June 2012
Opening a restaurant in a rapidly growing gastro-centric suburb isn’t hard. All you need is plenty of dosh, a good concept and the unwavering conviction that you will somehow succeed. Opening a standout restaurant in a rapidly growing gastro-centric suburb is, however, quite another matter. With an attrition rate that is as savage as the opening rate is rapacious, eateries in Solaris Dutamas have to work twice as hard to survive, let alone shine. Edo Ichi is one of the favoured minority that seems to have worked it out. With a great location facing the main road, an exhaustive menu serving all manner of Japanese delights (and we know how Japanese food is immune to the vagaries of ‘KL food trends’), amiable service and consistent food standards, Edo has quickly established itself as the go-to Japanese eatery in the ‘hood.
Apart from the ubiquitous staples – saba shioyaki and sukiyaki are just two of many decently executed bento sets – Edo’s chefs have a deftness in their cooking styles that ensures even the simplest appetisers are done well. Horenso goma ee is as much a visual as it is a sensorial treat. Chilled spinach is delicately packed into a little pyramid and sprinkled with sesame seeds and an ephemeral coating of sesame sauce to provide a salubrious start to the meal. In the same way, the enoki butter yaki is light enough to be more-ish, whilst each slender straw mushroom is replete with flavour and crunch.
Edo’s eponymous pizza is a huge favourite amongst regulars: compressed sushi rice is generously dusted with panko and deep-fried to achieve a happily crispy texture before being topped with eel, salmon and flying fish roe. Japanese mayonnaise replaces tomato paste in this very successful eastern interpretation of pizza and because not too much is used, the ingredients sit in perfect symmetry, and the results are little short of sensational. For a cleaner taste palette, the shake yamakaki soba is a safe choice and comprises fresh salmon slices and roe perched artfully atop al dente soba.
Opening a Japanese eatery in the heartland of Japanese expatriates may not be a genius idea, but doing it well, and going that extra mile to ensure they do it well constantly, is reason enough to reward Edo Ichi for their efforts with our patronage. Fay Khoo