Edition Coffee Roasters

Weekend brunches are one of the highlights of my week and since I discovered Edition Coffee Roasters it’s become one of the staple cafes that’s constantly front of mind if friends ask for brunch recommendations. Edition Coffee Roasters is situated in Steam Mill Lane at Darling Square, it’s sleek black interiors are understatedly beautiful and the food is exceptional. If you haven’t been before let me introduce you to this gem of a cafe right in the heart of Sydney CBD.

Photo credit: @editionroasters

In another life, I would have loved to be an architect or interior designer because I have an unhealthy obsession with furnishing and decor of any room I walk into, Edition Coffee Roasters boasts an all-black palette and three unique seating errors: sunken perimeter of seats around the restaurant, outside seating or the benches right next to the chef’s kitchen. My usual preference is cafes that are either bright and airy or have an industrial/warehouse design but I’m surprisingly enamoured by the sleek and polished dark interiors of Edition Coffee Roasters.

But enough about interior design, let’s get into the food. The menu here is seasonal and although only a one-pager; I could tell at first glance that Edition Coffee Roasters is not about the usual avo on toast, instead it focuses on serving up Japanese-inspired fusion dishes that use high-quality ingredients to ensure it’s umami yet not overly complicated. It’s actually refreshing to find a cafe that doesn’t blindly cater to the ostentatious Instagram obsessed Sydney brunch scene.

[L to R}: Kingfish sashimi with white soy, soba cha & wasabi turnip, miso banana bread with yuzu curd, pork katsu curry burger with pickled slaw

Miso banana bread with yuzu curd

If you know me you’ll know that I’m a sucker for good banana bread, although I love making banana bread at home there’s something about the Edition Coffee Roaster’s version that makes it even more delicious. Perhaps it’s the addition of miso infused throughout the banana bread (it’s not a super pungent miso flavour but it does bring out more of the aroma and intensity of the bananas in the banana bread), or maybe the yuzu curd which provides that citrus and sharpness to cut through the sweetness of the banana bread. This may be one of my highest-rated banana breads in Sydney so if you haven’t tried it yet get on it!

Note: This is a permanent menu item

Pork katsu burger with pickled slaw

Photo credit: @editionroasters on Instagram

This katsu burger is heavenly and every time I try it I'm shook at how tasty, umami, and satisfying it is. I was too keen to eat and forgot to take a photo so here’s the official Instagram photo - this is the epitome of “simple is better”. The burger bun was lightly toasted and perfectly golden but without the sickly sweet brioche bun aftertaste because it’s in a supporting role to highlight the star of the show: the perfectly fried pork katsu. I have always enjoyed a katsu anything and this was outstanding - the crumb was fried to a perfect golden colour and the pork itself remained tender and juicy despite the crunch of the crumbed exterior. I really liked the pickled slaw as it wasn't too pretentious and did not detract from the katsu nor make it soggy and unpleasant. Kudos to the chef for this creation and I hope that this item remains on the menu as everyone deserves to try a bite of this burger!

Parmesan crumbed cauliflower katsu

Who knew cauliflower could even be made into katsu? This was on Edition roaster’s menu a while back and when I read the description I couldn’t help but order this and satisfy my curiosity - this is a parmesan crumbed cauliflower katsu served with Japanese curry. I was skeptical at first because veggies and I have an on-and-off relationship - however this katsu was excellent, perfectly crispy, and fried to golden perfection. The curry sauce was also delicious, the only thing missing was some rice but that’s just my inner Chinese grandma coming out.

Dessert

Yuzu & toasted rice-ice cream with almond praline (v) ($15)

This dessert tastes like how I like my men - simple, sweet, and with a kick of playful, citrusy aftertaste. All jokes aside because as all of you can tell I am an extremely serious person... this dessert was so delicious it was almost better than Christmas, Easter, Chinese New Year, and Queen's Birthday long weekend combined (if you work full-time like me, you'll understand how much of a compliment this is).

The dessert was deceptively simple but all the elements worked beautifully with each other - the rice bubbles cut through the creamy vanilla ice cream like a cold knife through warm butter and the almond praline was unlike anything else I've tasted. Although it was quite sweet, the praline itself was delicate and broke apart easily and the lightness with that hint of almond nuttiness complemented the rest of the dessert very well. I must admit that the yuzu flavour got a little bit lost in the mix but overall this was an excellent dessert and changed my perspective on Japanese desserts in general (they don't all have to include matcha or red bean to be delicious).

Overall rating: 9.5/10

Honestly, this cafe is a hidden gem in the middle of the city and I am so glad that I found it! I admire any cafe that is brave enough to be bold with flavours whilst being authentic to its roots. Although Edition Coffee Roasters serves an amazing coffee brew, it never shies away from the fact that its food is inspired by traditional Japanese cuisine and subsequently they will be serving yuzu-infused dishes and cauliflower katsu for brunch, instead of attempting the difficult feat of Asian fusion. The high standards of quality and freshness of ingredients is a defining feature and I recommend all of you to come and visit for some escapism from the bustling chaos of the cityscape.

Edition Coffee Roasters

Address: 60 Darling Dr, Haymarket NSW 2000

Website: https://www.zomato.com/sydney/edition-coffee-roasters-haymarket

Instagram: @editionroasters