Thu Aug 21 03:59:48 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary of the text and a news article based on it:
**Summary:**
The article is a restaurant review of Katana, a new Japanese izakaya-style restaurant in Bengaluru, India. It is the first venture in the city for Chennai-based restaurateur Sandesh Reddy in collaboration with cookbook author Prasanna Pandarinathan. The review highlights the restaurant’s chic ambiance, sake-focused cocktail menu, and creative small plates, especially the hand rolls, corn custard, hamachi crudo, and beet-cured salmon. While the mains (sushi bowl) are less distinctive, the overall vibe and the quality of the ingredients suggest a promising addition to Bengaluru’s dining scene.
**News Article:**
**Bengaluru Welcomes Katana: A New Izakaya Experience from Chennai Restaurateur**
**Bengaluru, India – August 21, 2025** – Bengaluru’s culinary landscape has a new contender with the arrival of Katana, a Japanese izakaya-style restaurant that officially opened its doors. The venture marks the Bengaluru debut for Chennai-based restaurateur Sandesh Reddy (of Sandy’s, Oji Ramen, and Tokyo Diner fame) who is partnering with cookbook author Prasanna Pandarinathan.
Located in Indiranagar, Katana offers a unique dining experience centered around sake-infused cocktails and innovative small plates. “I’ve always been intrigued by the Bengaluru dining scene,” says Sandesh, “We genuinely wanted to give Bengaluru an honest shot with creating something that was new yet fun.” The restaurant’s aim is to create a sake-led experience, which isn’t possible in Chennai due to regulations.
The restaurant’s chic interior features charcoal walls and a focal-point open kitchen, setting a trendy backdrop for its menu. The sake cocktails, which range from ₹800 to ₹1,200, are a highlight, with twists like the Saketini (sake and shiso syrup) and Zen Garden Smash (cucumber, apple, ginger, honey and sake). A selection of neat sake is also available.
The food menu prioritizes high-quality ingredients and creative dishes. Standout dishes include the crispy hand rolls with Unagi (Japanese Eel), the corn custard on Japanese crackers, Hamachi crudo with a miso emulsion, and the Beet cured salmon with a tiger’s milk emulsion. Main dishes include noodle and rice bowls.
Early reviews suggest Katana is a promising addition to Bengaluru’s dining scene, praised for its cool vibe, creative menu and high-quality ingredients. Katana is open for dinner only, starting at 6 PM.
First Piper 