Satsuma Shochu Dining Bar

Awesome yakitori place that’s hidden in Gallery Hotel. Kinda hard to find (even the hotel staff directed me to a wrong place) but it’s worth «treasure hunting» as I think this place is a hidden gem.
A reservation is required so do plan in advance and make sure you do try all kinds of weird/​exotic meat/​parts :)
I highly recommend it

For fans of Kazu Sumiyaki, this is a great alternative. It has a more upmarket ambience but the prices are fairly down to earth, too good to be true, right? But it’s true!
We ordered a horse mackerel fish for sashimi which is served whole and an uni sashimi too. They will deep fry the horse mackerel after we are done with the slices of meat. These fresh produce are flown in within the week.
We also ordered some chicken yakitori such as chicken heart, chicken neck and chicken tail (min order is 2 sticks each so we can’t order a greater variety else we will roll out of the restaurant).
Lastly, we ended the meal with cold soba and I have requested that it not be over cooked but served al dente. The last round we were here, it was over cooked but we shall see.
The sake and Shochu selection here is also good for the bibulous.
Overall, I would rate the food as good but, Kazu still has the edge. The price is also similar to what you would expect to pay at Kazu but the ambience and crowd here are certainly more upmarket. Unlike Kazu, I can always get a seating here on a same day reservation whilst you have to reserve in advance at Kazu.

We came to this cute little izakaya to start off one of my best friend’s hen nights.
My favourite dishes were: the best chicken karaage I’ve had in years, and the tofu with spicy cod roe was to die for. Other delicious items include the mushroom stuffed with minced chicken skewers, grilled gingko nuts, chicken & leek skewers, salmon-​wrapped bacon skewers, and the pork belly with shochu curry stew. The oyster omelette was the only letdown dish, which is sad because I ordered it (craving oh-​luak).
For dessert, the black sesame gelato and candied sweet potato were both very good.
I would definitely come here again for another special occasion!

Satsuma Shochu Dining Bar — Fantastic Food
Satsuma Shochu Dining Bar is an izakaya* with more than 100 labels of of shochu** by the glass. Located on the premises of The Gallery Hotel at Robertson Quay, there are two seating options. On the first level, you will have a more casual and relaxing dining environment and be seated on tatami, while the second floor offer more formal dining environment with table and chairs.
The décor of the restaurant is very casual, which is normal for izakaya type dining establishment, as in Japan. The most catchy decoration is the stack and stack of shochu bottles on offer.
As the little devil and I are unable to consume alcohol at the moment, we stick with the food. While our two other dining companion, decided on take on the shochu. Their food are served in a small portion, which is more to accompany the drinks.
Yellow Tail with Truffle Oil Dressing ($ 25) and Chicken Skin mixed with Cod Roe ($ 10) are our starters. The yellow tail is fresh with subtle sweetness, and the truffle oil dressing gives the taste another dimension. The Chicken skin salad is really an indulgence for chicken skin lover like myself, crispy deep fried chicken skins combine with fresh cucumber and coe roe to make you feel less guilty when you enjoy the yummyynesss!!!
For Kushiyaki — Grill items comes in a pair, we ordered: pork belly ($ 7), cheese rolled with pork ($ 5), asparagus rolled with pork ($ 7), quail eggs wrapped with pork ($ 6), ox tongue ($ 9), goose liver ($ 13), prawn with basil leaves and pork ($ 13), prawn with sweet miso sauce ($ 18), meat bar serve with raw egg ($ 6), Squid ($ 9), Sishamo (pregnant fish — $ 6), mushroom stuffed with mince chicken ($ 6).
Most of the grill items are grilled to perfection. However, there are some items that you should not miss out on when you are here. Goose Liver, crispy charred on the outside and melting soft on the inside. Prawn with miso sauce, fresh, tender juicy prawns topped with miso. Of course my favourite, pork belly; crispy, tender and juicy.
In case the petite dishes do not fill up your tummy, you can try their zaru soba ($ 12) and oyster omelette ($ 15). The soba is nicely al dante, while the omlette is generous in serving with tasty soy gravy.
For the sweet tooth, you can try their Candied sweet potato ($ 10). Deep fried sweet potato, coated with liquid sugar. To satisfy those deserts cravings. Recommend serving for 2.
Service is very attentive and good. The grill stuff might come a bit slow when the place is packed.
Overall, this place serve excellent authentic Kushiyaki to accompany the shochu. It is a good place to catch up with friends or entertain your clients. The best part, you can eat grill food and come out from the restaurant without smelling like the food itself. Cheers!
Food & Drink: 8.5÷10
Value: ⁷⁄₁₀
Service: ⁸⁄₁₀
Ambiance: ⁸⁄₁₀.
*** If you want to check out the complete review with pictures, please click on my food blog. The link is on my profile page

Our failed quest for Okinawa food at Mimigar led us to this dark and rather nostalgic izakaya called Satsuma Shochu, which is of course known for its shochu (a distilled alcoholic beverage made of sweet potato, rice, barley, etc). It brands itself as the first and only shochu specialty restaurant in Singapore. The menu is a fuss free booklet with no pictures and the items are extensive for an izakaya.
Once settled down, the vegetables stick bowl with saikyo miso (sweet miso) was served which would have been rejected if we had known each had a hefty price tag of $ 5.
But if we were to ignore this, all of the food here were exceptionally satisfying and it was not surprising that the place is yet another one with numerous good reviews and recommendations.
For instance, something which is unlikely to be served at an izakaya will be this Spicy Mentaiko Spaghetti ($ 15) as the cream is not overpoweringly rich and there is an aftertaste of spice from the Mentaiko

The missus and I have a penchant for Gallery Hotel. It’s one of our favourite places in Singapore for their array of Japanese restaurants and Satsuma is one of them.
Satsuma comes in 2 floors and when we visited it, the ground floor was full so we were shown to the second floor. While the ground floor seating is on tatami, the second floor offers a different seating with proper table and chairs but still dark, intimate and cozy. Definitely the place to go for a romantic dinner with the missus or just a nice chill out place with a few friends. Of course as with most establishments at Gallery Hotel, you can expect most of the chatter to be in Japanese! It reminds me of shochu bars in Japan so if you’re into authentic experiences then this is the place to go.
The shochu selection is of course delightful. The prices are not cheap but it’s alcohol in a upmarket shochu bar so this is to be expected. We ordered our usual alcohol side dish — edamame — but satsuma serves complimentary raw salad too. It was quite refreshing, both in taste and dining experience. We seldom encounter raw vegetable sticks and cabbage with a nice tangy dip at Japanese restaurants. All in all, it’s a place well worth visiting again if your budget allows