SSAW (330 South 3rd St.), a new Japanese restaurant and sake and wine bar, opened this past November in Williamsburg.
The restaurant, which the team calls “intimate” and “welcoming,” has already bonded with North Brooklyn neighbors like Lingo (27 Greenpoint Ave.), who is hosting a collaboration with SSAW’s Chef Yusuke Fukuzaki on March 16. Sadly, this event is already sold out, so locals will have to try Chef Fukuzaki’s cuisine at his home kitchen at SSAW.
SSAW opened as a tasting menu-only restaurant, but two weeks ago, owners Ryo Yamazaki and Chef Fukuzaki decided to add an à la carte menu that is now available on weekdays.
Yamazaki told Greenpointers that the first few months in the neighborhood have been “pretty good” adding that SSAW added the new à la carte options “to get more neighbors to come in.”
Chef Fukuzaki is a Japanese native whose culinary journey began in his family’s restaurant and evolved through training in Michelin-starred kitchens.
At SSAW, he blends traditional Japanese techniques with modern influences, celebrating the essence of each time of year; SSAW is inspired by the four seasons, which lend their first letter to the restaurant’s name.
Chef Fukuzaki’s tasting menu, which is $160 per person, features eight dishes that vary by season. The current menu starts with egg custard, followed by snow crab, kitsune udon, Japanese trout, butter fish, big eye blue fish, and clay pot rice, plus ice cream for dessert.
The new à la carte selections of kaiseki tapas include small plates like assorted pickles and grilled baby corn, dishes like lobster egg custard, duck cheese croquettes, and fried sea bass with sweet vinegar, plus Wagyu teriyaki, the most expensive item at $32. There are also unique flavors of homemade ice cream, like blue cheese with red beans, for $9.
SSAW offers a sake pairing for $120 per person, plus an extensive list of sake by the bottle and glass. The restaurant also offers sparkling, white, orange, rose and red wines by the glass or bottle. The wine list features mostly wines from Europe, but does include a couple from Japan.
SSAW’s à la carte menu is only available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. while the tasting menu is only available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. The tasting menu is reservation only, but walk-ins are welcome Monday through Thursday. (The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays.)