Satsuma

Good solid noodle nosh. Not too pricey and very friendly service.
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Hilda - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Friday, December 30, 2011

This used to be my favourite Japanese restaurant, i've been going here for the last 2 years the portions were great and the price matched, however after the refurbishment and new management the prices have gotten really expensive and the food portions have halved.. really disappointed and won't be returning :(
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3 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, December 07, 2011

So disappointing... I've been a very loyal customer of Satsuma for years now, and have never had a bad experience. But for some reason after refurbishment the food, menu, and service are terrible.

Pros: I've always loved the katsu curries so it's great to see them featured now. And it looks nice inside I guess with the big orange pods, even though I liked the old canteen style.

Cons: Stupid dumbed down pictoral menu, obviously aimed at tourists. Katsu curry aside, far less choice of dishes. Rice on its own doesn't seem to be an option. Despite the comments below saying bento boxes are back, I went yesterday and they're not! The 10 star reviews below are very suspicious!

Portion size is literally half what it was, and there's no salad with the curry now, no miso soup.

It gets worse though. The curry always took a while to arrive, but at least you knew it was fresh. Now, it tastes OK, but it's very obvious that it's been pre-made and reheated. No so appealing.

Worse still, the curry arrived dubiously quickly, while my partner's food failed to arrive altogether. You'd think the new menu would make things very straightforward, but apparently not. The staff are confused at best, totally incompetent more like, totally unapologetic, and didn't really even understand that there was a problem.

So there you have it. A reliable restaurant ruined. It's a simple fix though, just restore the old menu, prepare the food fresh, and hire some decent staff. Obviously some corners have been cut to increase profits, and it all adds up to a cynical and disheartening experience when it used to be generous and friendly. My advice - there are so many great Japanese restaurants in Soho, go elsewhere and maybe the management will have a rethink.
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Mattie Twenty
1 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 2
Sunday, November 13, 2011

I was here recently, cause I used to go and loved it.. it's true that the menu is much shorter which was a disappointment as i used to love the bento boxes, but I had the katsu curry instead and it's the best i have ever had!! it's truly amazing.

now that bento boxes are back... hurrah! still a great place and I'll be back next week.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, November 09, 2011

After the refurb you expect a better menu but it has got much worse, there are less options, the portions were halved and a lousy pictorial menu on display, who is in charge of this place? Used to be my favourite japanese fast food restaurant but now Wagamama here I go.
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Marco
3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Thursday, November 03, 2011

Still one of the best japanese restaurants in town. I have been there last week with my girlfriend! Food is even better than before. They have started to do bento boxes again. Especially the service was very friendly and attentive! Highly recommended!
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Michael
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, October 30, 2011

I have been going to this restaurant since 1997 and it's always been my most favourite restaurant ever, I am a true regular, visiting at least once a week if not more. Always used to recommend this restaurant to friends and family. Why oh why have they changed the menu? The portions have halved, while the prices have doubled!!! And no more bento boxes???? What were they thinking, my god?!!!! Please please please bring back the old style menu. I went there August bank holiday, on their first day of re-opening and I haven't been back since, no point, the menu is no longer good value for money, the staff seem confused and I am feeling sad and disappointed :-( I welcome change, but change is not always necessarily a good thing! It seems to me that management are more interested in attracting tourists in than valuing the loyalty of their regular customers.
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Shifteh Azar
2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Sunday, October 09, 2011

A confusing dining experience.

The menu is a baffling array of pictures showing tempura-ed items with a rice accompaniment. Although everything automatically comes with rice, the menu suggests this be swapped for ramen or soba (at a cost). But on asking for a vegetable ramen, I was told by the waitress “I don’t think we do that.” So I ordered salmon teriyaki and was asked if I wanted it with rice. I requested ramen and was told “sorry, salmon teriyaki comes with rice.”

The food wasn’t bad (just a little expensive), but the staff seems to be as confused about the menu as the customers.
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nat - View all reviews by this user
3 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Way more expensive than it used to be after menu change and now their signature bento boxes are not on the menu - never mind there are plenty of alternative places I guess, shame though used to be one of my favourite places in Soho :-(
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Sean
3 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Sunday, September 04, 2011

02/09/2012 Satsuma used to be one of my favourite places to go and eat in Soho, great quality and prices. NO MORE! Stay right away from it, portions are half the size they used to be, prices increased. AVOID!
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Andrew
2 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Friday, September 02, 2011