Went last night on the strength of previous HGW reviews.

We had been to Kazu Sumiyaki before and was expecting similiar food. We started with the beef and kimchi soup, which was really just the thing for a cold rainy sat night. We also tried an assortment of grilled items, all pretty good. I liked my garlic fried rice too!

What was really a wow for me was really the ambience! We sat on the first floor, where there were 3 tables (1 for 2 people and 2 for 4 people) as well as 6 counter seats. Everyone sits on the floor, Japanese style. There's really something to be said for sitting huddled up on the floor, cross legged, hunched over the table and having a good long conversation with your husband, while you both drink hot soup and it is pouring outside. I really felt like I was in Japan (if you can just forget all the english that was being spoken).

I think that Kazu, on balance, probably has more food choices and way better desserts (the dessert we had here was strange - some dense tasteless redbean pancake with greenbean ice cream). But I would defnitely choose to return here over Kazu. I really like to have good conversation while having a meal, and it's tough to do so at Kazu. I had a fine time yesterday! And, it really wasn't expensive as well!

Two notes:
1. A previous reviewer had commented that the first salad bowl at Kazu is free, but not so at Satsuma. To be fair, Kazu's salad bowl consists only of cabbage/lettuce. Satsuma gives more stuff (onions, carrot, spring onions etc) and is a bigger bowl.

2. Do make reservations. We saw at least 5 couples turned away for lack of seats.

We had not heard of Satsuma or been recommended by anybody but when looking for somewhere small and intimate for Japanese food the reviews suggested this might be the right place. And I have to say that Satsuma was exactly what we were looking for. The staff were attentive, the food was good quality and it has a low key fine dining feel.

We started with Edamame and Fugu while browsing the menu and then went on to order the mixed sashimi, which was a little big for two as we wanted to enjoy the grill. We tucked into the pork with garlic and the beef short rib, which were both excellent. Our favourite grill item was the scallop and prawn wrapped in bacon that had just the right balance of flavour and was cooked to perfection.

We didn't try the shochu this time but as we will probably return soon all it not lost!

I only wish I could stop writing here…sigh…but for the good of the HGW community, bear with me as I rave about this place!

Why didn’t anyone tell me about this place earlier? The food is just way above my expectations! Came here coz I’m into this mentaiko pasta phase, and thanks to previous reviewers’ recommendations, their Mentaiko Supagete ($12) (spicy cod roe spaghetti) was truly damn delicious! It was really soooo…good I can’t go on anymore to describe it coz I want to eat it again! Now! Haha but it’s the 1st time ever I ate pasta with chopsticks lol. Pasta never tasted so good! It’s very well presented, pasta done superbly al dente and I also like the texture and type of pasta used. They used spaghettini! And not the run-of-the-mill boring spaghetti.

I also tried the Kaki no Omuretsu ($9) (oyster omelette). It’s like the Jap version of orh luak, just made a lot tastier with the savory sauce. Fat juicy oysters and shimeji mushrooms fried with egg…it’s not greasy, so Japanese, so yummy and the sauce oh-so-delectable! Orh luak never tasted so good! Absolutely worth all that 9 bucks of eggs!

The Japanese Citron Tea ($4) is very refreshing. Don’t miss this too if you come!

I really like the service here. The waitresses are very friendly and attentive. They give good recommendations, and do not try to push anything to you, not even their drinks. The one who served me even offered to pace my food such that that my spaghetti could come ½ way when I’m done with the omelette. So thoughtful! I was even given magazines to read while waiting! I felt like I was in a hair salon!

And you know how some places serve really tepid food it’s really a put off. eeks. But here at this place they serve such hot piping food they were still steaming hot even after my long photography session!

There’re also 15 succinct set lunches very attractively priced from $10 - $20. All looking so good I’ll definitely be back for more. With that $10 return voucher I was strangely rewarded with. :) And oh! They don’t charge the 7% GST!

I have been meaning to try this place over the past year since it opened and I finally picked one nice evening to do so- only to realise that they were filming a Channel 5 commerical that day and hence had to settle for my dinner at the ground level.

The setting was a very serene dark wooded floor seating that is typical of a fine-dining Japanese restaurant. After placing my food orders, I was served some raw chilled salad with a nice thick dressing which helped open my appetite and prepare me for the main meal.

I started with the Steamed Egg-Drop Soup which did not leave a dry after-taste, a good sign to show the lack in MSG used. I then had the Kaki Omeretsu (Oyster Omelette)which underneath the fried egg had a burst of egg white with huge juicy oysters. I loved this dish.

I also tried the Mentaiko, which I found to be a little on the salty side despite its combination with cucumber. Meanwhile, the Cod Roe Pasta in my opinion would probably suit someone who likes the constant taste of wasabi.

Down to the teppanyaki dishes, the Chicken Ball was grilled to tender perfection and so was the Chicken Liver, which was done rare. The grilled mushrooms also was a nice combination of dryness and juiciness.

In my opinion, this place makes a good date place and has certainly differentiate itself from typical Japanese outlets by offering Sochu with grilled items. Prices are very reasonable and portions are generally quite large for the main courses, so one should refrain from over-ordering.

And what was my assessment for my first time trying Sochu? Well, lets just say that one glass of the cocktail mix was much stronger than I thought - but then again I am not one that is known to indulge myself in huge quantities of alcohol so my assessment may not be accurate for all you drinkers out there.

A colleague of mine recently raved about this place and convinced us to join her to check out the food.
Apart from the arrays of yakitoris, it doesn't take long for me to be taken aback by some of the food displayed on our table - the stands out are the monk fish slices (5 thin slices) and the jap version of foie gras. The tastes are really good and it just simply melts in your mouth. The shochu that we ordered blended well with the food.
If the dishes are not as fresh as what you expected, you may speak to the service personnel on your comments of the dishes. They'll note and inform the chefs.
I also noted that Satsuma is awarded the Singapore Tatler 2008 Best Restaraunt.....definitely worth a try.