KOMBU QVM — Restaurant in Melbourne

From the Team behind Mansae BBQ, Kombu is a new Japanese cafe offering traditional Ochazuke and Ichijugosai sets with a modern twist, and the fluffiest milk bun sandwiches. From lunch time the menu options open up with a few types of donburi.

We had: 🍱 Ichiju Gosai - Salmon Saikyo Yaki $34 🍱 Chazuke - Saba Shioyaki $26 🍤 Ebi Katsu Bun $25 🐷 Butayaki Bun $25 🍵 Iced Blueberry Matcha $9.80 ☕️ Maple Blend Latte (L) $6 🍵 Matcha Latte $7 🧀 Basque Cheesecake $11 🍵 Add Matcha Ganache $4

Anyone who knows me will understand how critical I can be of “Japanese” cafes. 😅 I’m happy to declare that Kombu has earned my approval. 👍

First off the Ichijugosai is well balanced offering various side dishes with contrasting textures and flavours to keep your palate stimulated, as well as miso soup and chawanmushi. We went for Salmon Saikyo Yaki which featured salmon cooked to the correct doneness resulting in tender buttery protein, with miso glazed skin.

The Ochazuke is a difficult dish to judge on appearance with its simple concept of broth on rice, so you have to taste it to know. They certainly hit the mark, the broth was deliciously umami and furikake enhanced the texture and flavour. The Saba Shioyaki was also tender and flavourful! The skin wasn’t tough at all.

As for the matcha, we found the hot latte to have a slightly bitter and sweet flavour. The Blueberry Matcha latte was quite nice, however matcha flavour can easily be lost in these types of drinks.

The smooth service and delicious food definitely left us impressed since they only just opened...

Japanese comfort food in the most balanced approach - their traditional Ichiju Gosai and Teishoku style sets. Quality and taste is outstanding, in that its gentle flavours allow rich umami elements to shine.

🍣 salmon saikyo yaki (furikake rice, somen noodles with yuzu sauce) $27 3.8/5 🍤 tempura prawn ichiju gosai (tamago, cucumber with yuzu kosho mayo, potato salad, teriyaki Wagyu hamburg, tempura crab stick, steamed pumpkin) $34 4.5/5 🐓 chicken tsukune bun $24 4.5/5 🧀 basque cheesecake with matcha ganache 3.5/5 ☕️ almond flat white with @ona.melbourne @onacoffee raspberry blend mm $6 4.5/5 🍵 iced blueberry Uji matcha with oat milk $9.8 5/5

My favourite would have to be the Ichiju Gosai bc I love variety and having the option to try a bit of everything. And let me tell you EVERY SINGLE INGREDIENT was good by itself but even better when combined. Even the rice with the bubbles and seasoning was a clever pop of umami and texture.

Salmon ochazuke is the perfect comfort food. I’ll never really opt for rice unless it’s mixed with a rich umami sauce or soup which I think Kombucha has done well. Salmon itself, although seasoned well, was a bit dry which impacted my bite. But even this was paired with a circle of condiments to bring a spicy, salty, sour and umami balance.

My favourite bar food in Japan was chicken tsukune and this bite sent me back to the izakaya joints in Japan. Chicken itself can be enjoyed in the breakfast set, but this burger was so...

I recently had a deeply disappointing experience at Kombu Cafe as an influencer. I had been invited for a food try-out, and we had confirmed our reservation two weeks in advance. However, upon arrival, we were shocked to find that no table had been reserved for us. Instead, we were told to wait until they could find us a spot. After 25 minutes of waiting in the heat, we were informed that there was still no table available, which was incredibly frustrating, especially considering we had been instructed by their social media manager, Sherly, to arrive promptly at 10:30 am to respect the schedule.

What made the situation worse was the lack of professionalism from the staff. The man who appeared to be the manager (wearing glasses) was unhelpful. When we tried to discuss the situation and find a solution, he responded dismissively, saying, "I understand your feeling, but I can’t find any table for you. And you don’t have to wait. If you don’t want to wait, you can just go. It’s up to you." His attitude was extremely impolite and completely unprofessional.

This experience has left a very bad impression, and I would not recommend this cafe to anyone. It's a shame, as it could have been a great opportunity for both of us, but the rude treatment and poor organization made it impossible for us to even try the food. Definitely not coming back. And I strongly suggest your team spend more time for your team training rather than invite influencers but do not show...