to expect of their food or coffee but when we saw the queue of 12 people ahead of us and heard it was a 45-minute wait, our expectations shot up real high.
Unfortunately, too high, as this turned out to be a better-than-average cafe, but not a spectacular one 🥴.
Since this was not planned, we had no idea what to expect of their food or coffee but when we saw the queue of 12 people ahead of us and heard it was a 45-minute wait, our expectations shot up real high.
Unfortunately, too high, as this turned out to be a better-than-average cafe, but not a spectacular one 🥴.
Food
This mentai toast was THICC with an even layer of spicy cod roe, seaweed and mayo for $12. We reckon Sydney’s Kurumac does a much better job (LINK).
The issue with Milkbar’s toast was that the spicy cod roe was infused into the butter and had melted deeply into the bread, so its flavours were masked by the thick doughy toast. The bite went from flavourful umami cod to milky, sweet bread real quick 🤨.
The cut of shokupan was also slightly too thick. You can see the ratio in the cross-section picture. The toast needed to be cut maybe 2mm less to be a perfect balance.
The issue with Milkbar’s toast was that the spicy cod roe was infused into the butter and had melted deeply into the bread, so its flavours were masked by the thick doughy toast. The bite went from flavourful umami cod to milky, sweet bread real quick 🤨.
The cut of shokupan was also slightly too thick. You can see the ratio in the cross-section picture. The toast needed to be cut maybe 2mm less to be a perfect balance.
This was the one everyone was excited to try the most. The chicken katsu classic sando was a tender and crispy, thick piece of thigh chicken paired with shredded cabbage and Japanese mayonnaise. Sandwiched between the sweet and fluffy milk bread and drizzled with their house-made miso sauce, this sando was a monstrous and delicious bite for $18.50.
The only negative comment we have was on the panko layer, which was a tad too thick, leading to a dried-out texture of the chicken despite its juicier cut. Also, the presentation of the pickled vegetables on the side could use some work in their takeaway box 😂.
The only negative comment we have was on the panko layer, which was a tad too thick, leading to a dried-out texture of the chicken despite its juicier cut. Also, the presentation of the pickled vegetables on the side could use some work in their takeaway box 😂.
These miso mayo fries for $10.50 were soft and mouth-filling potato goodness, with an interesting salty and umami coating. The miso flavour was plentiful, and the fatty mayonnaise irresistible, making it oddly addicting to keep eating more. I couldn’t resist finishing the box despite how stuffed I felt.
Service
When we saw the queue and heard it was a 45 min wait, we had expected more wow but alas, the long wait time was purely due to the slowness of the kitchen staff.
We ended up getting takeaway and even our 3 items took 30 minutes. From a glance, they had about 24 seats inside, an average sitting arrangement for a cafe, so the delay was most likely a staffing issue rather than by the influx of people (and the queue didn’t really move at all while we were there 🤷🏻♀️). Hopefully this will improve over time.
We ended up getting takeaway and even our 3 items took 30 minutes. From a glance, they had about 24 seats inside, an average sitting arrangement for a cafe, so the delay was most likely a staffing issue rather than by the influx of people (and the queue didn’t really move at all while we were there 🤷🏻♀️). Hopefully this will improve over time.
Review
Overall, this was a cute cafe with a beautiful forestry storefront. But is it worth the 30 minutes wait? No. The food is a tad above average but nothing spectacular that you need to spend half your Sunday for. If there is no queue, by all means, have a bite.
As usual, thanks for reading. Happy eating 😋.
As usual, thanks for reading. Happy eating 😋.
