Roka

chrisp

Roking 13th July 2009

3 found this helpful

Roka is a Robata-yaki restaurant. No, I didn't know what it meant either - it turns out that it stands for the large charcoal grill in the centre of the room - the Robata - and the food cooked on it. Sort of a Japanese barbecue pit, only with sushi on the side instead of cornbread and grits, it attracted my interest because there's very few things I won't eat that have been cooked on a charcoal grill (to be fair, there are very few things I won't eat full stop, except perhaps raw rabbit brains, which is a shame because I'm apparently going to be served them in El Bulli in September... wish me luck).

We began with the obligitory bowl of edamame, which were a very good example of their kind - in fact probably the best I've had. Buttery and moist inside, salted evenly throughout and packed with flavour. Super.

Next arrived a very attractive plate of sashimi, with the even slices of raw fish arranged around a spectacular mountain of solid ice. The fish itself was fine - no more but certainly no less tasty than that I've had elsewhere - but it was the presentation that won here. Maybe that's the point of sashimi after all.

Next began arriving the hot dishes. My least favourite was first - a tray of grilled aubergine. It occurred to me as I was working my way through the soggy pieces of vegetable that perhaps I just don't like aubergine, and indeed I can't think of many times I've really been wowed by what is essentially a big tasteless bag of mushy grey flesh. Perhaps one day I'll be proved wrong, but in the meantime, I Don't Like Aubergine. There, I've said it.

Then, to save the day, a great dish of grilled chicken wings, coated I think in some sort of honey and soy sauce and sesame seeds, and a little wooden spoon of sea salt by the side. There was nothing subtle about the flavours here, but the crispy sugar from the honey, the sea salt and the chicken fat combined to produce a wonderful feast for every part of your palette. This was food from heaven's own barbecue - bold and brilliant.

And then, as if that wasn't enough, the black cod arrived. At £20 a plate, this had a lot to live up to, but boy did it. A sweet crust of honey and spices broke to reveal the most incredibly meaty, flavoursome flesh and gorgeous crispy skin underneath. Served prettily inside a dried leaf and with a stick of what looked and tasted like pickled lemongrass, the fact that it was actually very slightly overcooked at the edges did nothing to distract from the extraordinarily rich flavour of the fish and masterful use of spices. Worth every bit of its £20 price tag, this is the first fish dish I've had in a very long time that I never wanted to end. I've been dreaming about it ever since.

Along with impeccable and genuinely friendly service and a light and informal room (we bundled in wearing jeans and t-shirts and laden with John Lewis shopping bags but didn't feel out of place), you'd be nit picking to find anything to fault about Roka at all. Apart from the odd extravagant option (and if that black cod is any indication, these are pricey for a reason) it is all very reasonably priced, presented with flair bordering on artistry, and yet with the most important thing - the flavour - still taking centre stage. I'll even do them a favour and ignore the dish I didn't like - after all, they weren't to know I Don't Like Aubergine.

miggy

Incredible 12th January 2009

2 found this helpful

This place has left me in awe.
Honestly - this is perfection.
We sampled a large variety of the small dishes on the menu. All were a 10 out of 10. Most memorable for me was the raw beef & truffles. It was an incredible fusion of flavours that I will never forget.

You should definitely make your way to Roka. Exceptional cuisine, in fantastic surroundings.
Not cheap but worth every penny!

x

Ann_Henderson

Roka n Rolla 14th November 2008

2 found this helpful

Gloriously delicious Japanese food of the highest order, we stuck with the £75.00 tasting menu and the food was met by huge smiles on our faces, before, during and after eating. Came here for my birthday and left with our taste buds buzzing, if I close my eyes, I can still taste the scallops!

Gavroche

Wine and Sushis 22nd March 2008

2 found this helpful

We have never been at the restaurant on the ground floor. I will only be commenting the Bar at the lower ground floor which we like very much.

The prices are a bit high but the décor is stylish and the wines are excellent.

THe quality of the sushis is exceptional but pricy.

We still like the place and enjoy going there sometimes (after pay day!)

Browners

Gorgeously Good 15th February 2008

4 found this helpful

I had promised to take Cowie to Tsunami in Clapham for our pre-Valentine's day meal. But I never booked it. Instead I was really sneaky and booked us into Roka which we had wanted to go to for ages.

We've got a history of trying to surprise each other but we normally either get too excited and spill the beans too early or the we see through each other and guess! But not this time. I managed to get Cowie hook line and sinker.

We met on Charlotte Street and went for a casual drink in a pub next to Finos and guzzled down some wine that meant we saved a few quid rather than paying through the nose in "Tsunami/Roka". The more time passed the more itchy Cowie's feet became until it was pretty obvious we couldn't make it to Clapham in time for our booking at Tsunami.

I smiled at Cowie and explained my surprise, but before I could say where we were going instead she had guess it! That's the closest I've got to surprising her properly!

We pottered up to Roka with a very bouncy spring in our steps: partly to do with the booze, a bit to do with the excitement of the surprise and also because we had been dying to go to Roka ever since we heard of it.

You can always tell it's going to be a good meal when we ask to move seats and are plonked in the best spot. This time we were moved from the goldfish bowl seats by the window to prime real estate at the central bar overlooking the chefs doing their BBQing. It's a great site to see such amazing chefs cooking live in front of you. It must be a great way of getting people to buy extra things just because they see them being cooked! Flames. Action. Food porn!

After gasping at the price of the set menu we soon realised that we would be better off going off piste and constructing our own meal. Who needs vegetarian dishes when these guys are so good at fish and meat.

We kicked off with some yellow fin tuna tataki which was light, fresh, zingy and beautfiully textured. The only question mark we had next to it was the way it tasted very strongly of the kind of bad pre-ground pepper you got at school.

Then came some well salted edamame and otoro tuna sashimi which was delicious. By far the best I've ever had. I love the feel of it as it almost disolves in your mouth. Who needs teeth when you've got otoro!

Cowie's miso soup with scallops was a great success too. Warming, delicately flavoured and very subtle. It's a great broth that is as full of unami as it is lacking in colour. Pale and unasumming. But very pleasant indeed.

Things got really exciting when our grilled quail with a tart plum compote arrived. The meat was beautifully charred and almost raw. There's nothing quite like a bit of medium rare poultry to divide opinion. In this instance it was sensational. But I know a lot of people would have complained. The plum lifted the sweetness of the quail and cut through the oily skin leaving your mouth craving more. What a shame quails are so small!

If we thought our quail was good, the salmon teryaki took us up to another level. It was only £10 but was the best thing we ate. The salmon flesh was almost raw and fell apart at the very sight of a chopstick. The teryaki sauce was rich, dark and deep. The skin was crispy and a shinning example to the entire world about how to cook fish skin. There are few finer tastes than properly cooked fish skin. Gorgeous.

Beef and asparagus skewers were very vanilla. Perfectly fine but Wags do them just as well for less. And yuzu soy tuna was a bit dry but I enjoyed my first experience of yuzu. Kind of like tangerine but a lot more expensive!

We boycotted the wine and instead had green tea which meant that we spent well under £100 and left feeling perfectly full, deleriously happy and super keen to come back.

DavidMuir

Horrible over pricing 12th November 2007

1 found this helpful

Great food but horribly over priced for what it is.

Go to Kiku on Half Moon Street instead.

ellyberry

Outstanding 11th November 2007

2 found this helpful

I went to Roka for a friend's 21st, and it was probably one of the best resaturants i've ever been to in my life. We had a large table - seated low down near the ground - downstairs. The whole place looks very fresh and attractive upstairs, and a little more club-like but still very professional downstairs. The champagne and flavoured liquors to start were great, with flavours ranging from peach to ginger - all yummy. The staff were lovely and very attentive. The food was incrdible if you went for the more unusual stuff. The fig and tuna starter and the (huge!) king prawn satnd out in my memory, all the mains were great especially the beef dishes, and the desserts were the high point. A cube of chocolate gataeuy cake filled with delicious green goo, topped with gold leaf was the most popular... Tasted and looked amazing. The nut based deserts were really good too, and the fruity ice creams were a little less exciting but nice and refreshing. Definitely recommmend it if you can afford it.

antimega

31st July 2007

2 found this helpful

Great Japanese food, both sushi and robata grill items, marred by dizzy service and slightly expensive prices. Good shochu cocktails.

vroenski

Roka 4th May 2007

1 found this helpful

great place, great shusi. A bit expensive though

anniec

Japanese with a twist 3rd May 2007

4 found this helpful

Roka has to be one of my favourite places in London to eat. Forget about Japanese food being only sushi and rice and concentrate on Roka's fantastic grill dishes. The chef from Australia combines seasonal fresh highly innovative combinations of ingredients that melt on the tongue and titillate your taste buds. The staff are also very competent and helpful. Often I go and just ask for their recommendations - that way I have been encouraged to try new things and I have never been disappointed. Whatever happens choose the beef dish. Cocktails are also beautiful to look and taste divine. The ambience is cool without being cold. The only downside is that due to its increasing popularity it can be difficult to get a reservation. Book well in advance