Japanese Delight
Image by land.allears.net
Walking into Edo in Crystal Palace you feel immediately welcome and well attended to but without having the sense of being invaded. The décor is simple but modern with the choice of sitting either on the floor (with your legs in a sunken pit under the table) or at western style tables and chairs. This choice was welcome, as my friend who was with me, has a slipped disc and more authentic experience of sitting on the floor would not have been good for her.
As a lover of Japanese food, I was spoilt for choice and started with handcut sushi rolls, one spicy tuna and one with salmon and avocado. The ingredients were clearly fresh - as you would hope with sushi – and both were delicious.
To follow I had a bento meal with duck breast, perhaps not the most obvious choice of Japanese food - but this was why it grabbed my attention. The dish came stylishly presented in a laquered box with a bowl of miso soup, steamed rice and a side salad with nice soya sauce dressing. The duck was tasty, but could have been a little more tender. I have to say, however, that the rest of the meal more than made up for this and the service continued to be excellent, with surprising smatterings of humorous banter. Not what I would usually associate with a Japanese restaurant.
The wine choice is small, but sufficient with a choice of two white and two red wines and there is a selection of Japanese beers and sake at reasonable prices. A meal for two with wine will set you back £30-35.
To finish the evening, the staff happily indulged us in celebrating my friend’s birthday and brought her green tea ice cream, complete with a lit candle and singing ‘Happy Birthday’. Verdict – basically delicious Japanese food, served with a smile.
PS - they also do deliveries which I made the most of last weekend. Takes a while, but... Yum!
Edo Restaurant, 18 Westow Hill, Crystal Palace, London SE19 1RX. Tel: 020 8670 8900, www.edolondon.co.uk
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