Katana — Restaurant in Township of Langley

Katana

Location: 19957 Willowbrook Dr, Langley, BC V2Y 1A7

Upon entering the restaurant, we were promptly greeted by the hostess, who exuded warmth and professionalism. We were seated immediately, setting a positive tone for the rest of our dining experience.

Food:

As a starter, we were served a small plate of salad accompanied by miso soup. While the salad was decent, without any standout qualities, the miso soup was flavorful and well-prepared, providing a comforting beginning to our meal.

Appetizer:

Ebi Chili Mayo Deep-fried king-size tiger prawns served with a special chili mayo, topped with corn chips.

The Ebi Chili Mayo appetizer was particularly impressive. The crispiness of the prawns, combined with the rich and tangy chili mayo, created a harmonious balance of texture and flavor. The prawns were generously sized and cooked to perfection. This dish is highly recommended for those seeking a flavorful and satisfying appetizer.

Rating: 9/10

For the main course, we opted for The Ultimate Dinner, which featured a giant lobster tail, filet mignon steak, shrimp, and scallops.

The portion of rice served initially was generous, a notable difference from other establishments. The filet mignon steak was undoubtedly the highlight of the meal—cooked to a perfect rare as requested, it was tender, well-seasoned, and delectable. The scallops were also commendable, with a beautiful golden-brown sear and a delicate taste. The shrimp and lobster were equally well-prepared, with a good balance of seasoning that enhanced their natural flavors. The accompanying vegetables were fresh and well-cooked, rounding out the dish nicely.

Rating: 9/10

Chef:

Our teppanyaki chef was exceptionally friendly and engaging, adding a personal touch to the meal. While the performance followed the typical teppanyaki format, he did manage to surprise us with an unexpected trick, which was a pleasant addition to the experience. Overall, his skill and demeanor contributed positively to the meal.

Service:

The service throughout our visit was outstanding. Our waitress was attentive, courteous, and ensured that our needs were met promptly. Her professionalism and friendliness greatly enhanced our dining experience.

Rating: 9/10

Ambiance:

The ambiance of the restaurant, while generally acceptable, would benefit from some modernization and upgrades. While it was adequate for the meal, it lacked the refinement one might expect from a venue of this caliber.

Rating: 6/10

Price: The pricing was reasonable, given the high quality of ingredients and the entertainment value provided by the teppanyaki chef. The combination of visual spectacle and culinary expertise justifies the cost, making it a worthwhile experience.

Verdict:

Despite the need for some improvements in ambiance, Katana excels in delivering high-quality food and exceptional service. The overall dining experience was enjoyable, and I look forward to returning in the future. This restaurant is certainly worth a visit for those seeking a memorable...

I went back and forth on whether I wanted to leave this review but I figured I would in case any large groups were planning on attending for a special occasion. It all started when I called to make reservations for my birthday. I initially made reservations for 15 people and the lady on the other end of the phone sounded annoyed that it was for a large group. She notified me that they had a policy of no more than 1.5hrs for guests to eat and leave, which I understand if the place is really busy and they need to turn over tables to new guests quickly, but even the Keg will have some leeway, especially if we are spending money and not just sitting around. She said she only had 8pm available, which was too late so i asked for 5pm and thankfully they could "accommodate". She also asked for me to confirm any changes and i said absolutely. A few days later, I had more people confirm so I called back to change my reservation to 19 people. The man on the other line said ok and he would update the reservation. So on the day of, I received a phone call, reconfirming my reservation, which i was happy to do. When I arrived, the waitresses weren't the most friendly when seating us, and mentioned the 15 person reservation, I advised that no, I had called to change it to 19, they tried to sit two random people at the one side of our tables but I had to ask the staff to move them to make room for two people who were running a few minutes behind (because they have a baby and got caught up), but all other 17 people were on time, ready to eat and drink. The chefs were great. Food, for what we paid was subpar, cooked well but no taste to it. For roughly $50 a plate, it would be nice to have flavorful food. Then they left us to eat, not checking if we needed anything else before bills were handed out and we had to go up to the front to pay. On their website, there is mention under the "pineapple boat" to let them know about celebrating special events like bdays and anniversaries because you'll get a special photo, these photos are plastered all over the walls. My party was not offered this, I wasn't even offered so much of a happy birthday unfortunately. I'm lucky enough that just having my friends and family there to celebrate with me was enough but I'm embarrassed that I booked a place that seemed to not appreciate the business, nor care enough to go a bit of the extra mile to make their guests day special. I ended up walking over to sammy j peppers for a glass of wine and even they gave me a free dessert and the waitress was so sweet. My advice, after spending many birthdays at the Kobe steakhouse downtown, do yourself a favor and make the trip down there. The service and food has always been...

First of all, for the price point the service needs to be a lot better. Servers were not great and did not come around to ask for refills or more drink orders. They weren’t rude but weren’t friendly either. The cook’s showmanship and tricks were mediocre at best, a little bit of banging and spinning his cooking utensils to start and then 1 onion volcanoe that took him a while to stack and get going. No personality or engagement with the customers, this is teppenyaki, part of what we pay for is the entertainment of the chef.

On to the food… I ordered chicken karage to start as we waited for the rest of the party to arrive. I don’t know what they consider karage to be but it was a plate of soft pan fried cubed chicken bites that looked like something my teenage child would make at home. Chicken karage should be a Japanese fried chicken with texture and crunch from the batter, not small soft pan fried pieces of chicken, it was not good at all and I returned it. I ordered the ultimate teppenyaki which was filet mignon, lobster tail, scallops, and shrimp. Overall it was good but not spectacular, and when the price point is $93 I would expect better. The fried rice was subpar, and the 2 sauces that were served to accompany the meats, seafood, and veggies were just ok. Osaka includes chicken in their ultimate, is slightly cheaper and much better overall. Kobe and Osaka in Vancouver are far superior to Katana in Langley, especially considering you aren’t saving any money here. There’s also absolutely no atmosphere and the decor is need of a face lift.

One of the most surprising things I found was that they don’t give you chopsticks, they only give you a fork, and when we asked for chopsticks we were giving the cheap take out chopsticks, which work fine, but if I’m paying $50-$100 for teppenyaki I would expect you to have proper in house chopsticks. They also only had 2 or 3 options for Sake which the server knew absolutely nothing about, I would expect a lot more from a teppenyaki restaurant. Anyone that believes this place is great clearly hasn’t been anywhere else or experienced real authentic teppenyaki. I would never come back and could have much more enjoyable meals for $50-$100 a plate. This place feels like an express teppenyaki that should be in the $30-$40 range, like something you’d find at a 3-star all inclusive in Mexico. I won’t say I hated it, but it was very mediocre and not worth the price at all. Go to Kobe or Osaka if you...