Edoya has been around since 1980, which makes it one of Bangkok’s oldest Japanese restaurants.

That means it hails from a time before budget flights to Tokyo and waived visa requirements, which in turn means that Bangkok’s high-air-mileage Japanophiles will notice that the catch-all menu of tempura, sushi, yaki (grilled skewers), donburi (rice bowls), shabu shabu (hot pot) and a whole lot more doesn’t quite have the same focus as their favorite Japanese restaurants.

The same can be said of the main dining room’s dated hotel lobby vibe (our tip: request one of the private rooms, which have a lot more charm). But then Edoya probably costs a lot less than those places, too.

Compared to neighbor Misato its prices look like a bargain, but the answer why becomes quite clear when you tuck into the food. The tempura (Misato’s undisputed strong suit) comes in a limp, oily batter that, in the case of the “Tempura Mori” set (two prawns, squid, aubergine, carrot, B350) covers produce that’s just as mediocre. No wonder the same thing would set you back about B500 over at Misato.

From our experience, you’re better off sticking with the sushi. At B700, the “Jyo” nigiri set comes with a hunger-busting collection of lean tuna, salmon, amberjack, squid, shrimp, eel, omelet, salmon roe and masago (small fish roe). That’s quite the bang for your buck, even while we’ll concede that the rice is too mushy, the eel lacking texture and the shrimp too skimpy on the portion. Aside from some affordable sake starting at B340/300ml, that’s about as exciting as things get at Edoya.

An assorted plate of yakitori (grilled chicken skewers, B190/small; B370/large) ranges from kidney that lacks tang to mushy, minced chicken balls that are just unpleasant. The akashi yakifu (B150) are like a more eggy take on takoyaki (octopus dumplings), covering the rubbery octopus is a centimeter thick layer of underseasoned batter. You’ll need the ponzu sauce because there’s very little flavor without it.

Judging from the dining room on our last visit, Silom-Surawong’s Japanese clientele is voting with their tastebuds rather than their wallet, and dining at Misato instead. You’ll find us with them. Corkage starts at B600. 

This review took place in September 2017 and is based on a visit to the restaurant without the restaurant's knowledge. For more on BK's review policy, click here.