Taken from the Latin word for ‘I eat’ (rather than the 200-year period of Japanese history), Edo is the very image of a smart modern dining room, with a glass front, exposed piping, counter seating facing an open kitchen and chairs and banquettes upholstered in royal blue and toffee suede.
Head chef and owner Jonny Elliott has worked for some of the most famous names in British cooking, including Gordon Ramsay and Gary Rhodes. Elliott brings that modern European sensibility to bear on a menu which roams around the flavours of the continent and often displays a strong Spanish accent, not least in a preference for tapas-style sharing plates.
There’s nothing dainty about these small plates, however. Much of the food is cooked over apple and pear wood in a bertha oven so that what arrives on the table is imbued with a punchy, smoky flavour.
Order a few simple things to snack on while you take in the menu: some pimientos de Padron, marcona almonds or manzanilla olives, perhaps, or else a couple of empanadilla pasties, some pan con tomate and some slices of jamon Iberico de bellota.
Tapas-style classics include the likes of ham croquetas, octopus with confit potatoes and capers, chicken thighs in romesco sauce, patatas bravas and morcilla, though the kitchen also finds space for flavours from further afield. Soft-shell crab comes with Vietnamese dressing, chorizo is paired with taramasalata, there’s prawn ceviche with lime coriander and kohlrabi, or short ribs with pickled mooli and sesame.
Vegetarians and vegans get their own menu (lentil dahl, falafel fritters, roast cauliflower steak) while if you don’t want to follow the small plates format, traditional starters and main courses are available too, including charcoal oven-cooked steaks.
To drink, a global wine list has decent choice under £25 (and nearly everything is under £40), there are house spins on classic cocktails along the lines of an Edo Margarita or Signature Sour, while there are also soft drinks and beer and cider by the bottle.