PROFILED BY DEGROOTS MEDIABe warned and delighted – Edamame is not your typical Japanese eatery, and as such offers much more than the regular variety of a sushi conveyer. At this cheap and cheerful restaurant, chef Archv Taamari is very much in tune with what the customer wants. With each seasonal menu change he brings in elements suggested by both clientele and peers alike. Archv is inspired by French cooking methods too, and will be launching a new menu in December featuring an oyster puree, among other dishes, designed to showcase his fusion techniques and French inspiration. The fusion of traditional cooking techniques and modern ideals for creating innovative meals is key to the success of this little restaurant. Detailed descriptions of the history of fundamental traditional ingredients can be found scattered about on walls and menus, too, giving added charm to the cluttered little space.
The most popular dish at Edamame though, the chilli togarashi noodle, is a dish invented to satisfy local clientele and their desire for chilli – an ingredient not common to Japanese cooking. Archv recommends a cold pint of Sapporo (Edamame was one of the first locales in Australia to offer the Japanese beer on tap) to accompany the noodles. For something more upmarket, the sashimi of salmon, sea scallop, botah prawn, soft-shell crab and seaweed salad is delicate and exquisite. Five different sake choices are available too. For such great prices it's hard to decide between the great vegetarian dishes, traditional pancake in the Hiroshima style or ramen. Indeed, from the moment the uniquely frayed menu is opened, a second and third visit to this little restaurant is on the cards.
Ilana Tulloch, November 2008