Located at the corner of Subiaco Square on top of the train station lies Satsuki, the sister restaurant of Ha-Lu at Mount Hawthorn. With quality, beauty and attention to detail, Satsuki provides a unique and authentic Japanese dining experience. In Japanese dining, social interaction is often encouraged around the table by having a number of dishes to be ordered and shared. Sharing is caring.

To start off, we had the Sashimi seafood and gari tempura salad ($14.80) which consists of fresh sashimi seafood on a bed of salad leaves served with pickled ginger tempura and soy dressing. The salad was very crisp and fresh. With the sashimi, tempura and the dressing over the salad, it was a very colourful dish and one that was bursting with fresh flavours.

Sashimi seafood and gari tempura salad

The Assorted tempura ($20.50) arrived, which consists of tiger prawns and vegetables with tentsuyu sauce and green tea salt. The tempura was deep fried to crisp with a light and fluffy batter. What I found unique was the green tea salt, which accompanied the tempura. The green tea salt surprisingly complements well with the tempura giving it an additional texture with a hint of green tea but a bit of saltiness in between.

Assorted tempura

For our mains, we shared the Pork belly Kaku-ni ($14) which was a slow cooked pork belly with soy dashi jus. As the Pork Belly was cooked for a while, it was very soft and tender. Drizzling some soy dashi jus over the pork belly helps keep the pork belly moist and flavoursome. It is a dish that was made to matchmake white rice.

Pork Belly Kaku-ni

We also had the Duck and Wagyu Beef ($21.50) with sesame oil shallots, wasabi, yuzu kosho and mustard. Presentation was delicate with attention to detail. The duck was cooked perfectly to pink in the middle. Both the duck and wagyu beef was very tender. It was a delicious and tasty dish.

Duck and Wagyu Beef

Our Aubergine dengaku ($12.50) arrived. The aubergine was our favourite on our table! It was glazed and baked perfectly until the aubergine was soft,which also complemented the sweet miso really well. Overall, an impeccable dish.

Aubergine dengaku

We also shared a side dish serving of nyumen noodles ($8.50) which is a thin somen noodle soup with dashi broth. To enjoy the nyumen noodles, we were told by the waitperson to put the condiments into the noodles first and then, pour the warm water from the teapot onto the noodles as the soup broth which was under the noodles was very thick. A simple but tasty side dish it is.

Serving of nyumen noodles

To add onto our order, we decided to have a Sushi roll of the day ($10.50). The sushi rice was held firmly by the seaweed, encapsulating small pieces of salmon, tuna, yellowfish, a hint of tobiko and cucumber. The sushi roll was bursting with fresh flavours as it was made with precision, love and care.

Sushi roll of the day

To finish off a good dinner, dessert is a must. We had the Satsuki dessert platter ($13.80) which consists of roasted tea infused creme brulee, baked sweet potato cake, matcha green tea ice cream and black sesame ice cream. A must order for the sweet tooth as the dessert showcases Japanese flavours. Well, which was my favourite on the dessert platter? I would say…..all of it!

Satsuki dessert platter

Again, Satsuki has executed another great dining experience for my family and I. Apart from the food, the service is also friendly too. This is why we go back to Satsuki over and over again. For quality and authentic Japanese food at a decent price, who would not want to come back for more?

Mel’s Rating : mmmm (excellent)