Japanese café and kissaten Kahii is now moonlighting as a French-inspired wine bar by night.
Kahii is part of a multi-faceted Japanese drinking and dining hub on Kent Street in Sydney’s CBD and is the sibling venue of one-hatted restaurant Kuro.
Co-Owners Alan Wong and Edmond Loo first launched the venue in 2016, which was one of the first specialty cafés in the city at the time.
From Tuesday to Saturday Kahii wine bar will run evening services from 5pm until 10pm with a French-driven wine list and dinner offering.
Kuro Executive Chef Taka Teramoto has curated a Japanese-style menu that heroes top-quality Australian produce and is designed to be paired with wines.
Lighter dishes include Appellation rock oysters with rhubarb and champagne mignonette; 2GR Wagyu tartare with egg yolk jam and an anchovy emulsion; snapper sashimi with pickled tomato and coriander; zucchini with mint, chèvre and Joseph olive oil and saltbush tempura with cocktail sauce and yakitori.
Larger menu items encompass John Dory fritto with Manchego, burnt lemon and sukiyaki red wine; aged duck breast (16 days) with leek and red wine sauce; roasted Blue Eye cod with beurre blanc and David Blackmore Wagyu with roasted potatoes.
Guests can cap off a meal with coffee-themed desserts such as milk purin with black sugar crumble and chocolate mousse with cacao and a seasonal coffee syrup.
The team will soon host Kahii at Night events, which will see the venue run specialty wine tastings focusing on different French regions and winemakers.