They say that you should never judge a book by its cover, and that certainly holds true for Edamame Sushi & Grill. Tucked tightly in between a Radio Shack and a Pearl Vision in a strip mall near Easton Town Center, Edamame doesn’t look like much from the outside. But the interior is an impressive modern design with dual upstairs clubhouse-style bamboo boxes overlooking the main restaurant floor. The entire space is designed with a green plastic color scheme that jumps like a J-Pop music video. It’s not at all what you’d expect from the outside, and the decor sets up the expectation of something equally unique when it comes to the sushi menu.
Couldn’t start off a meal here without some Edamame ($3.00), which was mentioned by the server when taking the drink order. A fairly standard serving-for-two of this soybean appetizer, with a nice dusting of coarse flecks of salt.
The first roll I tried was the namesake Edamame Roll ($7.00) that contains a combination of tuna, salmon, whitefish, cucumber, avocado, masago and radish sprouts, wrapped in a soy-wrap and drizzled with spicy mayo and unagi sauce. This was my first experience with a soy wrap (which I’ve learned is vegan, dairy-free, lactose-free and gluten-free) and when tasted by itself, it was also somewhat flavor-free and paper-like. As a sushi vessel, it did its job, and the giant combination of ingredients and sauces made for an otherwise tasty slightly-jumbled mess.
The Easton Roll ($7.00) was another must-try based on the name alone, and contains panko-breaded crab stick, avocado, cucumber and masago topped with spicy tuna and unagi sauce. I was excited for the panko-breaded upgrade, but felt a little underwhelmed as it didn’t quite have the crunch or texture when buried inside the roll. This roll also came inside a yellow soy-wrap, but I found the flavor to be pretty much the same as the green version.
The Morse Roll ($11.00) was another that I was drawn to due to the name. This roll was a little more basic, with just spicy salmon and cucumber and topped with tuna and spicy mayo. This roll was perfectly straightforward and adequate, and without the fanfare and flare of some of the other specialty rolls.
The Spicy Scallop Roll ($12.00) is a set of upturned California rolls topped with baked scallops, spicy mayo, tempura crumbs, masago and unagi sauce. The presentation is one I had not seen before, and every local sushi restaurant seems to do things a little bit differently. The scallops themselves were great, but the portion was small and the tempura breading would have worked better if it weren’t sprinkled on top. The fact that this was served atop a bed of California Rolls felt a bit cheap, and the whole thing was a bit harder to eat.
Overall, I enjoyed everything I tried at Edamame, despite a few small flaws here and there. Not that it adds to the flavor, but it’s worth noting that the presentation of the specialty sushi rolls is complimentary of the design of the restaurant: fairly unique, if not a little over the top. So, If you’re looking for something different from the offerings inside Easton itself, it’s nice to have this option close by. Edamame’s menu also includes grilled items, rice and noodle dishes, appetizers, desserts and cocktails, so there’s plenty more to try with several additional visits.
Edamame is located at 3946 Morse Crossing, next to Easton Town Center. Their hours are Mon-Thur 11:30am to 10pm, Friday 11:30am to 11pm, Saturday Noon to 11pm and Sunday Noon to 8pm. More information can be found online at www.EdamameSushiAndGrill.com.
