Kūrumac, Marrickville
Kūrumac is your Japanese comfort food with a modern twist – Does it stand out or will it blend in with the rest of the crowded cafe scene in Sydney?
PRICE: ＄＄＄
Address: 107 Addison Rd, Marrickville NSW 2204, Australia
Trading Hours:
| Monday | 7am–3pm |
| Tuesday | 7am–3pm |
| Wednesday | 7am–3pm |
| Thursday | 7am–3pm |
| Friday | 7am–3pm |
| Saturday | 7am–3pm |
| Sunday | 7am–3pm |
THE PRICE
Being a cafe in a crowded Sydney market is difficult. After a while, most cafes have similar menus, and prices are also premium. There’s no wow factor, and they’re not memorable. For us, it’s all about finding a place that provides great value.
So where does Kūrumac stand from a price point perspective?
The most expensive dish is $40 on the lunch menu. The average price on the menu is $24 excluding beverages.
Prices are more premium for lunch dishes. This is more expensive than most brunch/lunch cafes, so our expectations for the quality of food are high. You’ll want to read on to see if those prices are warranted.
THE FOOD
There is a great selection of items on their menu, with smaller dishes available from 7am-11am, and lunch dishes available from 11am -2:30pm.
All the items are unique and involve interesting Japanese flavours.
We arrived in time for the lunch menu and ordered the Nori Ben and Mazesoba.
The Nori Ben ($26) arrives in a wooden tray with the main and a miso soup. It is well presented and reflects a minimalist Japanese style. The portion size is quite huge and fulfilling.
If you love fish, then the Nori Ben will be for you. It features three types of fish cooked in three different ways.
You get a whole battered mackerel that’s been panfried with a thin flour coating which has been well seasoned with simple spices.
The crumbed yellow-fish provides a nice crunch texture that the dish needs. You might find the fish a little oily and heavy, but that’s why they give you this white sauce on top of the rice to cut through it whilst elevating it’s flavours.
The grilled salmon is flaky and is a smaller portion compared to the two fishes mentioned above. It has a nice light and slightly sweet (but mellow) sauce running through it. It does slightly lose its place on the dish as the mackerel and yellow-fish is more prominent and overpowering in its flavours. With that said, it does provide a much needed flavour change on the palette when the mackerel and yellow-fish becomes heavy.
It is a very fish-heavy dish and you can feel it in the back of your tongue, so the additions of the pickled veggies is very much needed to round out the dish.
The miso soup is also a great way to cleanse your palate, and you can certainly tell that the broth is rich and unlike your standard miso soup takeaways.
Overall, we were impressed with the cookery skills and flavour combinations. It’s certainly added an oomph to their menu.
The Mazesoba ($24) is Kurumac cafe’s take on Japanese ramen. It’s unlike any other ramen in that it doesn’t come with a traditional ramen broth. Instead, it is served with a thick chilli and sesame sauce. It slightly reminds us of the Chinese peanut and chilli sauce.
Rather than serving simple-flavoured char siu, they’ve added extra flavour by giving a nice cripsy and golden texture to it.
The noodles were al dente, and the bamboo shoots and cucumber provides a nice crunch factor to it.
Overall, this was a delicious and quality take on the traditional Japanese ramen – using the same ingredients but turning it up a notch.
We also tried their hojicha gelato milk shake ($9.50) as this was appealing and different. Although the milkshake is light in consistency, the tea flavour does comes through strongly. It doesn’t make you feel heavy at the end of your meal so we recommend this.
THE VIBE
Keeping up with its Japanese fusion style, Kūrumac embraces the minimalist style by not being overcrowded with chairs and tables. It’s light and airy on the inside, with warm fixtures and lighting. It offers a relaxed and inviting ambience.
THE SERVICE
If you’re coming in on a weekend, then you might want to get there a tad earlier as it is guaranteed to be a line. There are no bookings so you’ll need to leave your name on the sheet and wait until they tell you a table is ready. It was initially confusing as there were no staff outside to direct you on what to do. The wait can be quite long, so make sure you plan your arrival time.
Although, once inside and seated, the service is prompt and the staff were friendly and accomodating.
WOULD I COME BACK?
Kūrumac cafe offers a distinctive menu and has a unique point of difference to most cafes in Sydney. They have a Japanese fusion theme, and they deliver great Japanese comfort food in a modern way. It’s stands out because it’s innovative and creative – This is their wow factor.
The journey that your tastebud takes you, certainly makes it more memorable than your standard cafe. In a longwinded way, yes, we would come back to try their variety of their interesting dishes.
The prices are expensive, but if you’re after a unique cafe experience (rather than your standard avo and toast or acai bowl), then Kūrumac is one to visit.
