Our friends at Fitzroy North Institution Taiyo Sun have recently opened a pop-up cafe, Little Taiyo Sun, at North Melboure's newest food hub, Ezi Streat. We stopped by to have a chat with owner Tats.

Could you describe Little Taiyo Sun in one or two sentences? 

We have a cafe in Fitzroy North, but this one is a bit different because we don’t have a kitchen, it’s quite little. So we don’t have a food menu, which changes things a bit. So it’s more coffee and light snacks.

Little Taiyo Sun has just recently opened at Ezi Streat, a new street food hall in North Melbourne, why did you choose to be a part of this space?

We got offered it actually, and liked the idea of having a small space. 

How long have you run your other cafe, Taiyo Sun for? And why did you decide to open it - for the love of coffee?

Just over five years. My partner initially wanted to do a Japanese cafe here. There’s so many similar cafes with similar menus, and she wanted something with a more Japanese feel. This like shokupan - it’s like a Japanese fluffy white bread, usually cut quite thick, and it’s served as an open toast with melted cheese and things on top. It’s quite popular in Japan. 

Do customers come because they love Japanese food already, or is it a new experience for them?

Both really. Some people say it feels a bit like going to Tokyo, Little Japan. We chose the venue because it’s just a concrete block, which is what we were looking for. It’s minimalist.

What’s your favourite thing on the menu?

Coffee. We’ve been working with Wide Open Road for the last five years, the coffee is very good quality. 

What about food?

Lots of people like the shokupan toast, with the egg salad. 

What’s your favourite thing about running a cafe?

It is a lot of hard work, especially opening a new cafe. But locals coming back all the time is really great, I’m always happy to see their faces.