It’s not every day you walk into a restaurant paying close attention to the music.
Expect an 80s and 90s throwback playlist to headline your evening (and your menu) at Sydney’s latest rockin’ izakaya-esque establishment, Thanks to the likes of Nirvana, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Soundgarden and Radiohead to name just a few of the musical tones, you’ll find a menu brimming with quirk and the unexpected along the way. Forget your usual Japanese order, these dishes all come with a Kid Kyoto twist. The dimly-lit, grungy warehouse vibe with exposed high ceilings, keyboard tiles and LED-lit signs is just the beginning, as the rock-named dishes, vinyl-shaped plates (whether this was intentional or not we’re okay with that) and CD-covered bill all come together. Add some head-banging tunes to the mix and you have a place that’s making up its own rules.
Located in the heart of the CBD in the back alleyway of Bridge Street, Kid Kyoto is the third instalment from the creators of Mejico and Indu, Sam Prince Hospitality Group. This restaurant's story begins in Kyoto, Japan where Sam Prince and Head Chef Seb Gee travelled to last year. They started to think; “what would it be like to create an album, not a menu?" Back in Australia, they did just that - straight into a recording studio with a DJ to create an 8-track mash-up album. The result, a brand-new venture that takes its menu and music cues from their love of food intertwined with their love of music. It might seem a little ambitious and completely unconventional to tackle “the music that wrote the menu”, but that is all part of the charm.
Prince teamed up with ex-China Diner chef Seb Gee to bring to life his own playlist. “I’m a nineties child, I grew up on grunge and I was actually listening to Rage Against The Machine on my way to my trial [meeting at the restaurant],” Gee tells SBS, in what seems to be quite the serendipitous partnership. Gee has spent the last 12 years dedicated to Asian cuisine, so coming on board to take on Kid Kyoto’s playlist wasn’t too far-fetched and quite exciting.
“We wanted the music and the menu to intertwine immediately and it’s not about having the music simply as background filler, we wanted the food and the music to trigger a memory and for them to both be a part of the restaurant experience itself,” says Gee.
Prince wants to give diners a taste of the unexpected and according to Gee “the best way to describe the menu is an alternative take on Japanese food. We’re not trying to be Japanese, and we didn’t want people coming in expecting usual sashimi, sushi, tempura; we wanted a different take and to be known for something alternative.”
Smoking salmon sashimi Source: Guy Davies
The red cabbage and kombu pickle is a superb intro into the menu alongside their carrot-aage with native pepperberry and orange-kosho - a whole carrot is battered and served with a zesty sauce – tempura not as you have come to know. The raw and unplugged section tugs at sashimi, ceviche and tartare heartstrings. The smoking salmon sashimi is a spectacle in a wasabi pea broth and the kingfish with pickled watermelon has the fresh, citrus and crunch all working together harmoniously.
Meanwhile, on the main stage, their signature dishes of ‘Black hole sun’ pork belly and Wagyu +4 sirloin with red hot chilli pepper miso are on lead vocals. The saké chicken with shiitake nails the high umami notes. The chicken is served on the bone in a rich sauce worth bottling - this dish has got comfort food written all over it.
Along the way you can tap into an extensive list of cocktails, craft beers, wine and spirits - in particular their Archie Rose Kid Kyoto-blend of gin – and of course a range of premium saké - simply select your sip in the form of a 60 ml glass, 150 ml tokkuri, 300 ml carafe or a 600 ml bottle.
Wagyu +4 Sirloin, red hot chilli pepper miso, & tsukemono Source: Guy Davies
And no performance is complete without a dessert encore, which is refreshing in the form of Calpis (the Japanese soft drink) granita with strawberry eucalyptus sorbet and black sesame; lemon meringue lovers should test out the yuzu meringue tart; and if you like to wear all your dessert cards on your sleeve, then the chocolate fondant, caramelised miso, chocolate crackle and coconut ice cream is sugar gorge 101 of the salty-sweet variety.
No, you don’t have to love grunge to enjoy Kid Kyoto, so leave your expectations at the door and take a note out of Nirvana's book and “come as you are”.
Calpis granita, strawberry eucalyptus sorbet, drunk honeydew melon & black sesame. Source: Guy Davies
Mon to Fri noon - 11pm. Saturdays 5pm to midnight.
17-19 Bridge Street, Sydney CBD.
