Bold Seasoning Rules at Santa Monica’s New London-Inspired Edgemar | Eater LA

"Set in a barrel-vaulted warehouse inside a Frank Gehry–designed development on Santa Monica’s Main Street, Edgemar opened on August 16 and delivers a stylish, London‑inspired, grown-up dining room with abundant natural light and a striking bow-truss ceiling that reimagines a former early-1900s power station. Thomas Greek’s architecture and Julia Baker’s interiors fuse early 20th-century Precisionist art with mural and bar ornamentation, while executive chef Jared Dowling (formerly of the Fat Radish in New York, the Waterfront and Winston House in Venice) and chef Jonathan Thoma (formerly of Great White) bring international pedigrees and personal influences—Dowling’s time in London and Thoma’s upbringing in Malaysia—into a menu that draws from Japan, India, and Southeast Asia and balances dishes by flavor rather than strict cuisine. I was struck by the raw seafood offerings—hamachi crudo with sliced mandarins and salsa macha, raw halibut with Meyer lemon and coriander, and konbu‑cured sashimi techniques—and by showy preparations like tempura-fried oysters returned to their shells with yuzu tartar, a smoked lamb shoulder seasoned with ras al hanout and smoked over California red oak, and a Ruby Murray chicken curry that channels Dowling’s London memories. Other highlights include lobster fried rice with makrut lime and English peas, uni spaghetti alla chitarra with shiso and Meyer lemon, chile-topped stracciatella pulled in-house with togarashi, and desserts such as a crisp pavlova with black pepper meringue and a chocolate mousse with tangerine, salted whipped cream, and espelette chile; when possible the kitchen uses local produce like Munak Ranch tomatoes and Garcia Farms mandarins. The front-of-house team—general manager Gilda Bahremand and bartender Eugene Shaw (whose cocktails reference his work at the Varnish and Scopa, including a chicory cold brew and aged rum take on an espresso martini)—complements the dining room, and Edgemar plans to add a late-night menu, happy hour, weekend brunch, and weekday lunch; it is open Wednesday–Sunday 5:30–11 p.m., accepts reservations on OpenTable, and is located at 2435 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405." - Matthew Kang