Crab agnolotti with saffron veloute at Yuca.
Crab agnolotti with saffron veloute at Yuca.
Advertisement

As at Dumbo and Sani,the Yuca menu is by chef Sam Terranova,who plucks ideas from all over to create an exciting multicultural menu.

Japanese eggs are served with fried spam and okonomiyaki garnishes. Rare roast beef comes with house-made artichoke focaccia,bone marrow butter and pistachio tapenade. Mushrooms are cooked with gochujang and eaten with spring onion pancake and kimchi. And handmade crab agnolotti is doused with saffron veloute.

Sweet surrender comes in the form of boozy brioche with dark caramel,honeycomb and chocolate fudge gelato. “We don’t do a classic big breakfast,” says Ghamire. “We’re about interesting flavours and a sophisticated daytime offering.”

Yuca is kitted out in earth tones,with terrazzo,Tasmanian oak and brass accents.
Yuca is kitted out in earth tones,with terrazzo,Tasmanian oak and brass accents.
“I walked around the neighbourhood and thought there was a place for something different.”
Hospokendra director Raju Ghimire
Advertisement

Espresso and pour-over coffee comes from local roasters Proud Mary and ONA,with single-origin specials sourced from bespoke suppliers.

In a cute touch,striped coffee cups are painted with secret messages that become visible when the last sip is taken. The slow reveal is on-theme for Yuca,another name for the root vegetable cassava.

Yuca occupies two shopfronts in a 1930s mock-Tudor development in Toorak Village.
Yuca occupies two shopfronts in a 1930s mock-Tudor development in Toorak Village.

“The word caught me,” says Ghimire. “It matches us:we want to develop our roots,grow quietly,not too showy,just be a good thing.”

Open Mon-Fri 7am-3pm,Sat-Sun 8am-3pm.

Advertisement

1AGrange Road,Toorak,03 8905 3934,yucamelbourne.com.au

Continue thisseries

11 new and revamped venues making the inner east cool (at last!)
Up next
Head of wine Matt Skinner,and executive chef Christian Abbott,at Studley Park Boathouse.

‘Special for Melbourne’:Historic Studley Park Boathouse is back on deck after stunning $5.8m renovation

Expect scones,pizza and Victorian wines when Studley Park Boathouse reopens after a revamp that taps into its long history.

Previous
Behind the marble bench,chefs slice salumi and shuck oysters.

Climb the stairway to Italian snacking heaven at Balwyn’s Enoteca Boccaccio

It may be new,but this Balwyn wine bar packs 60 years of food and wine knowledge into a squeezy upstairs space.

See all stories

Restaurant reviews,news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

Sign up
Dani ValentDani Valent is a food writer and restaurant reviewer.

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement