Matcha Is Whisked to Order Until 7pm Every Night at Haymarket’s Ouji

The original idea was pre-loved clothes. Brigitta Emilina Singgih and her husband Saka Winata were discussing cleaning out her wardrobe and setting up a stall at Glebe Markets. But then they had a better idea – a weekly market stall to share their love of matcha.

Ouji Matcha debuted in September at Breakfast Point Spring Festival in Kensington, leaning on Singgih’s retail background and Winata’s experience working at Georgie Boy’s cafes in the CBD. Three weeks later, they sold out at Kirribilli Markets, the second of many pop-ups before the year’s end.

While you’ll still find the couple whisking at Kirribilli every Sunday, you can now grab their specialty drinks seven days a week from a new hole-in-the-wall cafe in Haymarket. Located down Bijou Lane, a few hundred metres from Railway Square, Ouji has taken a no-frills white box and made it feel homey by adorning the walls with trinkets and figurines galore. Smiski and Doraemon. Maneki-neko and fidget toys. There are adorable little characters scattered throughout the shop.

Ouji gets its name partially from the city of Uji, the area part of Japan where the Indonesian-born couple source their matcha powder. “Saka kept saying it wrong, ‘Oouji ouji ouji,’” Singgih says. “I said, ‘Wait, this might be a great name for our business. It actually makes sense. It’s going to stand for Ouji: – Ozzy, like Australia, – and Uji, where we get the matcha from.’”

Each matcha serve is hand-whisked to order, not pre-batched. And Ouji uses first harvest powder to ensure the matcha flavour shines through, despite the bold add-ons. These include coconut cloud (using whipped cream), Biscoff cold foam, jasmine syrup, mango jam and strawberry jam. But the pistachio cloud matcha is the most popular item across both the market stall and the new Haymarket outpost. It’s creamy, with a subtle pistachio flavour that doesn’t overpower.

Winata’s fave is the Earl Grey-infused matcha, while the most over-the-top choice is the matcha topped with a dollop of banana pudding. The pudding, which has a restrained sweetness, has been such a hit it’s now being sold on its own as a snack. You can also swap matcha for hojicha, if you prefer the less trendy of the Japanese teas.

In keeping with the cafe’s decorative style, you can even buy Ouji trinkets. If you’re grabbing a matcha on the way to work, pick up a custom clicker toy in the shape of matcha bowls, tins and chasens (bamboo whisk) to keep you occupied as you answer your morning emails.

Ouji
4 Bijou Lane, Haymarket
No phone

Hours
Mon to Sun 6.30am–7pm

@ouji.sydney