You know what I love about Japanese food the most? The fact that you can taste every element of the dish. I was invited to review Katana’s Red Sun brunch over the weekend and was treated to just that. Katana is located at the bottom of The Address Downtown Hotel and overlooks the fountain and Burj Khalifa.
So epic views, check. The DJ spun some very classy jazz music and I found myself thoroughly enjoying myself as the courses were brought out.
We started our brunch with a white sangria which had fish-shaped iced watermelon in it. As F.C. pointed out, Sangria is ‘sang’ria for a reason. Wasn’t a fan. But they did have a delicious mandarin cocktail.
For our starters, they had sea salt edamame, garden salad in a soy vinaigrette, salmon carpaccio with feta cheese, shimeji mushrooms and salmon, purple potato, lotus root, seaweed and sweet potato crisps teamed with a delicious, creamy avocado puree and a moriawase tempura.
I couldn’t fault any of these, as each of these dishes were so fresh, you could taste it with every bite. The unique take on salmon carpaccio truly ‘wow’ed me, bringing in an Italian flair to an otherwise quite Japanese brunch. Even the simple garden salad was very delicately dressed with an excellent vinaigrette.
We were kindly informed after the first round of starters, that we could try out their selection of premium sakes for AED 100 per drink.
We then moved on to our Robata. We were offered these mini grills of beef, chicken, salmon, tiger prawns and buttered corn with corresponding dipping sauces. Delicious and just in the right quantity.
What I really like about this brunch the most is that they don’t make it until you ask for it and the service is super fast and efficient. Love the Japanese way!
We then moved on to the sushi platter and thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it, including the interesting ebi jalapeño – a rock shrimp sushi roll with jalapeños. It was all served very impressively on a type of sushi boat.
By then, F.C. and I started to feel quite full, but we pressed on to the hot food. It was again, a robust combination of beef, chicken, veggies and rice. Out of this, I thoroughly enjoyed the short ribs in Asian marinade (yakiniku) ; which I devoured almost the whole of. Luckily, F.C. doesn’t like the cut and left me alone to my gluttony. The sautéed green beans with garlic sauce impressed the two of us as well.
On to my favourite part, dessert. Katana’s dessert platter was decadently arranged in a bouquet and I completely devoured the mango tofu yuzu cheesecake. I only just got introduced to yuzu, and I love that sharp flavour through and through. I also enjoyed the lychee and mandarin sorbets. Since I’m not a fan of matcha tea flavours besides just plain matcha tea, the macarons and green tea sesame roll cake was lost on me. I did enjoy the coconut macaron though.
I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon with F.C. at this brunch, considering the fact that there were no drunk people falling over us and the music wasn’t loud enough for us to be yelling at each other and yet very enjoyable. A class act, this.
LOCATION:
Costs: Based on a minimum of two sharing. AED 295 (soft drinks), AED 395 (house beverages & bubbly)
Update: This restaurant is now closed as of May 6, 2022.
I have been to this restaurant. I literally love this place and the food they serve. Thanks for sharing.