Wings. Tacos. Burgers. You’d be forgiven for thinking you were sitting in an American diner. But if the waitress carrying a bottle of pink-hued sake doesn’t break your reverie, reading the menu more closely will. The presence of gochujang, wakame and yuzu make it pretty clear that you’re not in Kansas any more, Toto. You’re sitting in Edition Coffee Roasters, the Darlinghurst café known for its Nordic-Japanese breakfast and house-roasted coffee, and now it’s serving dinner.
Available on Friday and Saturday evenings, the menu is a selection of finger-friendly bar snacks constructed from Asian ingredients by Jack New (a chef with time at Sokyo and Icebergs under his belt). The slider is a standout: inspired by Japanese convenience-store egg sandwiches, it’s a soft Bos Bread roll spread with boiled egg and chives and topped with a tempura prawn. “It’s definitely my favourite item on the menu,” says New. “It’s really on there so I can eat it.”
Kuro agedashi tofu.
Another item on the menu was created thanks to a mistake – an over-order of Korean fermented chilli sauce to be exact. “We bought 14 kilos of gochujang,” says New. “So we decided to make hot wings using an American recipe, but replacing the hot sauce with gochujang cut with a bit of vinegar and honey.” Less accidental, but equally enjoyable, dishes include the pork katsu burger and sushi taco. If you’ve eaten Chase Kojima’s rice burger, you won’t be a stranger to rice replacing bread. Here, tortillas are traded for sticky rice and the tacos are served DIY with nori sheets, salmon and a selection of pickles.
Shredded beef salad.
As is only fitting when launching a night menu, Edition also got itself a licence and a drinks list. A collaboration between Chris Boersma (formerly sommelier at Marque) and Black Market Sake, the list is succinct yet interesting. You can start with a dry sherry, move to a glass of skin-contact chardonnay and end with Japanese whisky.
Whether you’re after a plate of wings to accompany your pint of Orion or a three-course dinner paired with sake, Edition Nights has you covered.
Edition Nights, 265 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst, NSW, editioncoffeeroasters.com. Open for dinner Fri-Sat 6pm-10pm.
