Susumu lives up to its dining reputation

Published 8:48 am Thursday, February 28, 2008

Upon first glance of Susumu’s dinner menu, I was shocked. Meal prices start at about $15 and went into the $30 range. But after the first few bites, my shock turned tepid.

Susumu is probably best known for its “teppan yaki,” which, according to its website, means “cooking on a sheet of iron” in Japanese. This definition is right-on: if you order from the teppan menu, your meal will be cooked on a large iron skillet in the middle of the restaurant, or for larger tables, a teppan chef comes right to your table to cook your food.

My guest and I opted to start with a sushi combo for an appetizer and the hibachi shrimp teppan, which was served with a small dinner salad, chicken soup, mixed vegetables and fried rice.

While our teppan was being cooked, we were served an assortment of sushi with fresh ginger and hot wasabi mustard. As a sushi fanatic, I was thrilled to see the wooden block brimming with fresh salmon, shrimp, tuna and other fish-topped sushi. I could have easily been satisfied to order a second round of sushi to finish off the meal, but as I considered changing our order, out came our soup, salad and sizzling teppan.

The chicken soup was outstanding. Prepared in a miso style broth with just a hint of chicken bouillon, the soup was light and refreshing — a perfect intermission between the sushi and the teppan.

Fresh off the iron skillet, our shrimp teppan and mixed vegetables came dressed in a delicious, light sauce. While some Japanese food I’ve had has been too salty for my soy-sauce loathing taste buds, the teppan was spiced just right, letting the flavors of both the shrimp and the vegetables come through. The fried rice, neither too salty nor too oily, served as a fantastic accompaniment to the teppan.

All in all, Susumu was a lot of fun. And while the menu is a bit pricey, it will certainly stay on my list of special occasion restaurants.