Now Open: You Can Get Immersed in Japanese Convenience-Store Culture at Suupaa in Cremorne
Showcasing konbini culture through a Melbourne lens, this spot is bringing the best of Japanese convenience stores to our shores.
Almost every trip to Japan features visits to FamilyMart, 7/11 and Lawson — ubiquitous convenience stores, or konbini, stocked with surprisingly good food, functional clothing and services for paying bills and printing documents. If you're lucky enough to have experienced them yourself, whether you knew it at the time or not these chains are at the heart of Japan's konbini culture, where these round-the-clock, one-stop shops play a crucial role in modern Japanese life.
Taking inspiration from konbini, newly opened Suupaa offers the efficiency of a Japanese konbini with the refinement of Melbourne's contemporary dining scene. Tucked into Cremorne's 65 Dover Street precinct (also home to Baker Bleu), Suupaa boasts a dynamic setup that's part convenience store, part casual eatery, and serves as a thoughtful homage to the 56,000 or so konbini found throughout Japan.
Suupaa is led by Stefanie Breschi and Alex Boffa, the brains behind Richmond's Future Future, and they're bringing a similar kind of lens to their latest Japanese-inspired venture. The kitchen is helmed by head chef Atsushi Kawakami, who brings a wealth of experience working in Tokyo's dining scene and some of Melbourne's top Japanese restaurants, including Izakaya Den and Hihou. Though speed is a factor when it comes to Suupaa's food, don't assume it equals compromise — here, you'll find Japanese staples reimagined with a distinctly local edge.
On the menu: a range of grab-and-go onigiri, spanning a range of traditional and less traditional flavours — mortadella, anyone? — as well as donburi and sashimi. There's also a wide range of ekiben-style dishes — the boxed bento meals like those you'd find in a sprawling Tokyo train station — with options like wagyu beef, chargrilled chicken and kimchi rice.
Suupaa is also open for dine-in lunch and, on Thursdays and Fridays, dinner. If you're planning on an extended visit, you can the likes of umami-packed black garlic tan tan men, udon bolognese with parmesan cream and crispy pork loin tonkatsu with a Vegemite-powered house-made sauce.
On the drinks front, you'll find punchy $16 cocktails to get around, including a wasabi margarita and mango negroni. There's also a fun self-pour counter, where Good Measure's Max Allison has crafted a series of signature drinks like matcha Milo and banana cold brew.
A concept this considered needs the space to match, and on this front, delivers in spades. Designed in collaboration with IF Architecture (the studio behind Marion and Culter & Co.), the inviting space features deep red hues and bold navy accents contrasted against soft furnishings and polished stainless steel surfaces.
As is befitting of a venue inspired by konbini culture, Suupaa also boasts a curated retail offer. Take a moment to explore design-forward tableware from brands including KINTO, HAY and Niko June, magazines and books from cutting-edge publishers like Popeye and Luncheon, as well as a range of house-made condiments.
Suupaa is now open Monday–Wednesday and Saturday from 11am–3pm and Thursday–Friday from 11am–9pm at Shop 1, 65 Dover Street, Cremorne. Head to the venue's website for more information.
Images: Pier Carthew.
