Parami

For Parami co-owner Mika Kazato, onigiri evokes many childhood memories. She grew up in the countryside of Oita prefecture, surrounded by rice fields. Her tiny inner-city cafe is one of a handful of specialist onigiri shops in Sydney, and counts Firedoor’s Lennox Hastie and Chaco Bar’s Keita Abe among its regular clientele.

Onigiri – also known as omusubi, nigirimeshi or rice balls – is a Japanese comfort food, and a staple of the country’s lunch boxes and konbini (convenience stores). What makes it so popular is not only its portability, but its ability to canvas an array of fillings. If it goes well with rice, it will go well with onigiri.

More than 200 are made on-site at Parami on weekdays, and at least 400 on the weekends, using koshihikari rice from Japan’s Toyama prefecture. Salted salmon; mushroom and gruyere; and mustard leaf are highlights in the former category. One onigiri is the perfect snack, or you can make an affordable lunch out of several.

But it’s not all rice at Parami – cookies and mochi also fly out the door, along with sweet and savoury buns filled with egg and mayonnaise or strawberries and cream. Parami also brews Single O coffee and single-origin matcha from Yame, Fukuoka.