Elysium Magazine loves a good restaurant and we recently got to visit Satsuma in London Soho. Known for its social atmosphere, Satsuma has been redesigned, with social dining in mind. Communal areas are both upstairs and downstairs and it has a varied menu.
The satsuma (Citrus unshiu) is of Japanese origin and was introduced to the West. In Japan it’s known as ‘mikan’ and in China as ‘Wenzhou migan’. This is where Satsuma was born.
The Look, The Feel
The restaurant is made up of two floors, both offer communal seating which is core of Satsuma’s offering in Social Soho. Funky orange pods are based downstairs and make for a great feature for the restaurant. Many groups were keen to wait to get seated in the pods – they were in for a wait as the restaurant was very busy, with what appeared to be regulars, happy to recommend items from the vast menu.
Satsuma is certainly aimed toward, and is great for groups, it’s vibrant and buzz filled atmosphere really adds to an easily enjoyable evening – pre or post drinks. There is certainly a number of people visiting before seeing one of the shows in the theatre district.
The Main Event
The menu is vast and has a lot on offer for any discerning foodie, we opted to look for recommendations from the tentative staff, who knew the menu inside out. We also quizzed the locals who were all united in their recommendations.
The Pork Katsu Bento box (£12.60) was equipped with miso soup, rice, vegetable spring rolls, salad, vegetable gyoza, pickles and succulent pieces of pork smothered in Katsu curry. The bento box was a fantastic choice, it provide a fantastic variety of food to taste and the portions were generous. The pork was well cooked and tasted fantastic, the Katsu sauce was authentic and worked well with the wine recommended by the waiter. A perfect combination which hit the spot.
The Chicken Katsu curry (£8.20) dish was recommended and we could tell why. One of the most popular dishes at Satsuma, the plate filled to the edge with chicken, rice, salad an pickles was an absolute delight. The fantastic blend of flavour and slightly chilli sauce made it a clear choice for the regulars. We saw plate after plate of the Chicken Katsu curry served to hungry diners – all pleased with their choices.
The size of the mains resulted in us skipping dessert but there is a small variety available if you have the capacity, Green Tea ice cream, Black and White Sesame ice cream and ice cream Tempura to name a few.
Verdict
Satsuma does a fantastic job of bringing together a social atmosphere along with superb food. While Satsuma would not be suitable for romantic types looking for a quiet night, it focuses on what people love about it. It’s social environment. The quality of food, great service and refresh have meant the restaurant has remained popular. Elysium Magazine has returned a few times since our first visit, there is a vast menu and we are on a mission to sample as much of it as we can!
Contact
56 Wardour Street, London
020 7437 8338
