If you are not looking for Edosei you may just walk past it. It is almost hidden on Barrack Street, tucked away if not for the simple name plating outside. The decor inside is simplistic and beautifully refined. Following each other into the restaurant at the end of the working day are local salary men who are also eagerly greeted regulars, ready for a good meal and a bottle of sake.

It is no wonder that Edosei has such a flock of regulars, as it was founded in Perth by a Japanese marine automation manufacturing company based in Tokyo. The company's strong links in the food industry throughout Australia has enabled it to introduce its first restaurant to Sydney and its second in Perth.

Edosei prides itself in its use of the freshest fish flown in from Melbourne's fish markets. The staff are authentic and polite, warmly greeting their customers upon arrival. One particular staff member noticed an empty Subway cup tumbling around outside the restaurant. Unlike most people in Perth, he proceeded to pick up the rubbish with a tissue and throw it away. These mannerisms and actions particularly reiterate a high level of consciousness and pride they take with everything they do, their high standards of service and quality also inherent in their food and presentation.

Lucia and I started off with a hot entree of Buta Kakuni ($15), a gelatinous braised pork belly whose sweetness was offset perfectly with a side of crisp and hot mustard and topped with thinly sliced Japanese leek and dehydrated chilli. The pork is simmered perfectly for hours to the point that the fat renders down to nothing but a brief moment of juicy melt in your mouth goodness. It was an instant favourite and with each pork belly square so delicious and appetising, we kept searching the small bowl for left over bits of pork that may have gone amiss.

Just look at that single bean - the precision and attention to detail is amazing

Unlike Lucia, I am a lover of sashimi. We compromised and both picked out the Conger Eel and Cucumber Roll ($15.00) to share. It was a piece too many for the both of us, as we had keen eyes on the dessert. Nonetheless we ate the rest of it. While it was nice and well rolled, I wasn't sold on the eel which I usually enjoy. Had it had a little more of that tangy dressing, I would have eagerly had more. Although the rice was soft, the filling was a little dry and found myself washing it down with water.

I ordered the tempura with hot noodles ($18.00). You are given the option of udon or soba for your noodle bowl and I chose the classic udon which was served in simple dashi. I liken this dish to Kitsune Udon - minus the tofu. For a dish whose textures are primarily soft and soupy, the side of tempura balanced it well texturally.

The tempura was incredibly enjoyable and came out very hot (we were warned not to touch the plate) which is a good sign of a good restaurant. Steaming hot tempura that is crunchy on the outside and slightly doughy on the inside, gives eaters the opportunity to let the tempura cool to their desired temperature and in saying that - their desired starchy textures. There is nothing worse than cold tempura in a Japanese restaurant. The ingredients that had been ladened in batter were themselves fresh and tasty.

Lucia's Tan Tan Men ($18.00) came out in a steam of sesame oil and chili. Tantanmen ramen is characteristically spicy, rich and warming. Pork belly (the very same as was in the Buta Kakuni entree) sits in a broth surrounded by thin and delicious ramen noodles and spring onion. A half boiled egg with the perfect amount of runny yolk sits in the centre awaiting some serious ravishing. Although the usual interpretation of this dish is with minced pork, the tenderness of the Buta Kakuni isn't disputed, although we were a little thrown to find the same pork used in the main as was in the entree. Still, it was delicious.

My only gripe with the restaurant is that I would normally not pay for udon noodles or ramen at a going price of $18. When you can be served the best ramen at a One Michelin Star restaurant in Tokyo (Tsuta to be exact) for little over $13 (¥1,100) it is hard to comprehend the cost.

Not being able to decide just which dessert to choose, we went all out and shared the Ama Ozen ($28.00) assorted dessert platter. Although it looks quite basic, what we were met with was an amazingly smooth, vanilla Ama-Yakko panna cotta with brown sugar syrup and fresh fruit. It would soon turn out to be the favourite dessert on the plate. A full sized serving of the Ama-Sushi baked cheesecake ($14.00) would have been far too much to consume as it was incredibly dense and dry, even when partnered with the creamy green tea ice cream and the thinly sliced apple compote.

All other items on the platter were eagerly devoured though - this includes the mochi, parfait and chocolate chopsticks sitting on a sweet biscuit cracker. The panna cotta was by far the star of the platter and I would have zero qualms just ordering that. Even the wafer was light and crisp and coupled well with the creamy panna cotta.

I am keen to taste some of the fish and sushi dishes on the menu at Edosei, as a quick glance at what the regulars were ordering looked a treat. Colourful rows of salmon sat a top plates equally as colourful, around half eaten bowls of rice and open sake bottles. Needless to say, I think Edosei deserves a re-visit as the food was tasty, albeit a bit pricey.

The good:

Buta Kakuni entree - I don't need to say more
Extensive menu with a variety of options and an ideal restaurant for a good introduction to Japanese cuisine
Earnest and friendly service
Closing between lunch and dinner demonstrates a good restaurant that takes the time to prepare the dishes for dinner

The not so good:

Pricey ramen
Dry cheesecake

Have you eaten at Edosei before? What was your experience like? Feel free to leave a comment and share.

Address:
64 Barrack Street, Perth, CBD
Opening hours:
Monday - Thursday 11.30am - 2pm, 5.30pm - 9.00pm
Friday 11.30am - 2pm, 5.30pm - 10.00pm
Saturday 5.30pm - 10.00pm
Sunday Closed

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