Newtown is home to Sydney’s hottest vegan restaurants, and Kimusabi stands out as a must-visit for anyone looking to experience Japanese fusion vegan cuisine.
Kimusabis atmostphere is edgy, vibrant, and playful with a cute astroboy on the wall and a comfortable outside dining area. The go-to-deal at Kimusabi is the $35 Omakase sushi. It comes with 8 plates that changes every month. Offering great quality food at an amazing price, it definitely delivers bang for your buck!
Must try from the menu
Condiments
Pickled daikon, shredded ginger, sliced chilli, wasabi, and soy sauce
Staying true to its theme, Kimusabi serves unconventional condiments not typically found in standard sushi restaurants, including pickled daikon, shredded ginger, sliced chilli, wasabi, and soy sauce.
Edamame Guacamole
Edamame Guacamole with yuzu, pickled chilli and crisp rice tortillas
Adding edamame for extra protein to the avocado is such a great idea! I was a bit worried the guacamole might taste too much like edamame, but the flavours were well balanced. Additionally, it had a great texture and amazing flavour perfect with the rice tortillas. It’s always fun to try something interesting and new!
Salmon Sashimi
Salmon sashimi with yuzu creme, citrus ponzu, crispy chilli oil, fragrant herbs
The ponzu was light and fresh, which I absolutely love. The addition of micoro shiso leaves brings a flavour that really stands out – perfect for shiso fans like me. It also serves as a refreshing palate cleanser after the rich, creamy guacamole, balancing the flavours beautifully.
Prawn Katsu Nigiri
Prawn katsu Nigiri with pickled local chilli, kewpie mayo and mustard
Who doesn’t love deep-fried panko-coated prawns with Kewpie mayo? The prawn katsu was freshly fried just before serving, arriving hot and perfectly crispy. Absolutely delicious!
Seared Squid Nigiri
Seared squid Nigiri with chilli, ginger and yuzu sauce, tenkasu
I love vegan squid, which is made from konnyaku (konjac) because of its great texture. That’s why I often order vegan salt and pepper squid at many restaurants. This was my first time trying seared vegan squid and it was delicious! I also appreciate how they apply a little sauce on both the front and back of the squid or prawn katsu. It’s a much better way to evenly distribute the flavour, and I think it looks prettier too.
Open Fire Chargrilled Corn
Open fire chargrilled corn miso and ginger sosu, togarashi, smoked hemp chizu
Check out this generous amount of chizu (plant-based cheese)! Cheese and miso are always such a great combo.
Crispy Rice Squares with Vegan Tuna Tartare
Crispy rice squares with vegan tuna tartare with avocado, togarashi mayo and seaweed caviar
The crispy rice square is moulded rice, maybe air-fried or deep-fried—either way, it’s super interesting! I loved the nice crunch paired with the soft vegan tuna cubes, avocado, and that delicious chili mayo.
Bulgogi ‘beef’, Avocado, Crisp Shallots, Raw Slaw, Pickled Chilli Inside Out Roll.
Bulgogi ‘beef’, avocado, crisp shallots, raw slaw, pickled chilli inside out roll
The soy-based sweet bulgogi had a great flavour, and the crispy shallots and fresh salad added a nice contrast in texture.
Insideout Roll
Insideout roll – prawn katsu, avocado, cucumber, spicy mayo, tobiko
Katsu and cucumber in the centre, topped with avocado, sriracha mayo, and vegan tobiko such a tasty flavoursome combo!
My Experience
All the sushi and side dishes were so creative, full of bold flavours and great textures. The menu is amazing, and the value is even better! I’m usually pretty picky when it comes to non-authentic Japanese food, but this fusion vegan sushi was absolutely fabulous. I loved the variety of flavours and textures in every dish.
I’m defintely be going back to try more, highly, highly recommend!
Check out my Instagram post here of the experience.
This restaurant is: Kimusabi
They are temporary closed and still looking for the new place but I really hope that they are coming back shortly because this place was sooooo good.
Address: Newtown, Sydney 2000 (OLD address – now my favourite vegan Mexican is located here now )
Website: https://www.kimusabi.com.au
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