Edition Coffee Roasters is a pretty special café. Not only is it beautiful to be in – all mid-century-style Nordic furnishings, white walls and wide open, galley kitchen – but the food crossing the pass is right on the cusp of what eating in Sydney in 2015 is all about.
Up until recently, the chefs were Swedish-born Lilian Sundervall and Japanese/Korean chef Ilpha Chon. Now that they’ve left, the menu is overseen by executive chef Jack New, the guy behind Maslow's in Pymble, which recently moved to Naremburn. Like the interior (and the preceding chefs) it's a fusion of Japanese and Nordic vibes, with a bit of French thrown in for good measure. It’s part of a trend happening all over Sydney, but Edition is a master of the art.
Take the mushroom pond, inspired by a dish at Noma, conceived by barista Corie Sutherland (ex-Toby’s Estate and Mecca, and co-owner of Edition with Daniel Jackson, who was a co-founder of Room 10 and Clover) and realised by New. The big earthenware bowl holds barely more than a trickle of rich, flavoursome mushroom consommé with soft, chewy, udon noodles (although the menu reads “noddle” – LOL) dancing about within it. On top you'll get a selection of mushrooms – when we visit it's enoki, shimeji and oyster, and one big Portobello, braised and buttery in texture, on top. Crowning the whole is a quenelle of crème fraîche or mushroom cream depending on when you're in. We've had it both ways and it’s fair to say that the mushroom cream has the edge: all umami-dense, cool and silky.
The fisksoppa soup is a chowder by a different mother. It's a loose broth that packs a punch of flavour: oceanic, creamy and salty. In it are hunks of lightly cooked blue cod (skin on – nice touch), steamed carrots, rings of caramelised shallots and leek, cubes of potato and on top a sculptural decoration of vertically upturned, paper-thin pastry, amongst fragrant dill and watercress garnishes. It's the style of soup that comes from that latitude – chowder in Maine, Cullen skink in Scotland and this, fisksoppa, from Sweden. As is known in those parts already, it's a warming and beautiful way to start, or continue, the day, and we’re pretty pumped it’s made its way to Sydney.
The coffee is serious stuff here too – with beans sourced from origin through Latorre & Dutch and roasted by Sutherland himself, the flat white is smooth and creamy, with a nice acidic, smoky finish. They say the best way to really taste coffee though is by simply topping up some fresh grounds with a cup of hot water and sipping. The Elixir cold brew at Edition is in the same vein. Brewed with sound waves (we’re as confused as you are) and the colour of pale whisky, it comes in a little bottle that you pour into your cut glass tumbler at your pleasure. Because it isn’t strong, almost like a tisane, you can taste every element of the bean: its citrussy tones, its floral qualities, and slightly bitter, cacao-like depth. Served icy cold, it’s the perfect Sydney summer coffee. Try it once, and tell us it’s not a revelation.
It’s this sort of attitude that we love most about Edition: it’s experimental; it’s trying to fuse different aesthetics, vibes and cuisines, and it’s pulling it off. There are no eggs on this menu, because this is about serving you a different sort of breakfast, bringing you something genuinely new. Put simply, Edition has made the Sydney café scene a better, more interesting, place to be.
