Picture the iconic Grease diner. Fluoro lighting, booths and bar stools, classic burgers and milkshakes so good they make you forget alcohol is even a thing. Now imagine this American haven getting the Tokyo treatment – you know, geometric patterns, a surplus of pink, Asian-fusion menu feels and, wait a second, Hello Kitty’s face peering from the walls?
Welcome to Hello Kitty Diner, the latest eatery to open in The District food court at Chatswood in Sydney. It’s another score for this eating empire, which has welcomed the likes of Ipuddo (ramen), Chum Tang (Thai street food), 1Ton (noodles and wontons) and Tim Ho Wan (handmade Hong Kong treats) since kicking off earlier this year. The Hello Kitty Diner is a world-first for the brand and builds on its presence in the dining space. The Hello Kitty Cafe opened in Adelaide last year.
Steering away from the aformentioned Asian offering, Hello Kitty Diner delivers U.S. classics with a cheeky twist. Chur Burger’s Warren Turnbull was enlisted to craft the menu which stars burgers and it’s-gonna-get-messy snacks, like crispy lamb ribs, Southern fried chicken (accompanied by Hello Kitty-shaped waffles) and French fries with “kimcheese”.
The Hello Kitty Diner crew. Source: Hello Kitty Australia
But back to the burgers which sit at a very decent $12-$14 price point. “I think the chicken one will be a winner,” says Turnbull. “It’s fried chicken with Korean barbecue sauce that’s spicy, but not too spicy.” He continues: “The Classic burger is pretty spesh (beef pattie, lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickle and mustard), but the pork belly one – with apple mayonnaise – that’s probably my favourite.”
Was Turnbull a major Hello Kitty fan growing up? Not exactly, but he tells us: “Everywhere I walk now, I spot the image out of the corner of my eye. I’m like, “There’s Hello Kitty!””
Jen Lo of Bakedown Cakery was a little more familiar with the brand — “I had Hello Kitty pyjamas as a kid!” — and, understandably, jumped at the chance to collaborate on the Diner’s dessert menu. “Hello Kitty is quite bold and bright and colourful, so it melded with the Bakedown aesthetic,” she explains.
Chef Warren Turnbull and a peeking Hello Kitty. Source: Hello Kitty Australia
The cake master's Instagram account (@BakedownCakery) caught the attention of Hello Kitty Australia's Managing Director, Dorothy Wong, who asked Lo to “develop a Hello Kitty cupcake that was inspired by Asian flavours, with a little more girliness.”
The result? “The cupcakes are a little fruity, a little floral and very Asian-inspired,” Lo explains. “It’s an interesting meld because usually Asian cakes are quite light and fluffy, whereas these flavours have been transcribed into something a little bit more Western.”
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The Hello Kitty cupcake
Lo also collaborated with Denin Spencer of Spoon and Fork Sydney to create a one-off, three-tiered cake for the big launch-slash-birthday. Lo tells us: “It features the Hello Kitty flavour on the biggest tier, apple and coconut for the middle, and the top is chocolate and raspberry.”
Other notable menu mentions include the pancake milkshake (it tastes exactly as it sounds), smoked lemonade (like a flambé soda) and the Hello Kitty Diner Blend Tea, crafted by Sydney-based specialists T Totaler, which is a sweet mix of green sencha, roses, Turkish apple and blue mallow flowers.
Denin Spencer of Spoon and Fork Sydney cutting Hello Kitty's cake. Source: Hello Kitty Australia
Hello Kitty Diner hopes to fling open its doors to the public this week, so check out their Facebook page to find out the exact details.
