Ken's Kissa — Restaurant in Sydney

My wife and I visited for a mid morning breakfast on Friday morning. We were lucky to get a table. It is obviously a popular café. We ordered Soy Lattes ($4.50 each) to start. My wife ordered the Big Japanese Breakfast ($37.50), consisting of grilled miso flavoured salmon, sesame seasoned spinach, Japanese boiled egg (ontama), bowl of edamame, bowl of tofu, seaweed (nori) served with a bowl of rice and a bowl of miso soup. The large meal came on a large wooden server. She enjoyed it immensely. I ordered the Veggie Breakfast ($22.00) another big meal, consisting of scrambled eggs on two slices of buttered, sourdough toast, a bowl of cooked tomatoes, half an avocado, a bowl of mixed salad including lettuce, carrot, baby tomatoes and cucumber, as well as some sautéed spinach and sautéed mushrooms added to the main dish and a large hash brown. I enjoyed it as well. I drank another delicious well made, Soy Latte to finish. Staff were welcoming, warm and friendly. There are toilets on the premises. Once you get a table you can relax in peaceful surroundings. Breakfast at this compact café is highly...

They are very busy and the queuing is a little disorganised. They seem to have a lot of staff working yet empty tables will sit uncleared for a while, etc. We arrived at 12:15 and waited half an hour.

But the food is good! Homestyle Japanese food in huge portions (generous on the meat too, not just filler ingredients like rice or salad). I really enjoyed the karaage chicken nanban ($19.50) with 5 massive pieces of juicy fried chicken doused in a light sweet and sour dressing and topped with a dollop of tasty homemade Japanese tartar sauce with little diced boiled eggs in it. The rice portion was very generous and I took my leftovers home.

Their curry is on the thin side but is also homemade - it is more savoury in flavour profile than the sweeter store-bought Japanese curry roux cubes. It comes with both rice and pita bread for dipping, which is fun.

The "chicken chicken bang bang" ochazuke style is very generous too - the chicken is like yakitori style chicken thighs painted with sweet tare and grilled. The rice underneath was a bit too...

This cozy Japanese-run restaurant has around 30 seats, including indoor and outdoor areas. The team of 8–10 staff work efficiently between the kitchen and tables, speaking Japanese, which adds to the authentic atmosphere — it truly feels like being in Japan. We arrived around noon and had to wait for an hour as there were 10 groups ahead of us. Given the limited seating and that food is freshly made to order, the wait time during peak hours is at least 1 hour. Thankfully, they have a clear sign at the entrance to manage expectations.

The drinks are excellent — I really enjoyed the hojicha latte, slightly sweet and very comforting. Despite being made fresh, our food arrived within 10–15 minutes, likely because hot pot udon and bento are relatively quick to prepare.

The hot pot udon was perfect for winter — it stayed hot right until the end. We didn’t linger after finishing since there was a long queue outside, but I enjoyed the overall Japanese vibe.

I’d love to come earlier next time to try their Japanese all-day breakfast or other...