Kahii Cafe is a Japanese oasis in the heart of the CBD
Sydney is a remarkable city, for many reasons. The picturesque coastline, the magical harbour foreshore, the fact you can towel off at the beach and be drinking a beer on top of a rooftop pub overlooking the harbour within 20 minutes. It’s all remarkable stuff. Then there are the nefarious reasons that make Sydney remarkable. The soul-crushing prices of everything, the length of skirts filing out the Ivy bar at 2am and the fact that the only place you can get a drink around town after 2am is the casino. However, above all, it is remarkable how hard it is to find a great sandwich inside the CBD. Not a good sandwich that satisfies a craving. But the kind of sandwich that forces a double-take so hard your physio is on speed dial. They are few and far between. So it’s with delight that we waded through the thick, overbearing weeds of the CBD to discover the remarkable, Kahii Cafe.
Across from my shared stone dining bench, another nondescript food court shuffles out pre-made food to patrons like cattle coming to a feed station. Inside Kahii however, the most noticeable feature is the singular tear that rolls down the cheek of patrons as their pork katsu sandwich arrives.
Holy Moly it looks pretty!
The white bread, crusts removed, is so delicate that it refuses to puff back out to its original shape after I man handle it into my mouth. The pork itself has a perfectly consistent golden brown sheen across its crusted, crunchy face. And boy it is thick – this little piggy certainly went to market, and ate its way through the entire candy section.
Then there are the trimmings. Two separate sauces- one inside the sandwich, the other artistically smeared on the plate, pack a real punch. Strong wasabi-esque flavours burst through the sauces and flare the nostrils, which enables us to enjoy the glorious smells of the sandwich as we eat.
Shredded red cabbage and a delicate sprinkling of black sesame seeds complete the masterpiece, whilst a side salad bubbling with colour offsets the muted tones of Kahii’s sleek designed crockery.
Kahii Cafe keep it pretty simple serving mainly coffee, matcha and katsu sandwiches which is a-ok with us. Why deviate from what you do best, especially when you’re already quite remarkable?
Kahii Cafe
364 Kent St, Sydney, 2000
Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
See Website
Written by A Man and His Sandwich
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