Sushi Baby

THE VERDICT

Most sushi restaurants lean towards austere, restrained, and monochromatic—not Sushi Baby. Their distinctive pastel colour scheme perfectly offsets the bright colours in their sushi: think vivid orange salmon, deep pink tuna, fresh green cucumber, and bright white rice. Their mascot, a smiling child reminiscent of the Gerber baby, encapsulates their playful take on a sushi restaurant. Originally opening as a takeaway shop, their Brighton venue has opened its doors to dine-in customers, complete with an outdoor courtyard and a private dining space. 

The menu, designed by Head Chef Chloe Kim, is inspired by Kaiseki, a traditional multi-course dinner. Of course, traditions are made to be broken, with a distinctive Korean influence from Kim and a dash of Australia’s signature relaxed nature. Think nori tacos with wagyu beef, salmon or avocado, a chicken katsu sando with rich tonkatsu sauce and sriracha mayo, chargrilled prawns with gochujang aioli, and beef short ribs with curry and tempura vegetables.

Of course, traditional sushi is on the menu too. They have plenty of assorted sushi and Sashimi platters, as well as Nigiri and Inari. If you’ve got decision fatigue in your day-to-day life, they’ve got a feed-me menu that will cover all bases, chef selection so fear not. 

Their signature dishes are selections of seafood, which are served either Aburi (torched on blocks of Himalayan salt for extra flavour) or Chirashi (served on rice). Summer cocktails and a sake menu are also available for your perusal. They haven’t forgotten their roots as a takeaway venue either. Since the beach is just nearby, you can order a ‘Sushi Baby Box’, which comes with 62 or 85 pieces, perfect for a picnic on the shore.  

The interior, done by Melbourne-based Mim Design balances the local space with a decidedly Tokyo spin. The outdoor courtyard has a retractable roof for those perfect summer afternoons, and the cherry blossom-draped laneway harmonises with the accents of blush pink and pale green found throughout the space. Sushi Baby is under the Atlantic Group, known for venues like The Atlantic and Gardens House, and is a welcome addition for those Bayside.