Two Koi fish that are typically swimming alongside one another arrive as a representation of balance and the harmony between two opposites.

This depiction also happens to be the logo of Koi, an original Japanese concept combining both street and hip-hop vibes at their upbeat location as well as on their menu creations.

Located in the heart of Kuwait City, Koi is your casual, non- traditional Japanese food joint, the urban destination for both a hip dine-in experience and delivery.

This ethos isn’t just applied within the interior, but on the menu as well. It’s wise to mention that they are the first ever to serve sushi burritos in Kuwait, and it’s still as good as when it first launched.

Once you’re at Koi, you’ll be surrounded by neon lights, and right upfront is their sushi bar with the tagline that represents Koi itself: Street Fish. While on the side of the entrance, hangs an old school reference that truly embodies the culture of Koi, “Hotter than Wasabi.” Recognize the lyric? Dropped and rapped by everyone’s favorite Canadian rapper and singer, Drake.

Street fish speaks to our habits as well, because more and more we find ourselves gravitating towards street-food specialty eateries, and Koi melds together these aspects perfectly. Your mood is immediately uplifted as soon as you walk in!

Koi does not only provide a unique item, which is the sushi burrito, but also the flexible option of choosing your dish that will be served to you mainly in three forms; rolls, sushi burritos, and bowl offerings.

Then, the streams of musical beats play on with the names of dishes you’ll mostly be attracted to in reference to both artists and tracks. Such as California Love under the ‘Classy’ section, which is your typical California roll with kani, avocados, carrot and cucumber but with a name twist of the O.G. 2pac track featuring Dr. Dre. If that’s not real music love, then we don’t what is.

Our personal favorite roll is That Shrimp Cray. Its ingredients are real cray cray, as the ball so hard roll is stuffed with crispy shrimp, cucumber, and topped with rice puffs and dynamite sauce. We couldn’t stop talking about that crunchy texture, and the reference to brothers from the hood, Jay Z and Kanye West. Meanwhile, a ‘Classy’ burrito goes with Against The Stream.

Pick from salmon, crab, or crunchy tempura as your dosage of protein, and enjoy their terrihoney sauce for a sweet and savory burrito.

The J. Coleslaw is as subtle as J. Cole himself, with some crunch on top, and a perfectly proportioned sauce, it’s a real “Power Trip” item on the menu.

Another featured dish is Biggie Smalls, aka The Notorious B.I.G. Served in three small glasses each with a different type of roll, it features salmon, avocado and crab. This will surely get you biggie “Hypnotized” as those rolls slide smoothly in one heavenly bite. We’d probably get at least two orders of this in one sitting.

What the Guac, you said? Just under the ‘Hood’ section lies a beautiful bowl of rice, a spread of guacamole, salmon, and pickled jalapeños, topped with crunchy, crumbled nachos. Part of the Hood menu also includes the Kung Pao Fighting, applicable for vegans but not for anyone with peanut allergies!

Vegetarians can choose the tofu addition, while non vegetarians can opt for the Kung Pao Fighting to be served with chicken, including peanuts, cucumbers and finally, the delicious kung pao sauce.

You can ‘Start from the bottom’ and choose a selection of fun starters like we did with a fun shaker of edamame. Your order of your favorite edamame is placed inside a cocktail shaker for you to add the amount of sauce you’d like. Whether it’s rock salt, or spicy chili mayo, you’ll still have fun shaking the life out of this yummy edamame.

Plus, you never know, you might receive some rhythmic inspiration from the shaking itself. We love the whimsy of this dish, and it fits perfectly with the entire vibe at Koi. It’s fun, simple, unpretentious and the food speaks for itself.

Koi truly embodies the culture balance of the streets and hip- hop, be it at their restaurant surrounded by K-town’s impeccable urban landscape, or their infused, hardcore O.G. menu.

If you’re out seeking a light Japanese bite with a solid dining experience, or just a chill weekend at home, then match your favorite music genre with Koi’s deliver y services. Either way, Koi will, without a doubt, serve up the vibe you’re seeking, with a final drop of the mic.

Koi is located on Mubarak Al-Kabeer Street in Kuwait City. For more information, follow @koi.kwt on Instagram.