Japanese
Kid Kyoto
Modelled on the izakaya bars in Japan, Kid Kyoto is a relaxed, after work bar and restaurant, with an inconspicuous laneway entrance and grungy vibe. It has a neo-industrial interior with bare concrete walls, bright red exposed pipes along the ceiling, earthy colours and subdued lighting. You can sit and eat at either of the […]
Food News – Xmas Books
Yes, beer matching is a thing. Beer Bites [RRP $45] by Christian DeBenedetti and Andrea Slonecker is pitched at the home beer enthusiast, with plenty of beer consumption tips. Trust me when I say: you won’t ask for a pub-chilled schooner glass after reading this book.
Newtown Sushi Train
The words ‘sushi train’ don’t always fill me with the greatest of confidence. Too often I’ve been burned with boring, lack-lustre offerings. The first clue that this Newtown stalwart (opened in 2004) is different, is a glass cabinet featuring beautiful batons of sashimi-grade fish.
Food News – Xmas Tipples
When I want to drink Japanese whisky I head to Tokyo Bird. And this Surry Hills small bar is making it hard not to want to drink whisky on Tuesday 22 December with their inaugural Christmas Whisky Dinner ($135/person).
Mamasan
Scratch beneath the hipster veneer and many venues come up lacking. Underlying kooky décor that includes a glowing sakura ceiling in the upper bar, and erotic shibari prints, Edison bulbs in birdcages and dangling autumnal leaves downstairs, is both clever architecture (courtesy of FJMT who did neighbouring Surry Hills Library) and a raison d’etre.
Bar Fly: Geisha Haus
If you'd have told me a year ago that you'd find me in a slick Japanese lounge bar, picking caviar from between my teeth amid a thick haze of liquid nitrogen, I would have choked on my cider and fallen off my bar stool.
ONE Tea Lounge & Grill
David Yip’s enthusiasm for what could broadly be termed stunt food is palpable. An ideas man, David is constantly thinking up new ways to make his dishes and cocktails fun. This is basically how I ended up with a rotating, dry ice billowing, Matcha Wheel ONE Tea Experience ($50/8 people) dominating my table for two.
Yayoi Japanese Teishoku Restaurant
There is a wonderful elegance to the brand new Yayoi Teishoku Japanese Restaurant, and it’s all about balance. Light wood panels divide up the space, surrounded by floor to ceiling windows, with iPads on every table.
Bar Fly: Goros
A woman walks into a bar, and two minutes later, she’s got her favourite Japanese beer in a can – Yona Yona Pale Ale ($11) - in hand, watching B-grade film clips, while casually eyeing off a diverse crowd venturing behind back-lit rice paper screens.
Food News – Bake Kobo
A new Japanese bakery has opened up in Enmore called Bake Kobo; however you’re forgiven if bread isn’t something you immediately associate with Japanese culture. “I heard it happened – the flour-culture – after the war,” says owner Kunihisa Sato, “Americans wanted to sell their products.”
