Edo Ichi @ Nexus Bangsar South

Once you go past the Kerinchi area and enter Nexus Bangsar with its swanky highrises, it’s like stepping into another dimension. This place 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.

Diners here will definitely need more time to browse through the menu because it is so extensive – the thick hardcover menu looks like a mini encyclopaedia! The pictorial offerings 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.

My meal started off with a salad of greens topped with deep-fried softshell crabs and salmon skin (Soft Kani Karaage To Shake Kawa Sarada at RM27) and drizzled with sesame dressing. A nice combo and it paved the way for 2 more decent starters.

Grilled Oysters topped with spicy bean paste sauce (Kaki Toban Miso Yaki RM23) were prettily presented. The spicy bean paste was a bit heavy in sodium and marred the natural sweetness of the oysters.

On the other hand, I totally loved the Foie Gras To Nagaimo Steak (RM52) – thick cuts of pan-grilled goose liver with Japanese yam. The creamy velvety goose liver was a perfect match with the delicious powdery yam.

If you are dining with a few friends, the Chef’s Sashimi & Sushi Combo Platter (RM85) is a good choice. There were 3 types of assorted sashimi, 5 types of sushi, a whole big dragon roll and 3 varieties of appetizers. Actually, if I’m dining alone, this platter would make me very happy indeed as all my favourite stuff are there!

Done teppanyaki style, the Hotate To Kinoko Butter Yaki (RM30) consisted of pan-grilled scallops & assorted mushrooms. The buttery accents were very discernible and teppanyaki fans would adore this.

The Stir-fried Squid Rings with cod roe & butter (Ika No Mentai Butter Itame @RM26) 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!

Assorted seafood and vegetables in hot pot (Chanko Konabe @ RM38) gives diners a choice of 3 favorite 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 very comforting and satisfying.

I tried the Australian Ribeye pan-fried with teriyaki sauce (Gyuniku Teriyaki RM27) which was a bit over-fried. It was a thin cut so I guess it got cooked pretty quickly and would have been easy to overcook it.

The Pan-grilled Smoked Duck (Kamo Aburi Yaki RM22) was really nice in its plating – kudos to the chef for the unique touch of curled noodles enhancing the presentation. Pan-grilling the duck breast slices have boosted the aroma but it also rendered a certain degree of toughness to the meat.

For desserts, check out some green tea an red bean favourites like Macha Parfait (RM19.50) and Edo Ichi Tempura Mochi (RM17.50) which are crispy tempura Japanese rice cake with choices of single scoop ice cream.

The Azuki Katsu (RM16.50) is a golden brown deep-fried breaded rice cracker with red bean filling – pretty unusual and pretty good, too.

 

Edo Ichi Japanese Restaurant
Unit G-4, Ground Floor
Nexus Bangsar South City
No.7 Jalan Kerinchi
59200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603-2242-2022

 

Do check out Chillin’ @ Nexus Bangsar South Campaign at their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/BangsarSouth) where RM100 Nexus Gift Vouchers will be given to daily winners from 27th April 2015 until 19th June 2015!