A Japanese inspired patisserie has freshly opened its doors to curious sweet-toothed residents ( or visitors) of Perth and on their plate – a mix of Japan’s truly authentic and distinguished flavours. Little Matcha Girl is more than your regular sweet shop; it serves up teas sourced directly from Obubu and in-house baked desserts that will surely take you straight to Japan, even if it’s just for a second.
Japanese tea lover and entrepreneur, Stefanie Wee has opened the doors of Little Matcha Girl on October 31, 2015. Obubu directly supplies carefully selected teas to Stefanie’s shop and this friendly partnership aids in pursuit of Obubu’s mission – bringing Japanese tea to the world.
“I wanted to incorporate Japanese flavours like matcha, yuzu, black sesame, etc. that people here hadn’t really had the opportunity to try much of before,” says Stefanie.
Orange-yuzu tart with torched meringue and Financier with sencha-poached peaches
The founder of Little Matcha Girl, Stefanie Wee, just turned 26 this year and is originally from Singapore though relocated to Perth around five years ago. Stefanie was always fond of Japan, but her recent solo trip has left even a greater impression and appreciation for the culture here. From strong connection and respect for the history to rich cuisine and kindness of the people – all have profoundly captivated her. During her trip, Japanese green tea lover Stefanie, has finally had an opportunity to try matcha locally and she describes experience as mind-opening:
“I’ve also always loved matcha and Japanese green tea but never explored it fully until the trip as it opened up my eyes and tastebuds to appreciate it so much.”
We contacted Stefanie and asked her to tell a little bit more about herself and her journey to opening this Japanese gem in the Australia’n heat.
Chocolate Hojicha profiterole
Can you tell us more about how the Little Matcha Girl was born?
« I’ve always wanted to open my own cafe and really loved the idea of a Japanese style patisserie. This style of cakes is rarely found in Australia as they tend to like rustic / very sweet and heavy style cakes here. I wanted to incorporate Japanese flavours like matcha, yuzu, black sesame, etc. that people here hadn’t really had the opportunity to try much of before. In addition, I really loved the zen-like feeling of teahouses in Japan and wanted to introduce Australians to matcha and tea but in a modern way.
Matcha Éclair – Green tea crème pâtissière, choux pastry, sable topping and roasted genmaicha rice
I realised that although matcha is developing an interest in Australia and the rest of the Western world, a lot of people were consuming bad quality matcha that had been sitting stale on shelves for months, or adding a lot of sugar to make it taste good. In addition, they were putting it in things like smoothies / pancakes / etc. without realising what the real flavour was on its own. I wanted to offer them Obubu’s ceremonial grade matcha so they could learn how great it could taste on its own, as well as how beneficial it was for health. I also like that Obubu’s culinary matcha was very balanced and flavoursome – the response to it has been great and a lot of people are slowly becoming matcha converts.
Matcha Opera bar
What is your favourite tea and dessert pairing at LMG?
Black sesame profiterole (choux pastry, black sesame creme patisserie) paired with a cold-brew matcha (we shake up matcha powder with cold water and ice). The cake is rich without being too heavy, and is balanced out by the drink – a modernised way to consume matcha, especially in the hot Australian weather!
Matcha Latte & Black Sesame Profiterole
The Little Matcha Girl serves up matcha, cakes baked on site, coffee and more. If you appreciate Japanese flavours, unique interior design touches (table numbers are written in Kanji on petite rocks!), desserts and Japanese culture this should be your next go-to place!
Address:
4/10 Preston street, Como
Opening Hours:
Tuesday – Friday: 7am – 3pm
Saturday: 8am – 3pm
Sunday: 8am – 2pm
All the featured images were taken by and belong the Little Matcha Girl.