Saying that Mark is a sushi lover is a total understatement. He ~~loves~~ adores sushi more than he loves me. Haha! Kidding aside, I already expected how Mark would be enticed of the thought of a sushi date night, so I immediately confirmed when I got an invite from Katana.

We were invited to sample their newest offering every Wednesday which they fondly call Bubbles, Bites & Beats. The idea is plain and simple. Every Wednesday night, you get to enjoy glasses of bubbles at AED 20 each while matching it with Japanese bites (ala carte menu at 25% off) with uplifting beats on the background. How about that?

We were served with glasses of cold Canadian bubbly along with Salmon and Tuna Sashimi the moment we settled on our seats. If you have been reading my blog or following me on Instagram, I have confessed how I'm not quite a fan of fish in general, let alone raw fish. But the gorgeous plating of the sashimi got me. I'm still not a fan, but I found the tuna sashimi more bearable than the salmon. Mark on the other hand finished it all off!

Canadian bubbly and sashimi from last night's launch of Bubbly, Bites, and Beats at @katanadubai • Enjoy glasses of bubbly at AED 20 each matched with #Japanese bites like sushi, sashimi, and robata (25% off) plus some uplifting beats every Wednesday! #KatanaDubai #zomato #zomatouae

A photo posted by Kriska Marie | Sweet Nothings (@kriskamarie) on Sep 29, 2016 at 12:22am PDT

Garden Salad, Salmon Carpaccio, and Hamachi Diced Chilli were served for the entrées. Both of the fish dishes didn't appeal to me, just because I still haven't gotten my palates accustomed to raw fish, but if I were to choose between the two, I'd prefer the sweet, tangy, and spicy taste of the hamachi. Mark definitely loved both of them!

Salmon Carpaccio - salmon sashimi topped with shimeji mushrooms,
feta cheese, red capsicum, edible kiko flowers, and daikon leaves

Hamachi Diced Chili - yellowtail fish wish red capsicum, ginger
and spring onions in a pool of ponzu sauce

Simple and unassuming as it may seem, the Garden Salad was a hit for me. The baby mixed greens were fresh and nutty and went perfectly well with the soy-ginger vinaigrette. While Mark was enjoying the two fish dishes, I sneaked and had this bowl all to myself. Yay!

Garden Salad - baby mixed greens with soy-ginger vinaigrette

Along with the second round of bubbly, the robata and sushi were served. Mark had the Katana Maki all to himself because I begged off since, although there's tempura and spicy tuna inside, it had raw fish on top. :p Judging from how fast Mark wiped the sushi plate out, I can definitely say that it was good!

Sushi and Robata

Katana Maki - shrimp, salmon, and tuna maki

The robata plate included three kinds of robata—Sea Bass with yakitori sauce, Ebi (shrimp) with tarragon butter, and Negima (chicken and scallions) with yakitori sauce. The sea bass was a little too mushy making it the least of my favorites among the three. The chicken was good too I loved the char-grilled flavor but I would have to give it up for the shrimps! Too bad it only came in a single stick. :p

I'm in love with these sea bass, ebi, and negima robata from @katanadubai! Robatayaki, or simply robata, refers to a method of cooking in #Japanese cuisine, similar to barbecue, wherein food on skewers are grilled over hot charcoal. • Enjoy glasses of bubbly at AED 20 each matched with #Japanese bites like sushi, sashimi, and robata (25% off) plus some uplifting beats every Wednesday in #KatanaDubai's Bubbles, Bites, ad Beats! #zomato #zomatouae

A photo posted by Kriska Marie | Sweet Nothings (@kriskamarie) on Sep 30, 2016 at 3:29am PDT

The elegantly crafted Japanese dishes were concluded by a choice of refreshing and light Mandarin, Lime, or Lychee sorbet. Mark chose the lime while I had the lychee. I was still enjoying my bubbly when the desserts arrived. After I took photos, Mark started to dig in. It was kind of hard to tell which is which as both looked identical.

The lychee flavor was not evident that Mark almost finished the sorbet thinking it was lime. He only confirmed that it wasn't when he finally got to try the one on my side, right when he almost devoured the whole lychee sorbet. It would have been fine for me to have the lime instead if it wasn't a tad too acidic with a bitter aftertaste. The crispy crepe-like spirals with black sesame seeds were good though.

Lime and Lychee Sorbet

While I enjoyed the bubbles and beats, there's no denying that Mark enjoyed the bites. :p I also fell in love with the romantic ambience, dim lighting, an ample and comfortable seating area, a separate bar section, and a lovely view of the Burj Khalifa.

This dreamy chandelier is such a visual treat!

I admittedly thought that Katana is just one of the same old Japanese restaurants within Dubai. But what makes it stand out is how Katana, being a robata and sushi bar, was able to combine Japanese traditions with modern flair.

Robatayaki, or simply robata, refers to a method of cooking in#Japanese cuisine,

similar to barbecue, wherein food on skewers are grilled over hot charcoal.

With affordable bubbly and bites coupled with uplifting beats and a romantic ambience at Katana Dubai, you now have an excuse to inject another level of fun into a stylish night out with the girls, a fizz-fueled after work celebration, or a playful dinner date for two even on a week night!

Enjoy glasses of bubbles and match it with Japanese bites and uplifting beats! Tweet

KATANA DUBAI

Lakeside, The Promenade
The Address Downtown Dubai
Downtown Dubai, Dubai
United Arab Emirates
+971 (0)4 277 8808
*Table booking recommended.

We were guests at Katana and our meal was complimentary, but as always, this post is sincerely written and all views and opinions are my own.

All photos were taken with iPhone 6s Plus.