We love fusion brunch menus to change things up every once in a while and are willing to travel to various Sydney neighbourhoods to get our fix – like at the unassuming Koku Culture on Ashfield’s high street, which dishes up some of the best Japanese fusion that we’ve had at brunchtime.
The cafe is bright and cheery, but doesn’t have a lot of seats, which means we were lucky to get in on the weekend during peak brunch hour and still get a table. We chose a mix of their savoury and sweet dishes from the menu to try and were impressed by all of our choices.
First up was the Japanese Style Corn, Zucchini and Nori Fritters which were a revelation – lightly battered and fried in a tempura style that was crispy but not heavy, these are some of our favourite fritters that we’ve ever tasted. The fritters were elevated with a yuzu sour cream and chilli salt and served with fresh avocado and poached eggs for the traditional brunch elements.
Japanese Style Corn, Zucchini and Nori Fritters, $15.5
Our other savoury dish was the Wok Fried Eggs with Okonomiyaki sauce, which was moreish and quite satisfying, served with bacon and shredded cabbage, with lashings of sriracha, mayo and dancing bonito flakes of course.
Wok Fried Eggs with Okonomiyaki Sauce, $17
The highlight was definitely the photogenic Brulee Matcha Pancake,which was fluffy but with a delectable caramelisation from the brulee topping and honeycomb, topped off with seasonal fruits and balanced with some sour cream. Koku Culture’s Hojicha Latte (a variation not often seen on drinks menus in Sydney) was a great accompaniment to this sweet ending to our brunch, with the roasted green tea flavours complementing the matcha in the pancake.
Brulee Matcha Pancake, $16
Hojicha Latte, $4.2
Koku Culture
1/355 Liverpool Rd, Ashfield NSW 2131
Phone: 0402 697 475
