Edo Asia — Restaurant in Southampton

Hugely disappointing experience on Valentines' Day.

We arrived for our early booking at 6:15 pm, and the first thing I noticed was the incredibly loud (nightclub loud) awful dance music being played. We immediately asked to be moved tables as we were under a speaker and also requested that the music be turned down. Let's be clear it was 6:15pm and Valentines day. We were expecting chilled ambience not loud hardcore (and not very good) dance music.

The music was briefly turned down but then back up again so I approached the front desk to explain that I was struggling with sensory overload (I have ADHD) and that I needed the music to be much less loud. Allegedly the music was then turned down a little but remained torturously loud so my partner complained again and this time confirmed we would be leaving if the music didn't change and become quieter. At this point, having been previously told that they had “no control” over the music another playlist of music was selected which was more chilled and quiter.

On to the service, the staff were all lovely and friendly, but it took us half an hour to get a drink. We had food before we received our cocktails. There was a air of total chaos.

Food wise, our starters and sushi were really great.

Our mains were appalling and of the standard expected at a cheap buffet. Our total bill was £190.

The beef fillet stir fry with Cumin had been so over powered with cumin and no other flavour it was ruined. It came with a bowl of tasteless egg fried rice and chicken skewers which were tough and lacked flavour.

All in all a very disappointing experience.

Management take note

When people go to a restaurant they are expecting restaurant ambience NOT ear torture night club vibes. It is YOUR responsibility to be inclusive to everyone and consider those with sensory issues.

If you're going to charge premium prices all the food needs to be premium not just the sushi.

Put more staff on your cocktail bar so drinks come out...

Edo Asia - Both myself and my partner, were both very excited to go to Edo, especially as we had heard good things about the restaurent but, we did not expect at all, what we ended up experiencing. A beautiful constructed restaurent, with beautiful colours in a dark, rich world, which has been meticulously created for the patrons pleasure. Edo, is not just to be taken at face value, the food, is nothing short of exceptional.

We both found our eyes traversing the room to discover what other people had ordered, with elaborate displays of good all over. We ordered the Taste of Asia which was £45 per person.

For starters we had salted edamame beans, tori-kara-age and aromatic duck pancakes, with cucumber, spring onions and hoisin sauce, all of which offered exceptional flavouring.

For mains we had Edo Asia Beef Fillet with cumin, which was delicious, tender, and again full of flavour. Along with the delectable Bang Bang Chicken Japanese Style, phenomal sweet sauce which had chilli and crisp cucumber, both of this dishs were then further complimented by Nippon Broccoli Itame, and Egg Fried Rice.

All of these was brought together by our server, Michael, who looked after myself and my partner on Saturday evening at 7pm. We both have been to high end restaurents, in the past, however Michaels ability to make us feel welcome, like nothing was too much for him, his attention to detail and looking after my nut allergy, better than I would myself, whilst offering an infectious smile, was unparrelled. He was exceptional, and should be highly commended for his service.

Overall, the meal was wonderful, and something we will both remember for the experience and the food, I would recommend anyone who is a fan of asian cuisine, to go to this restaurent and...

DO NOT COME HERE IF YOU ARE COELIAC

My partner visited this restaurant earlier on this evening with a friend, when they arrived they specifically asked for a gluten free menu. She was advised that the allergies were listed clear on the menu, (which they were) and they also provided an actual allergen guide with a breakdown of what foods have different allergens.

She sat down and ordered her food, which were all gluten free options from the menu. She decided to go for a few small dishes to try, The waiter didn’t write any of the order down at this point.

When the food arrived my partner was skeptical about one dish as part of it looked like it had a batter coating, and being coeliac it’s always a worry eating something containing gluten. (The dish ordered was a Spicy tuna roll). At this point they requested gluten free soy sauce.

They called the waiter over to 100% confirm the dish was gluten free and they advised the waiter she was coeliac. The waiter advised the dish was gluten free and safe to eat. So she proceeded to eat.

When the bill was provided my partner seen that the waiter had got the order wrong and instead of bringing over a spicy tuna roll, she in fact bought over a spider roll. My partner then made this clear before paying that the wrong dish was ordered. The waiter was shocked and apologised, admitted blame, and then took the item off the bill. It was at this point my partner then asked again whether it was gluten free and the waiter confirmed again that it was (INCORRECT INFORMATION).

When my partner left, she checked the menu outside and in fact the dish she had been given did contain gluten.

VERY BAD SERVICE from the waiter who provided incorrect allergen information multiple times.

Would not recommend to anyone...