Now Open in Carlton: Live Your Best Lamo Life at Tokyo Lamington’s First Melbourne Bakery

“When lockdown ended, the amount of people that were flying up from Melbourne to come to Tokyo Lamington was [wild],” says co-owner Eddie Stewart (former pastry chef at Black Star).

Originally conceived as a Tokyo pop-up, Stewart and co-owner Min Chai (founder of N2 Extreme Gelato) opened their first store in Sydney in 2020. A different location was always on the cards – and the idea of another in Sydney, or Japan, was floated – but the demand from Melburnians made it the obvious next step.

The team settled on a small, slate-fronted shop on Elgin Street in Carlton, which is now signposted by a colourful Lego-style sign in the front window. The interior was completely refurbished with pale timber tables and window seats around the perimeter of the room, as well as a full-service baking operation out back.

Lamingtons are all made in-house daily and many are filled, dipped and dressed to order – with yuzu curd and cream, plus a sheath of torched meringue; or vegan chai-spiced cream and agar jelly, coffee-spiced dark-chocolate sauce and a coating of toasted coconut.

There are usually around nine flavours on offer including the constant OG and fairy-bread popcorn (white sponge and popcorn buttercream dipped in white chocolate and rainbow hundreds and thousands). “If we took them off, there’d probably be riots,” says Stewart.

Some past favourites like the finger bun or pandan kaya toast have been brought back into rotation, too.

The savoury range, which began as a lockdown offering, holds its own. Find pork-katsu sausage rolls with a lightly crumbed top; aromatic mapo-tofu pies and made-to-order onigiri filled with bacon and egg, or cream cheese and umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum).

To drink, there’s Single O coffee and lavender-laced matcha lattes, strategically paired to tone down the tea’s bitterness.

Tokyo Lamington
258 Elgin Street, Carlton

Hours:
Mon to Fri 7am–3pm
Sat & Sun 8am–3pm

tokyolamington.com