COCONUTS HOT SPOT — Bangsar South is touted as the “next Publika” and I could see why as eateries and drinking holes are plentiful around here.
Within the massive steel structure and polished floors of Nexus, Edo Ichi beckons prominently from the ground level. Edo Ichi is run by the same people behind Ichi Zen, Hana, Azuma and Sushi Zento – certainly no greenhorns in the Japanese F&B scene here.
The pictorial offerings in Edo Ichi’s extensive menu all look tempting enough to make you want to order everything. Edo Ichi serves the entire gamut of favourites, most of them Japanese-style but with a good selection of Korean-influenced dishes as well.
A good way to start off a meal here is to have a salad of greens topped with deep-fried softshell crabs and salmon skin (Soft Kani Karaage To Shake Kawa Sarada) and drizzled with sesame dressing.
I totally loved the Foie Gras To Nagaimo Steak – thick cuts of pan-grilled goose liver with Japanese yam. The creamy velvety goose liver was a perfect match with the delicious powdery yam.
Order the Chef’s Sashimi & Sushi Combo Platter if you are dining with a few friends. On the platter were 3 types of assorted sashimi, 5 types of sushi, a whole big dragon roll and 3 varieties of appetizers. All my favourites are there to share.
The Stir-fried Squid Rings with cod roe & butter (Ika No Mentai Butter Itame) were scrumptious and my favourite. I would order this again and again as the tender bouncy squids were just so addictive with the very umami mentai sauce!
For something soupy, nourishing and comforting, have the Chanko Konabe which was assorted seafood and vegetables in a hot pot. You get a choice of 3 soup pastes – kimchi, miso and soyu paste.
I loved the spicy and tangy kimchi paste and this soup was very similar to the popular kimchi jiggae served in Korean restaurants. The piping hot flavourful soup with fresh seafood was every bit the soul food and immensely satisfying.
The Pan-grilled Smoked Duck (Kamo Aburi Yaki) was really nice in its plating – kudos to the chef for the unique touch of curled noodles to enhance the presentation. Pan-grilling the duck breast slices gave the sides a nice char and boosted the aroma too.
Among the desserts listed, my favourite was the Azuki Katsu which was a golden brown deep-fried breaded rice cracker with red bean filling – pretty unusual and was really good.
Edo Ichi
Unit G-4, Ground Floor
Nexus Bangsar South City
No.7 Jalan Kerinchi
59200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-2242-2022
*Pork-free
Chris Wan also blogs at Pure Glutton
