First Look: Get Tori’s Cakes, Butterboy Cookies and All the Matcha at Luka in Carnegie

Koornang Road is one of the best places to eat in Melbourne. The bustling lane is mostly known for affordable casual spots that run the gamut from Shyun Ramen Bar to Huff Bagelry, Nuvoletta Gelateria and newcomer Tyga. Now, Luka brings matcha, pastries, desserts and daytime DJ sets to the street. 

It’s the work of couple and Carnegie locals Bee Chanin, a co-founder of Thai chain Homm Dessert at Heart, and Donnie Truong, also known as DJ Donnie. “I’ve been DJing for 20-odd years and, when I met Bee, she had the hospitality industry behind her,” says Truong. “We thought we’d bring our two worlds together, and that was the main idea for Luka.” 

Truong spins records while Chanin and the team serve Earl Grey, butterscotch and banana bread-flavoured matcha made with powder from Uji. There’s also an Earl Grey version of a Mont Blanc, where a house-made Earl Grey cream tops a maple espresso base. 

“When we opened Luka, we picked everything that we enjoy ourselves,” says Chanin. Coffee comes from Ona; the cakes, including ube cheesecake and Dubai chocolate cake, are from Hot-Listed CBD cafe Tori’s; pastries come from Melbourne-based bakery Publique; and there are cookies from Sydney’s internet-famous Butterboy. 

Truong, who normally DJs late-night gigs at venues like Hopscotch, Storyville and District One, has found that changing pace to DJing during mornings for families has been a fun challenge. “At a cafe like ours, you’re not trying to get people to dance, you just want people to experience good music when they don’t get the chance to go to bars or clubs,” he says. 

Like Homm, Luka has later opening times than your typical cafe, closing daily at 7pm. “I was born in Bangkok, and cafes there are open until 10pm. I think Luka fills in the gap for people who want to have coffee or matcha after 3pm, when most cafes close,” says Chanin. Plus, “I don’t like getting up early.”

Luka
144 Koornang Road, Carnegie
No phone

Hours:
Sun to Fri 10am–7pm
Sat 9am–7pm

@luka.carnegie