This new pan Asian restaurant in Bengaluru is perfect for your next leisurely lunch

Yazu is everything you want a pan Asian restaurant to be. An extensive menu spanning sushi, ramen noodles and Thai curries, fun Asian-inspired cocktails, and a laid-back vibe. Add a great location and ample parking to the mix, and it is an easy choice. After outlets in cities like Mumbai and Goa, the brand has now opened in Bengaluru.

Sake shiawase
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Special arrangement

Yazu Pan Asian Supper Club is located in Marks Square, the mall on St Mark’s Road. The mall has a few other restaurants but is not fully operational yet. I take a seat overlooking the busy street. The food menu is 17 pages with options ranging from tiradito, Peruvian sashimi, to Asian pizzas. All dishes that you can club under the umbrella of Asian cuisine are available here. They also have a special kitty set menu, designed for kitty parties, priced at ₹1,145 per person.

Thai herbs quinoa dumpling
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Special arrangement

Shiitake coffee and tom yum cocktails

The cocktail menu is creative. I try the Tomm Yummm cocktail, made with a clarified tom yum broth, gin, lime leaf, lemongrass and galangal. It took me straight to Thailand with the fresh flavours. Another fun drink is the Umami Cloud, made with shiitake coffee fat-washed whisky.

Chef Tenzin Khetsok introduces me to the dishes, and we start the meal with a cheung fun, a Cantonese dish made of rice noodle rolls. You can pick your fillings of mushrooms, chicken or prawns. I try the crispy version that is stuffed with mushroom and water chestnuts. The dish is delicate yet crunchy.

Miso ramen bowl
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Special arrangement

On the grills

One of the highlights of the menu at Yazu is the robatayaki section. Robatayaki is a Japanese charcoal grilling technique. Hokkaido scallops, Australian lamb chops and butabara pork belly are the signatures. Vegetarians can try the grilled portobello mushroom in a Teriyaki glaze.

For mains, one can pick a Japanese katsu curry, buff bulgogi, grilled unagi, or a kimchi jjigae stew. I go for something familiar yet new, Yazu charcoal noodles tossed with paprika sauce. The noodles are black and topped with crunchy veggies like beans and bell peppers. The sauce has a mild kick to it.

I end the meal with a pretty salted caramel tart.

Yazu is not doing anything new with its format, but is doing what it promises well. Next on the horizon from the group is Yazu Galle, and Yazu Colombo, with Kico in Bengaluru.

₹2,500 for two. Open for lunch and dinner. At Marks Square, St Mark’s Road, Bengaluru. For more details call 7411994448