Kusuka, Haymarket

What’s the tastiest ingredient any chef can incorporate into their dishes?

In my opinion, it’s nostalgia. It’s the one spice that can take a diner back to what it was like when they were a kid and trying something for the first time, or something they’d eat when they first got home after school or something embedded into their high school studying routine.

That’s exactly what Kusuka in Haymarket does. Mi Goreng to take you back to a time when Mi Goreng was all I ate.

(Full disclosure: I visited Kusuka twice; with the second time as a guest of Kusuka but my opinions remain my own).

kusuka cafe haymarket

The next off the rack in terms of Asian fusion cafes, Kusuka’s the one that has captured my inner child the most. Serving coffee and pastries like all classic cafes, Kusuka also doubles as an Indonesian noodle bar serving some Indonesian classics with a twist as well as some of the craziest beverages I’ve seen outside of a bar in Vegas.

Let’s go round the twist right now:

kusuka cafe genesis
Genesis: grape, melon, ring candy and a sprinkle of the galaxy

This photo really doesn’t do it justice. The drink is just gorgeous from a visual perspective but do I want to put a ring on this drink with ring candy in it?

The answer is yes.

The honeydew melon is the biggest influence on this drink which is great for me since it’s my favourite fruit. Let’s just say I’d love for this drink to bear my fruit.

kusuka cafe savoury beef pancakes
Traditional savoury beef pancakes aka anak martabak

Definitely a dish that pan cake you happy.

Crispy and moreish, the wrapping is sort of like puff pastry in terms of flakiness and texture. The way the wrapping encases the tasty beef is the equivalent of silk sheets hugging a Victoria’s Secret model.

Amazing, and definitely a sight I always want to enjoy; the beef pancakes too.

kusuka cafe cray cray
Cray Cray: Mi Goreng with crab stick mayo, corn, bacon bites and melted mozarella

Plenty of cheese, corn, bacon and crab on top of a double serving of mi goreng noodles. This is the stuff that the dreams of an unambitious man like myself are made of.

This is what I want when I ask people to send me noods.

kusuka cafe super bowl
Super Bowl: Double portion of Mi Goreng with pork belly, chili matah, corned beef, sausages, corn and melted cheese

A Super Bowl for people who think Tom Brady is from the Brady Bunch, this is Kusuka’s solution to someone who has been deprived of sustenance.

Once again, the foundation is a bed of Mi Goreng and is topped with crispy pork belly, sweet corn and oozing melted cheese. The key to this dish is the chili matah that has more kick than a level 100 Hitmonlee which really elevates a dish that is already situated in the penthouse suite.

kusuka cafe bonfire bowl
Bonfire bowl: A rice bowl with spicy beef, seasoned corn, corned beef, bacon bites and mozarella cheese

The Bonfire bowl is definitely not suitable for vegetarians with bacon on beef on top of even more beef. The classic toppings come with this bowl as well but I definitely prefer their synergy with the noodles over rice.

If you see some of that chili matah around that comes with the super bowl, feel free to throw some on top of the bonfire to get a real inferno going.

kusuka cafe hangry bowl
Hangry bowl: Fried chicken, chili matah, spicy mayo, mushrooms, chili taichan and hash browns

Hell to the yes.

Fried chicken, mushrooms, corn AND hash browns?!? Those four things are on my top 10 list of favourite items in the world (the other six being basketball, Hearthstone, eggs, noodles, getting into the office early and staying late at work).

Every spoonful contained ingredients I love, it’s like the polar opposite of taking raspberry Panadol as a kid.

This is medicine I wish I could prescribe to myself for life.

kusuka cafe haymarket

Here’s the TL;DR for someone who thought I’d say Kusuka’s noodle bowls bowled me over earlier in the post:

  • Things outside of Mi Goreng that trigger nostalgia in me instantly: Power Ranger references, Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z and Nesquik (so underrated, there are so many Milo things but no Nesquik).
  • When you visit Kusuka, your craving for noods will resemble the thirst found in the comments section of a YouTube video about the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition (not that I know anything about that).

***

Kusuka, Haymarket

Shop 4, Bijou Lane.

Opening Hours:

Monday – Thursday: 7:30am – 8:00pm

Friday – Saturday: 7:30am – 6:00pm

Closed: Sunday

Kusuka Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

3 thoughts on “Kusuka, Haymarket

  1. Hello there..!! Most of your servings look interesting and tempting. Do I need to pre book an occupancy for five people on a weekend or is it easily available.?

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