Kappaya
Kappaya
1 St Heliers St
The Abbotsford Convent
Abbotsford
Tucked away between Lentils as Anything and the Convent Bakery, Kappaya is a cheery japanese eatery serving soul food – simple and healthy fare which is beautifully presented and delicious.
The menu is simple, serving several varieties of onigiri, side dishes and desserts. You can choose these on their own, or as a part of a set.
We started with a non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice to share, refreshing.
The bento boxes. Lovely presentation which highlighted the simplicity of each individual dish.
The yakisake (grilled salmon) and kinpira (sweet and spicy vegetable) onigiri. The rice had a few different grains in it and I liked that it was quite textural and well balanced with the fillings. In the background you can see the side salad, which was mostly cabbage with some shoots and beans accompanied by a sweet and slightly vingegary dressing. Crunchy and light.
The saku saku, tempura vegetables (I gave in and ordered the one deepfried option on the menu…). This was a bit cold and hard, as if it had been sitting there for a while before being brought out, but went really well with tangy pickled onion it came with and I ended up really enjoying it.
Mushi Dori – tender steamed chicken sitting on top of soft pumpkin in a light broth. Such a simple and clean dish.
Goma Pudding. How cute is the presentation? I loved the little wooden spoons, and the little pitcher the size of a thumb hiding behind the pudding cup. The pitcher had a molasses-y syrup in it which really brought out the sesame flavour of the pudding.
I love that kappaya serves such simple, honest food. It’s so wholesome, you’ll feel that much healthier for coming here.
