Satsuki — Restaurant in Calgary

Some hits, but also some huge misses which are hard to accept at this price point.

We went to Satsuki to celebrate Mother's day. They had a small set menu including sunomono, 3 pieces of hamachi sashimi, 5 pieces of nigiri, and strawberry mochi. We supplemented this with more sushi and a few a la carte dishes.

The sushi and sashimi were very good, among the best in Calgary. But for $6-$9 per piece of nigiri, it should be. The crab sunomono was also very good, nice balance of acidity and a pleasant way to start the meal.

The curry I could take or leave... Definitely better than boxed Japanese curry, but not life changing.

Dishes that fell flat for us: the hana dumpling which had a really dense chewy skin around a dense pasty filling made for an unpleasant mouthful, the steamed daikon which was unexpectedly crunchy (would've benefited from more cooking), the strawberry mochi was hard (almost crunchy) sticky rice around red bean paste, and one of the two yuzu panna cottas that we ordered was so dense and sticky that it was hard to get the spoon into it (they took this one off the bill for us).

The service started out great, with Jacky welcoming us and explaining everything including their house made pickled ginger and custom blended soy sauce. But once we decided we didn't have enough food and added more, it took about 30 minutes for 2 more dishes.

Lastly, we booked on OpenTable but there was no distinction between bar, high top, and regular tables, so when we got there we were surprised to find that our family of 4 (with a 3 year old and 7 year old) would be seated at the bar.

We spent a little over $300 for 2 adults and 2 kids with...

I really liked this sushi place, the vibe is on, upon walking in you immediately feel calm.

The restaurant is cozy, there are many nice touches such as elegant plating, simple presentation and delicate service.

I loved how when our server showed up they asked if we had been there before, and welcomed us warmly. More points for when we ordered and our waiter came by with the soy sauce and poured it into our dishes for us. (I’ve only had this at a few upscale places not in Calgary so I always notice it. It’s a nice touch)

The only comment on the service that was negative was our server wasn’t super knowledgeable about when the fish comes in from Japan, or what hamachi is, they had to Google it infront of me to be sure. Which while I totally appreciate the effort, i just felt rubbed me the wrong way. That’s why I thought I’d put it here and let you decide if I was just being a grump.

Aside from that barely noticeable service offence, everything was amazing.

The fish was phenomenal, with generous portions. I personally don’t like sushi rolls covered in sauce that hide the elegance of flavour knitted through the layers of intricately paired sashimi, vegetables and rice.

These are not those, these rolls are not buried in sauce and unnecessary toppings.

So the rolls were perfect for me, I got to experience the food and flavour.

I recommend the spicy salmon roll, and the Satsuki roll.

I also highly recommend the OTORO it was quite possibly the best single piece of sashimi...

My girlfriend and I came to Calgary for the first time, and I wanted to take her somewhere special for dinner. After some googling around, I decided the Omakase at Satsuki would be perfect. We love sushi and Japanese cuisine in general, and the omakase sounded like it would be a wonderful experience for us. Our expectations were high (even though the price is very affordable for omakase), and it was beyond anything I could have imagined. The whole staff was incredibly friendly and professional, ensuring the entire experience was above and beyond. They clearly care about every detail, from the house made ginger to the sourcing of the fish, even the water tasted better than it should. The chef explained every dish, the sourcing of the fish, the inspiration behind the courses, etc. It felt like a conversation with people who actually listen and genuinely care about giving you an incredible dining experience. We ended up going back to eat from the regular menu, which was also delicious. The staff remembered us and the things we talked about, which was very nice. Another small detail, they gave us a basket to hold our bags while we ate. Leaving calgary tomorrow, and we're going back as the last stop. My girlfriend and I have decided that we'll make the 8 hour drive sometime in the future just for the omakase experience at Satsuki. Genuinely a dining experience I'll never forget (and will probably never stop telling people about). Thank you to...