Katana, located in West Hollywood, California, gives guests a dynamic dining experience with modern sushi and authentic “robatayaki” made with the finest prepared ingredients. The upscale, casual Japanese tapas style restaurant has a fancy, yet creative ambiance with a sleek vibe, reminiscent of a castle in France on its exterior.
Along with its alluring dining room and sushi bar here are three kitchens — the Robata Bar, Sushi Bar, and back kitchen. The patio area overlooks the historic Sunset Strip.
Katana serves their Japanese cuisine in a seductive setting, highlighted with elements like a live DJ and dramatic candlelight.
Here are some of our opinions on a few of Katana’s menu items from our last visit:
Hamachi Diced – yellowtail sashimi with diced chilies
Japanese Yellowtail has a fresh kick with the diced chilies that pack a zesty pungent punch. It’s a refreshing cilantro emblazoned soy sauce smothered across the fresh yellowtail.
Hanabi – Pan-fried Sautee spicy tuna with crispy rice lightly drizzled with scallions
It is lightly seared with a crunchy mildly chewy Bottom. The spicy tuna melts on top and the scallions are unnoticeable. They add a tangy flavor to the mix as it melts then is immediately followed by a chewy crunch from the crispy rice.
Salmon carpaccio with truffle soy
It has a fresh-from-the-sea flavor. The truffle soy is rich, but not too heavy, which offloads the tangy flavoring of the salmon. It’ll leave you dreaming of bright red-orange sunsets as you bask in the red-orange dish.
Ebi Bacon
A jumbo shrimp wrapped with bacon in chili garlic Sauce, clashes between and Western, Japanese infused twist. There’s a Barbeque drizzle at the end that infuses a salty marinade with the bacon wrap. It’s a pleasant clash following the heavier seafood.
Lambchop marinated in garlic sauce with a side of mashed potato.
It’s drizzled lightly with scallions, sugar, and soy that carries a lighter weight in the stomach. It’s fluffy and feels like a pillow entering your stomach. The lamb is an easy bite off the bone. It’s ripe and tender with a soy-marinade taste. It has a sizzling salty taste with a melt-in-your-mouth savory taste.
Kani Maki – creamy baked crab wrapped in soy paper with a nice buttery filling.
The hand roll has a filling texture perfect for one person. It capsized our experience with a heavenly filling. You float on a cloud with every bite.
Tuna Jalapeño Roll
The Tuna was flown from Japan and served on our platter same day. It has a serrano kick but clears the esophagus with the cilantro blend. He Tuna was succulent, derived over 24 hours ago.
Sizzling shrimp and scallops with ponzu truffle chimichurri
It has a sleek, refined taste for the pallet. Has the perfect amount of salt and savory texture to add to the truffle. It has a pleasant, lingering taste, leaving us wanting more. The ponzu truffle leaves a drizzled zesty decadent packed with a suitable palate made for kings and queens. It left us satisfied entering dessert.
Sunset Heat: Patron silver tequila, fresh watermelon, serrano chili, lime, and agave
It’s very well balanced, but the drink is dangerous. You don’t taste the tequila. It is slightly tangy and spicy from the pepper, but sweet and savory from the watermelon and agave. With a proper blend of flavors, the drink can easily be confused with a watermelon mixer. Be extra careful.
Kentucky Tea – wild turkey honey whiskey, Fresh Mint, Lemon and Oolong Tea
For a whiskey, it’s a light drink lavishly emboldened with a sweet, savory honeysuckle. It’s a vortex concoction that’ll remind you of sunsets.
For more information, visit the Katana website.
Images courtesy of Innovative Dining Group.