Katana, a chic new izakaya in Bengaluru, is dishing out sake-led cocktails and Japanese small plates

It is a rainy Bengaluru evening when I park my car and walk into Katana. The vibe is chic and welcoming. The dimly lit restaurant has charcoal walls, and the focus is the open kitchen that lies in the heart of it. The art on the wall is screaming Japanese cool. The 45-seater is compact but feels cosy. Katana is the latest venture by Chennai-based restaurateur Sandesh Reddy (Sandy’s, Oji Ramen, and Tokyo Diner) and cookbook author Prasanna Pandarinathan. This unique collaboration was born out of a love for the casual Japanese izakaya style dining.

This marks Sandesh’s first foray into the city. “I’ve always been intrigued by the Bengaluru dining scene. We did not want to just transplant our existing formats into the city. We genuinely wanted to give Bengaluru an honest shot with creating something that was new yet fun. I love Japanese food and this seemed like a great space to create a sake-led dining experience which cannot be possible in Chennai given the regulations,” says Sandesh.

For the sake of it

Sake is Japan’s staple beverage. Made with fermented rice it has a light sweet finish. At Katana, classic cocktails get a Japanese twist. The saketini is made with sake and shiso syrup. Shiso is a Japanese perilla leaf; this herby flavour with the crisp sake is a winner. It comes with customary skewered olives. The Zen garden smash has cucumber, apples, ginger, honey and sake. This one is refreshing and fruity. You can also have neat sake, from brands such as Gekkeikan Daiginjo and Sawanotsuru. The cocktails are priced steeply (between ₹800 to ₹1,200) but if you are a fan of sake creations it is worth it.

Handheld sushi rolls
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Special arrangement

The two-page food menu is short and sweet and the focus is on the ingredients. We start with a crab stick salad, that has a sesame-forward dressing. It is fresh and creamy. The crunchy hand rolls are single serve sushi rolls. We try the unagi (Japanese eel) roll. Unlike a usual roll, the outside nori sheet is deep fried. Not only does this add a crisp layer, but it also means the handheld roll does not fall apart when I bite into it. The eel is fresh and marinated in umami flavours.

What is tiger’s milk, anyway?

It is the small plates, both cold and hot, where the team’s creativity really shines. Corn custard on Japanese crackers is a unique creation. A creamy corn paste served on top of a crunchy cracker — a textural delight. The hamachi crudo, thinly sliced raw young yellowtail fish, is served with a miso emulsion. The fish is fresh, and the miso sauce has deep flavours. The beet cured salmon (or watermelon for the vegetarians) with tiger’s milk emulsion is a visual delight. The emulsion is a sauce made of buttermilk and a bright green herby oil. The sauce is nutty and sour, and the buttery salmon is a pleasant contrast.

Beet cured salmon with tiger’s milk emulsion
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Special arrangement

Mains offer noodles and rice bowls. I try a sushi bowl with rice, avocado and salmon. Tasty, but nothing very unique. The dessert is not on the menu yet, but we are presented with a matcha tiramisu. A little too sweet for me, but on trend for the current matcha craze.

With years of experience behind him Sandesh beings a finesse and style to the restaurant. It is the cool vibe of the place that will make me return.

₹4,000 for two. At Indiranagar. Open for dinner only, 6 PM onwards. For more details call 080 48521098