EAT LIKE A GEISHA
Dainty and delicious, Broadbeach restaurant Koto Sanpo offers a taste of a well-known Japanese city, writes Amanda Robbemond
GOLD Coast residents can now eat like Japanese geishas thanks to a new Kyoto-inspired cafe.
Koto Sanpo in Broadbeach offers customers Japanese high tea, desserts, drinks made with matcha green tea powder and a seasonal menu showcasing cuisine from the culturally rich city.
Owner David Kim says Kyoto has its own unique character that he wanted to replicate at his Pacific Fair store.
One of the eatery’s signature dishes is temari sushi, part of the high tea.
The special sushi are round and bite-sized pieces laden with either king prawns, Hokkaido scallops, egg omelet, seasonal vegetables, salmon, seared salmon, mango, tuna, barbecue eel or nori truffle.
“In Kyoto, anyone who knows the geisha knows they spend a lot of hours doing their make-up, especially their lips,” David says.
“It’s very hard for them to open their mouth, therefore they eat temari sushi.”
The cafe also boasts a large offering of matcha drinks, using green tea imported from Uji, close to Kyoto.
There is the traditional matcha green tea as well as more modern offerings such as matcha with shiratama — a type of dumpling — and azuki beans or a cold matcha yuzu mix.
“We didn’t ignore our modern base,” David says.
“We also have east meets west in a Japanese croissant and in our pasta dishes.”
He says the menu at the Gold Coast store will change each season to bring different Kyoto flavours to the Coast.
David says his chef has worked at the internationally renowned Nobu restaurant in Tokyo, while he has more than a decade of experience in Japanese restaurants in Sydney.
A second Koto Sanpo is expected to open in Brisbane in the coming months.
Koto Sanpo is open daily from 9am at Pacific Fair, Hooker Boulevard, Broadbeach
“WE ALSO HAVE EAST MEETS WEST IN A JAPANESE CROISSANT AND IN OUR PASTA DISHES.”