The hype: Kinou is serious about the quality of its food and drink, but yet always up to poke fun and make quips about food culture and the origin of its cuisine. Its arrival is a reprieve from the more stuffy establishments around.
The vibe: You might mistake the place for a drinking spot at first, thanks to crowds standing around and having a chill time with drinks in hand out front. Heading inside, warm lighting and banquettes with dining tables will tell you that this is also a place for sit-down dinners. Be sure to use the toilet at least once—it’ll be a ball of a time.
The food: While there are many French influences here, the cuisine is decidedly modern European. Whet your appetite with the Kinou Prawning Spot ($14), a gambas tapas-like dish that has plump prawns served in a bowlful of flavorful garlic oil. Once you’re done with the prawns, order up a basket of bread ($5 for sourdough or $8 for brioche) and soak up the rest of the oil for a sinful but delicious combo.
For an exciting next dish, get the Bone To Be Wild ($16), a pipe of buttery roasted beef marrow served with a side of sourdough and pickled greens. The best part is that each order comes with what they call a Tennessee surprise. If you’d rather not spoil the surprise, skip to the next paragraph. If not, the surprise essentially involves a willing candidate imbibing a shot of Jack Daniel’s Gentleman Jack straight from the scooped-out bone. Apparently, the whisky pairs well with the remnants of the marrow.
The mains are all either ceviches, tartares or meats (yup, no veggies save for sides), and are more affordable when ordered as combined platters. However you mix em up, definitely get the tuna ceviche ($24) and the beef tartare ($20), while the adventurous can try the gamey duck tartare ($21) that’s best eaten with ginger bread ($8). The meats can only be combined with other meats, and if you’re coming in a group of four, getting the Vegan Nightmare Platter ($99 for wagyu ribeye, a whole burger, duck breast and wagyu and lamb sausages) is the most worthwhile. Add on a tomahawk steak ($90/kg) for good measure.
The drinks: With so many heavy dishes, good drink is a must. Thankfully, Kinou is big on the drinks department with an extensive list of cocktails and spirits available. The big plus here is that cocktails ($18-$24) are served with a New York 60ml pour, making each drink a double shot from the get-go. If that’s not enough, go for the Mason Jar selection that has the option for a 150ml (!) pour that go for only $35 each.
The wine ($15/glass) list, with over 150 labels and counting, is also pretty decent, and craft beers ($12-$16) from the likes of Kona Brewing Co and Lost Coast Brewery rounds off the alcohol menu nicely.
Why you’ll be back: It’s already a popular after-work drinking spot for good reason. Their generous pours are hard to resist, plus happy hours (prices drop to $9.50) that go from 3pm to 8pm makes heading here straight from the office an easy choice to make. We’re also looking forward to what they make of the private member’s space upstairs, Konnoisseur, that currently houses rare, exclusive bottlings of various spirits.
