Edition Haymarket

Overview

Steam Mill Lane nabbed another good'un when Edition Coffee Roasters opened its second location in the foodie precinct this June. And it's a good thing, considering the recent announcement that the original will close in Darlinghurst location this October.

Edition Haymarket has a similar minimalist vibe to the Darlinghurst digs, but is otherwise a stark departure from the original. Haymarket takes note from its surroundings and focuses on Japanese design to match its cuisine — it's meant to emulate a traditional Japanese-style farm house. While Darlinghurst was more bright and airy, Haymarket has a much darker colour palette with charred and exposed beams, a gray-blue concrete bar with stone tiles and textured walls.

The seasonal menu carries across the cafe's signature Japanese-meets-Scandinavian flare, though this time it has a deeper focus on the former, thanks to Japanese-born head chef Shinichi Hasegawa (Bentley, Icebergs).

There's a lot of Japanese representation in the team, actually. "I have a Japanese army over here," says owner Daniel Jackson. "[There's also] store manager Cana Terasawa, who has been in the coffee industry for years, [and] our head roaster Taku Kimura, who will be running the coffee section. We have scored some new up and coming chefs for the kitchen, too."

Many of the Darlinghurst cafe's cult favourites have already made their way to Haymarket, including the famous soufflé pancake topped with berry compote. New dishes have a bit of a fine-dining lean — something not common in cafes — with the likes of grilled king prawns with shellfish butter and charred lemon. In case you haven't noticed, this team really likes to char veggies.

More casual lunch dishes include the udon noodle bowl with pipis, egg yolk and XO sauce, pork katsu breakfast rolls and a Japanese twist on skagen (Swedish prawns on toast) with pepper prawns, apple, radish and yuzu on rye crisps. And you can, of course, expect the brand's top-notch cuppas all day, too.

As for the the Darlinghurst closure, it's a bitter-sweet goodbye for patrons and owners alike. "With the lease coming up for renewal soon, it was the right time," says Jackson. "Of course we are sad to see it go. It's where Edition started. But its time to move on to bigger and better things."

Images: Trent van der Jagt