Hello everyone! I organized my biggest event yet about two weeks ago at a Japanese restaurant called Satsuma. This is a very Japanese style 🗻 restaurant with Japanese décor and tables. This restaurant also uses shoji paper and designs in the backroom of the restaurant where they serve Japanese barbecue.
The group that I arranged here was very big. 60 people RSVP’d for the event. There were about four other event organizers at the event as well. One organizer told me he counted 55 people in the room we were given for just our group at the beginning of the event. However, several more people came after that, so this event had almost 70 people in total come out to it.
The appeal of Satsuma for many people comes from the inexpensive authentic Japanese 🏯 cuisine, such as the $1 sushi all day every day, as well as the design of the restaurant. The restaurant has an authentic Japanese feel to it, and this restaurant even maintains some Japanese 🏮 customs and traditions, such as taking off your shoes before entering the table.
Japanese people are known for being very small and skinny. The reason for this is because Japanese food tends to be healthier and contain less sugar and carbohydrates. The traditional Japanese diet contains low-calorie meats like fish, a lot of soups, and fermented and pickled foods are a daily staple in their diet. So, if you are dieting, Japanese cuisine is a great option because of the high vegetable content, fewer fattening ingredients in the food and sauces, and the smaller portions that help with portion control. In general, a lot of Japanese food is eaten in a more natural state with fewer ingredients used to season the food. Japanese food contains more subtle flavors, rather than strong flavors like what you would get in Indian or Hispanic cuisine.
Furthermore, this restaurant has many traditional Japanese dishes that are sometimes harder to find at other Japanese restaurants. Here is a list of some of the most common traditional Japanese dishes that you can order at Satsuma.
- Onigiri/Japanese rice balls 🍙 – Japanese rice balls may contain various meats and ingredients including tuna, beef, chicken, sesame, pollock fish roe, pickled plums, mustard, wasabi (spicy Japanese horseradish), mayonnaise, salmon or shrimp tempura, seaweed, various Japanese seasonings like furikake (which contains salt, fish flakes, seeds, and herbs), kelp (known as kombu), bonito flakes, an egg, and sugar.
 |
| Image: “Spicy Char-Siu Onigiri” By Joey: https://www.flickr.com/photos/joo0ey/6658484537 |
- Mitarashi Dango – This is a dessert made of mochi balls in a sweet and salty brown sauce 🍡.
 |
| Image: “File:Mitarashi dango 001.jpg” By Ocdp, Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mitarashi_dango_001.jpg |
- Kappa/Cucumber
- Kakifry – Fried oyster with panko (breadcrumbs) and katsu sauce. Japanese katsu sauce is made with onions, tomatoes, apples, soy sauce, and carrots.
 |
| Image: “Kaki Fry” By Jeanette Schmidt: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lfl/3431805197/ |
- Ikayaki – Grilled squid with ginger 🐙. In general, “yaki” in Japanese means food that is cooked over heat, so dishes that end in “yaki” are grilled, baked, toasted, or roasted.
 |
| Image: “File:Ikayaki (7629347178).jpg” By Suri, Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ikayaki_(7629347178).jpg |
- Gyu Tan Yaki – Grilled beef tongue with lemon and salt 🐮.
- Saba Shioyaki – Grilled mackerel with sea salt 🐟.
- Hamachi Kama – Yellowtail jaw with ponzu or teriyaki sauce. Japanese ponzu sauces are made from citrus fruits or juices like lemons, limes, or oranges. Yuzu is a common Japanese mandarin orange fruit that is used to make ponzu sauce. Other ingredients in ponzu sauce are soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and broth.
 |
| Image: “Hamachi Kama” By Takaokun: https://www.flickr.com/photos/takaokun/3084359046 |
- Hiyayakko – Tofu with ginger soy sauce. In general, tofu has no flavor except what is added to it or the flavor will come from the foods and spices that surround it.
 |
| Image: “File:Hiyayakko with bonito flakes and welsh onion 2.jpg” By Dllu, Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hiyayakko_with_bonito_flakes_and_welsh_onion_2.jpg |
- Ohitashi – Spinach in a ginger soy sauce.
- Goma Ae – Spinach in a sesame sauce.
 |
| Image: “File:Goma-ae salad.jpg” By Alice Seba, Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Goma-ae_salad.jpg |
- Ochazuke – A rice bowl with vegetables that has green tea poured over it 🍚.
 |
| Image: “Ume ochazuke (Tea soup w/Sour Plum)” By Debs (ò‿ó)♪: https://www.flickr.com/photos/littledebbie11/8598879945 |
- Tsukemono/Japanese assorted pickles and pickled vegetables.
 |
| Image: “Tsukemono” By Ruth Hartnup: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruthanddave/2752722839 |
My favorite traditional Japanese dishes to order at Japanese restaurants are shrimp and vegetable tempura 🍤, saba shioyaki/salted mackerel, plum wine 🍷, plum/ume onigiri rice balls 🍘, gyu tan yaki/grilled beef tongue, and tempura ice cream 🍨. Whenever I can find Japanese barbecue restaurants, I always order many beef meats to eat as well.
Three of the most appealing aspects of Japanese cuisine is that it is healthier and it contains fewer calories and less sugar. Japanese food contains fewer additives and has healthier more natural sugars, so it is one of those foods that people who are dieting or weight-conscientious eat more often.
Other people at Satsuma ordered a lot of sushi 🍣, ramen 🍜, beer 🍺, and tempura.
Here is the video vlog of this dinner at Satsuma
Music: “Song: GrillaBeats [Prod. by UNRTHDX] – Sakura” By GrillaBeats [Prod. by UNRTHDX]
