Such an awesome little Cafe, super friendly staff, amazing coffee and the finest houjicha tart I've ever had. I love this place. It's too bad I cannot sample more of the menu as I prefer to dine in than takeaway.
🇯🇵 japanese cafe
🐟 salmon don
🍛 curry lunch set
🍙 onigiri
🏚: Ima Cafe
📍: Takeaway and delivery available!
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📝: Japanese cafe serving cute breakfast sets and brunch in a modern interior. With tables usually full, you can guarantee it’s taste. They also sell Japanese snacks and ceramic cups for those who are interested,
❤️: I had the Salmon Don since the breakfast set I wanted ran out. Those who love poke bowls or fusion Japanese foods would love this. They also have Lunch Sets that rotates each day. So you’ll get to try different dishes each time you visit!
4.5
Ima Cafe is a quaint and cosy little spot in the sleepy part of Carlton. The menu showcases a concise selection of Japanese staples , such as rice bowl, Japanese curry, onigiri and side sides such as fried chicken and grilled eggplant.
As with most Japanese food, the fresh and quality ingredients play a big part in creating the dish. Balanced and clean flavours, complementing the ingredients without overpowering them. I really enjoyed the onigiri, one filled with pickled mustard and another with salmon. The chicken karaage was tender with a beautiful crunch, and the grilled eggplant possessed a smoky caramelised sweetness to it.
The meal wouldn't be complete without dessert and the hojicha tart hit the spot. The base was a delicious mix of texture reminiscent of a flaky pastry and biscuit crumb. The hojicha flavour was pronounced and incredibly delicious. This went down a treat with my dirty matcha latte.
YUMLINGS Food Explorers
+4
One of the cutest Japanese brunch place not far from Melbourne CBD
They got the chillest vibes, good coffee and traditional Japanese breakfast, and I splurged like no tomorrow
I loved their traditional Japanese breakfast since it was served with simple grilled fish and it was so filling.
I loved my experience at IMA and will definitely be back. Ako has done such a beautiful job with the interior and the food is interesting and delicious.
A little bit of a walk from Melbourne Uni, but so worth it for a clean cut meal that leaves you feeling good.
Ordered:
🍱 Japanese lunch set: dish of the day (pork katsu for me) with rice, miso soup, pickles ($24.00)
+ 🥚 onsen eggs ($3.00)
🍵 Matcha latte ($6.00)
Review:
Filling and clean lunch set that reminded me of Japan. My heart and soul were aligned, and it was such an easy meal to have. Flavours delicious and texture was perfect and I would highly recommend this.
Note: if you come at lunch time on a weekend be prepared to wait ~30mins for a table. It may be a little squished, but awesome place for clean food.
Very lovely cafe, serving Japanese style breakfast and lunch, very delicious, the space was really nice and clean, service was really nice and friendly. Had a nice experience here.
A Japanese inspired cafe with a bit of a sustainability and minimal wastage focus. The menu has many classic dishes with a modern twist - baked eggs in miso tomato sauce, avocado toast with nori paste, furikake and kale to name a few. . Bright green, with just a slightly bitter and lingering sweet aftertaste. Perfect matcha!
I love that it has a sustainable focus in how they run their cafe. The place is nice enough, service efficient and straight forward. The food is pretty good and so is their coffee. Not sure if I'd make the trek again, but definitely if around the area.
Great little cafe. Food is unique and modern, with a Japanese twist! I had the Ima Don. The vegetables and pickles were really tasty, and the kara-age chicken was so juicy. The onsen egg mixed everything really well. The dirty matcha was also not bad!! Wasnt too bitter, but also not too sweet. For a quaint little cafe for a quick and yummy lunch or brunch, I would definitely recommend! However, food is a bit pricier and has gone up in price from what it says on the menu on Zomato e.g Ima Don from $19->$21
Great value for teishoku! The food quality is good as we expected. All the side dishes are good, I can easily finish the whole bowl of rice. I can taste the freshness of the fish, the king fish collar is nice but I do think it may need a little sauce or more seasoning with it . I would definitely recommend this restaurant. Quick tip, get in early as items start to sell out if you leave it too late.
Cute Japanese breakfast cafe serving breakfast teishoku. Tasty, fresh, and unique to typical breakfast cafe offerings. It will set you back $28 per person which is on the high side. Have noticed on the two occasions that I have been there that service tends to be on the slow side.
Brunch was two at this lovely cafe. There is a reason why there is a queue outside the shop.
Ordered a grill fish set and their daily special. The fish of the day is kingfish and it is grilled to perfection. Paired really well with a light salad. Crispy kale gives the dish a much needed texture. The daily special was Fried crumbed sardine. It is a rare fish to be served in a restaurant to me and when it is done well it is a real treat. The sardine does not have the strong fishy smell that is usually associated with sardine.
Wow! Had the delicious Japanese breakfast and a matcha latte. It was super yummy, filling but not overly heavy or oily. The Japanese breakfast (I had mine with onsen egg for an extra $3) kept me full till past lunch time and I had breakfast at 7:30am. It is a rather pricey breakfast though at $25 but it does come with vegetable sides, miso soup, rice and salmon. The staff was friendly, food came quickly and I would love to come back and try their out dishes!
Fantastic Japanese cafe with lots of options to suit all tastes. It is a pretty small operation so be patient as food and drinks take a while to arrive. Traditional breakfast set is the standout that you won't see around Melbourne. Definitely worth a visit. We also enjoyed the karaage don and aji fry teishoku. Coffee and smoothies were delicious. Get in early as items start to sell out if you leave it too late.
Had a really nice japanese brekkie at this lovely place! It was a good value with the set too as you get a great quality and deliciousness of the main ingredients come together with the condiments which is goes together really well.
Service was friendly too! Definitely come back to try another menu as well :)
Good food. Due to covid situations we had to sit outside which wasn't bad. Cup was dirty which the waitress apologised for and gave us new one she checked herself was clean. No issues with service as it was wonderful and very polite.
Food was great albeit the miso soup, though fresh and fragrant, needed a little more flavour.
Portions were good and quality of food was amazing. Would go again.
Ima At Night (pop up in Jun) is insanely good!! Great food and sake selection at reasonable price.
Here’s what we had/paired which we truely enjoy
🍶Kasumi Roman Junmai Ginjo Nama Gensu - great to start the night with this sweet-ish light & funky sake
💫Crab croquette - crusty outside and soft/creamy/melt in your mouth inside
💫Aburi Kingfish Crudo - beautifully paired with ponzu and shiso
🍶Chikuha Kimoto Junmai Okunoto
💫Charred broccolini, tofu with sesame paste
💫Chicken thigh, pork belly & mushroom skewers - so well seasoned and charred. A must IMO
🍶Kozaemon Yamahai Honjoza Muroka Nama Genshu
💫Seafood soup in teapot - so good that it doesn’t need any pairing. A bit odd that it’s served last (given a very clean yet flavourful broth) but I think it works as a ‘cleansing’ ending to the night’s heavy meal
🍶Red Sake Ine Mankai - our first red sake and it’s a bit too funky for us.
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