Amazing Japanese fusion breakfast. We bought the matcha pancakes and two specials; the shiitake rice stuffed squid and the king salmon fish cakes. So impressed with the presentation and flavour. And the creativity! Five star food, hands down.
I've ordered from Koku at least once a fortnight for the past 6 months (I might be addicted to green tea lattes) and they have never disappointed! Everything is always fresh and delicious and the staff are incredibly friendly.
I had the Wok Fried eggs for brunch and they were just amazing. Lots of unusual breakfast options. We will be coming back for more.
Great combination of interesting and unique flavours. You can tell the chef has thoughtfully crafted each dish. We tried the eel rice burger and the ox tongue, both on the special menu! Get in early as there is always a line and special dishes sell out quite quickly.
A cosy cafe with great food. Loved the seared wagyu beef and salmon soba dishes. Keen to return and try the Brûlée matcha pancake.
Matcha brulee pancake was one of the best desserts I've tasted 😍 the confit salmon was very tasty and was complimented very well by the puree. The fritters were alright, but were a little too oily and there wasn't enough flavour/variety.
Overall koku culture had become one of my new fave cafes in sydney! Mostly influenced by its delicious desserts 😋
What a find in the suburb of Ashfield. Eating at Koku Culture Cafe you would think you were in Surry Hills. The chef is ex-Lotus and the food is pretty special. I would describe it as Japanese/Fusion and completely yummy. The highlight was the Twice Cooked Pork Belly (pictured) and I will definitely be back! #kokuculture
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.
Koku Culture Cafe is located at the far end of the Ashfield shopping strip towards the junction to Croydon. This little Japanese cafe is always very busy... and I think we know why!. Coffee By Single O. While you wait, you might want to order the coffee that they are serving. Ice cream and honey on toast - $8
my first time at Koku was amazing. I had the eggs on thick cut Japanese milk toast and a serving of chips. the eggs were cooked to perfection with a runny yolk and the serving of chips was more than generous. I'll be going back soon
The staff are very friendly. Love the waygu beef very much and it worths trying. The rice burger and noodle with salmon is good and very Japanese. The iced matcha is below my expectation. If they can have matcha crush it would be better.
Such great menu items!! Great cafe with Japanese flavours.
Tiny little Japanese cafe on Liverpool Road that's had many great reviews which were all well deserved.
I got the famous corn fritters which was very different from other fritters. Three fritters were lightly battered like tempura. The light dusting of chilli powder and salt added to the taste. I also got the yuzu tea hot which was amazing.
My friend's dishes were all great too:
1. Bacon and egg sandwich
2. Salmon and soba
3. Wagyu beef
Then we finished off with a little dessert of flourless blood orange cake and berry muffin.
Everything was so delicious we are definitely going back to try all the dishes on the menu!
If you're looking for a light brunch meal then Koku fits the bill. We got the zucchini and nori fritters and also a bacon and egg sandwich. What sounds like regular brunch items are elevated to another level with Japanese influenced flavours. Great little gem, not much seating so it fills up quick!
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One of my colleagues recommended Koku Culture as “probably her favourite go-to cafe” (which is high praise coming from a foodie like her). The yuzu tea was fantastic. I’ve been looking for a place with authentic yuzu tea for the past few years and this is the first one that has actually delivered. It is on the slightly sweeter side so if you’re not a sweet tooth, make sure you ask them for less honey.
Even though there was rain bucketing down, there was a 30 mins+ wait when we went at 11:30am. The seating a little cramped and if you’re looking for a place to catch up with friends, bear in mind Koku Culture is a little loud.
We ordered the wagyu and the salmon.
We also got the 63 degree egg with the wagyu which if you crack it and let it ooze, it’s almost like a second sauce for the wagyu. The ponzu dipping sauce is lovely but honestly I think the wagyu has been cooked so beautifully, you could forgo the sauce completely. Everything on this dish tasted fantastic: they put a lot of thought into the conceptualisation of this dish and it really shows. Similarly, the salmon was also cooked to perfection. It was beautifully soft that it just melts in your mouth. The soba noodles were also extremely flavorful. There was nothing to fault about either dish.
I would highly recommend Koku Culture. In fact, we already have plans to come back next week: my parents don’t typically like brunch food but I have a feeling they’ll like the food at Koku.
Salmon is amazing and would definitely recommend the hojicha and matcha lattes too.
Koku culture is a jap fusion brunch place located in Ashfield. Came here on a Saturday for brunch and had a great feed! There was about a 15min wait and the cafe is quite small but cute. Ordered the seared wagyu and confit salmon dish and thoroughly enjoyed both dishes! Both dishes were light and subtle in flavour which allowed the taste of the perfectly cooked wagyu and salmon to really stand out. Will come back to try other dishes and service was friendly
Love this cafe! Quaint small space in ashfield - with textural detail paid to the plates, nice simple decor too. Service was very friendly and quick, tried the hyped menu items - Matcha Brulee Pancake, Okonomiyaki Eggs, Yuzu Tea
Pancake - freaking beautiful plating, loved the torched brulee. The whole dish tasted warm fluffy with ample brulee to pancake ratio. Really liked the side of fruits and mascarpone (?). Read some reviews saying it was overhyped - beg to differ, but would have liked a better contrast i.e a bitter strong matcha and a subtle sweet n smooth custard brulee because the brulee really did overpower the matcha.
Eggs - amazing low carb spin on the classic, with a great spice kick to the sauce and ~fancy saffron~ on top. Was a delicious dish full of flavour
BOTH DISHES LOOKED GORGEOUS
Tea - totally get the hype about this one. Lovely sweet taste and refreshing aroma, Yuzu is always a great flavour.
Lastly, price and portion are great value!
Cute little cafe in Ashfield. We got the bacon and egg sandwich and corn fritters which were both very delicious. Not usually a fan of bacon and egg sandwiches but this one has a lot of flavour and I enjoyed the Japanese twist to it. We also got the matcha brulee pancakes which I found to look better than it tasted. The pancake component was quite dry and lacked flavour. We shared this dish between two and it was still quite indulgent. Overall, a lovely cafe and we will be back to try other dishes.
Nursing my very first hangover after an epic Friday night I headed out to catch-up with a close friend a tryout Koku Culture in Ashfield. It certainly took a while to get my first hangover, however when I drink I tend to get super dizzy before I can get drunk enough for a hangover. So I guess this has been a good thing in a sense. In another view, I was also a little proud that I finally achieved hangover but it’s something that I won’t be rushing back to quickly. Back on to the food.
It's really a nice place to go. Never thought that there's a good brunch place in Ashfield but here it is. The wagyu beef never disappoints me and it would be great if you add the 63 degrees egg to your dish. And it also is a good healthy choice for brunch as they use quinoa to replace rice at the bottom. Quinoa is also cooked with enoki and mushrooms as well. The burger was good as well they used fried rice to replace the bread patties the texture is really unique. Really recommend you guys to try these dishes👋👋
I really enjoyed the food here, I went with a group of friends and everyone was happy with their dishes.
The cafe is small and cosy.
I was very pleased with the pricing as well.
Food came out relatively fast, which is always a bonus!
Staff were friendly.
I'd recommend this place !!
The corn fritters at new cafe Koku Culture Cafe in Ashfield are unlike any corn fritters I’ve ever had before. Clusters of tempura-style corn and zucchini are delicately arranged on the plate, complemented by avocado, poached egg, yuzu sour cream and chilli salt. It’s a sublime dish which will forever change the way you look at corn fritters on cafe menus around the country.
The matcha brownie is also delicious; not too sweet with just the right balance of matcha.
Food was great and filling. We had the Wagyu Beef, Salmon Fillet and Wok Fried Eggs. You can see a lot of care and love is placed when making each dish. The staff bringing out the dishes look so happy to have you try their food. You can also see a lot of pride when it comes to their food. I had someone take back my wagyu dish right before serving it to me because it was missing the final garnish and he also apologised for the mishap (not that I minded really). We also had two lattes (matcha & hojicha) and a Yuzu tea but am sad to say those drinks were not their forte... We have had better versions elsewhere. But again, we were there to be fed and that was achieved. The only other downside is the cafe's small space so you could wait up to 30mins for a table.
Susan ChocolateSuze Thye
+4
You know when you read a menu and know that you will love it even though you haven’t seen any pics or heard from anyone who’s been? That’s how I felt when Good Living reported that Kenji Okuda (head chef Lotus Barangaroo) would be opening Japanese inspired Koku Culture Cafe in Ashfield, selling his miso pastes and soy sauce. Long story short it was everything I had hoped for and more and I have a prediction this cafe will no longer be a hidden gem!
They say that most people don’t see the ten years of hard work behind an overnight success, and that has never been more apparent that on the menu of Ashfield’s newest (and best) cafe by the name of Koku Culture. Already a local favourite. Led from the front by two former Billy Kwong chefs and one from Lotus, their combined experience and pedigree have led to a tiny neighbourhood cafe that is now bursting at the seams with diners. The menu is a fusion of contemporary Aussie brunch dishes with Japanese flare and the result is well…my favourite current cafe and maybe restaurant period.
Honestly amazed that within 2 months of its opening, this place: the brain child of Okuda and Donna (ex Lotus and Billy Kwong chefs) hasnt gotten more traction in this small cosy corner of Ashfield's main street. Their food albeit looks like simple brunch food are hidden with subtle dashes of the beautiful japanese palette we all know and love. Think yuzu sour cream, spicy miso and poached egg sprinkled with chilli salt. Absolute personal fan of their corn, zucchini and nori fritters which were deliciously crunchy but also grab one of their japanese drinks: yuzu tea or houjicha lattes to complete a meal of wholesome proportions. 😁 Get in now because I'm expecting lines like the ones you see at the Grounds in the near future when broadsheet, urbanlist and concrete playground do their part on noticing this hidden cafe joint.
Need sone yuzu or matcha in your morning pick-me-up drink? Get it here alongside a matcha brownie - it takes a lot to replace chocolate but this was a really rich and melty brownie.
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