The rise of Japanese brunch cafes in Melbourne continues, with one of the latest and hottest openings being Chiaki in Collingwood. Like other cafes, there is the option of dining ‘teishoku’ style, where mains are accompanied by a generous assortment of side dishes - seasonal ceviche, karaage chicken with genmaicha salt, spinach and shiitake ohitashi, an onsen egg, daikon with tuna mayo and tsukemono (pickles). Unlike other cafes, however, Chiaki’s mains deviate. Here, the star of the show is ochazuke; rice served with a signature broth made from prosciutto, roasted sardine, chicken dashi broth and housemade oil. Having grown up eating rice served with my mum’s soups on a near-daily basis, the ochazuke went down easy as a light and comforting dish that hugged both the taste buds and soul. I opted for the sha-ke salmon, a silky fresh fillet of salmon that paired beautifully with the umami crunch of the furikake and the flavours of the broth. My brother enjoyed the quality of the wagyu beef but thought its presence was lost in the soupiness. Our meal ended with a complimentary genmaicha ice cream cone, gifted to diners to celebrate the opening of Chiaki. The cherry on top of a perfect meal, at least for me.

MB8+ wagyu beef with wild peppercorn leaf oil.

Sha-ke salmon with spring onion oil.

Complimentary genmaicha ice cream.

Signs of a meal well done.

Chiaki

49 Peel St,

Collingwood, Victoria, 3066.