Kid Kyoto, Sydney CBD
A rebellious kid joins the Bridge Lane block
Located 17/19 Bridge St, Sydney NSW 2000
A s soon as diners walk into the restaurant, they are immediately met with dense parallel rows of neon blue gates reminiscent of the vermillion gates of Senbon Torii. It is this hybridised installation that embodies the spirit of Kid Kyoto. Combining grunge with classic Japanese style, Kid Kyoto is one of the newest restaurants to join the Bridge Lane family. Just like its neighbour Mr Wong’s, Kid Kyoto adds new-age flair to Asian cuisine.
The concept was borne from the maestro, Dr Sam Prince. After frequenting a number of izakayas in the back streets of Kyoto, Dr Prince created an eight song playlist mashing the punk rock tunes of the 80s and 90s. Bringing this playlist to ex-China Lane rockstar Seb Gee, a menu was brought to life. It is this origin story where the tagline “music wrote the menu” finds meaning beyond the figurative.
My dining companion and I sat in the corner with an uninterrupted view of the open kitchen. Next to the open kitchen, there were high rise chairs for solo diners or small intimate groups. All corners of the establishment channelled a grunge-like vibe, whilst still remaining tasteful and rather refined. The sounds of Nirvana and Radiohead played in the background, but not at the deafening volumes typical of an izakaya bar. Neon signs and punk rock art decorated the walls, but were scattered around sparingly.
“It is this origin story where the tagline ‘music wrote the menu’ finds meaning beyond the figurative.”
For drinks, I decided to try the Suntory Whiskey. Having watched Lost in Translation a few too many times, I was familiar with the brand. After all — “for relaxing times, make it Suntory time”. Since it was mixed with soda water and ice, the taste of the whiskey wasn’t too potent. It was a great accompaniment to the 10 course omakase that awaited!
For the uninitiated, omakase is the Japanese tradition of letting the chef choose the order. The phrase literally translates to “I’ll leave it up to you”. Opting for the 10 course omakase came highly recommended by the waiter as it allows diners to sample a collection of the restaurant’s signature dishes.
We started with the Cabbage and Konbu Pickle appetiser. It was dressed with sesame seeds to resemble a fuchsia cherry blossom. Next, we tried the Kingfish Ceviche. It was combined with pickled watermelon, roast wakame and lemon aspen kosho. It had a strong citrus flavour given the presence of lemon and the yuzu kosho. The final dish from the “raw and unplugged” category was the Cold Squid Salad. The squid was sliced to resemble udon noodles and a tomato dashi broth was theatrically doused over the salad at the table.
One of the must-have items is the Preserved Lemon Chicken Tsukune. In true izakaya style, yakitori made an appearance on the menu. But in a bold and innovative twist, the masterminds at Kid Kyoto created a dipping sauce in the shape of a bird’s nest to pair. The nest was made of fried leeks and what rested on top was a perfectly cooked onsen tomago with a chili rayu sauce. The chicken was moist and the dipping sauce gave the tsukune a simultaneously creamy and spicy bite. We also sampled the Carrot-aage. The carrot-aage didn’t exactly have a crispy texture typical of karaage chicken, but the exterior packed a flavour punch with the mix of salt and native pepperberry.
As for the items in the “main stage” category, we got to try three as part of the 10 course omakase. The Saké Chicken was first to arrive on the table, accompanied with a side of jasmine rice and iceberg lettuce. The chicken was reminiscent of a Sunday roast, but the Japanese flavour shone through brightly. The taste of the kombu and katsuobushi were palpable — giving the dish a perfect umami profile. After the saké chicken, we tried the Wok Smoked Mushrooms. The mushrooms were coated in a thick miso paste. There were chunks of walnut incorporated into the dish, which was a lovely textural change from the mushroom flesh. Finally, we sampled the Ranger’s Valley Wagyu +7. It was accompanied with red hot chilli pepper miso shaped like the circle of the sun and garnished with tsukemono. I felt the flavour to be more Korean than Japanese, given the presence of gochuchang in the miso sauce. I would recommend using the sauce sparingly because the red pepper paste was at times so overpowering that it masked the natural flavours of the wagyu.
For the finale, we sampled our waiter’s favourite dessert — the Calpis Granita. It was probably one of the most aesthetic dishes of the night with the medley of red, green and white colours. What I loved most about this dish was that it played homage to beloved Japanese beverages: Midori and Calpis. To describe the kids of Kid Kyoto as rebellious is accurate. They were breaking all the rules with this particular dessert — transforming a vending machine favourite into a delicate and well-balanced Italian dessert. What a way to end!
Overall
Dinner at Kid Kyoto was nothing short of entertaining! The combination of grungy aesthetics, 90s punk music and the rock-n-roll inspired menu made for a wholly unique dining experience. If you are going to make the trip to Kid Kyoto, you can’t leave without trying the preserved lemon chicken tsukune. The yakitori worked in perfect harmony with the bird’s nest of onsen egg and chilli rayu dip. I would also recommend finishing off the meal with the Calpis Granita. The milky flavours of the Calpis just sang on the dessert platter and the crunch from the filo chopsticks worked well with the textures of the sorbet and granita.
Rating: Yummy in my Tummy
Service: 5/5
Gourmet Gumbo dined as a guest of Kid Kyoto.
