Satori
SEEKING ENLIGHTENMENT
My experience of Japanese food is almost entirely derived from two visits to Wagamama, one teppanyaki meal and a short-lived fascination with Yo Sushi. I’m no good with chopsticks either.
But with Japanese influences now very much in vogue in the city’s top restaurants, it feels like the stars have aligned with Satori opening in Moseley… and with the promise of fine dining too. I’ve already decided I’m having the ten-course tasting menu, aiming for the biggest exposure possible; I’ve got some catching up to do.
Satori is the latest of the Opal Group of bars and restaurants; now with 20-ish sites across Birmingham and Solihull, including The Mayan (Mexican), Qavali / Baloci (Indo Persian) and Kabuli (Afghan). Whilst clearly not unified by cuisine; the obvious common demoninator is aesthetics and a polished customer experience. Well, that and the marketing hyperbole.
Dining room
News that they’ve pulled their tasting menu for the time being puts me in a spin, although the a la carte side of things is surprisingly a checklist of familiarity with plenty of crowd pleasers too. As for the dining room, it’s both striking and very easy on the eye, with—previous incumbent—Carter’s décor largely untouched, apart from a huge painted golden dragon that runs the entire length of the restaurant.
Amuse bouche
Service is efficient and we’re soon up and running with a sakizuke—Japanese amuse bouche—and it’s a dense, cheesy-garlic dumpling, dusted with house seven-spice, served with the stiff kiss of sea spray that’s nori.
I’d have had some sashimi/sushi, but there’s no information other than ‘salmon’ or ‘tuna’ etc; I want to know at least the part of the fish and, hopefully, its provenance. Instead, we’ve gone for the California roll, topped with a small pile of dressed white crab. Ingredients-wise it’s as expected, although they look like we’ve made them ourselves at a sushi workshop.
California roll
The waiter arrives with our bottle of Riesling to top us up—in the fine dining style—and I’m startled to notice it’s a breakfast wine at just 8.5% although easy drinking if not a little too ‘off-dry’. By the end of the meal, we’ve also ordered two glasses of Chenin Blanc, that’s an ordinary version of the grape, at best.
Chicken karaage
We’ve ordered two small plates to share and the karaage is right on the money—deep fried, skin-on nugget-sized pieces of chicken thigh fillets—with a yuzu-citrus mayo and stuffed with tobiko (flying fish roe) for a subtle sea-salty hit, before I dunk them into a bowl of caramel sauce. There’s also crunch from tapioca pearl crackers and it’s a grin-inducer of a dish.
Not so crispy fried squid
But, just as our expectations are raised, the ‘crispy fried’ squid served with a jalapeno-lite dip are anaemic and undercooked, creating a pancake-style batter, with little of the stated crispness.
Miso Black Cod
My miso black cod fillet sits on top of ‘stewed’ pak choi, in a puddle of a loose sake butter sauce. It’s underwhelming on the palate although that does leave it clear to appreciate the subtle buttery flavour of the black cod (sablefish) with its silky texture.
A5 Wyndford Wagyu
Across the table there are two Wyndford A5 Wagyu skewers cooked medium rare. For both texture and flavour, it’s without doubt the best beef I’ve put in my mouth for a long time.
Petit fours
We’re brought petit fours with the bill of £158.98 including a 10% discount, as it’s their first week (Drinks £44.10 / Food £97.20 / Service £17.68).
It’s been a fine dining experience in terms of the structure and service, but I can’t say the same about the food. That said, if you go without elevated expectations, given its price point and the seductive ambience, you could easily think it’s perfectly fine.
WORTH A TRY 7/10
2c St. Mary’s Row, Moseley, Birmingham B13 9EZ
