Latest favourites and wishlist by anniec

Roka - review by Ann_Henderson

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:19:57 +0000

Roka - review by Ann_Henderson

Rating: 4.0

Location: 37 Charlotte St, W1T 1RR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7580 6464

Website: http://www.rokarestaurant.com

Gloriously delicious Japanese food of the highest order, we stuck with the Â£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!

Bibendum - review by Hmm

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:08:13 +0000

Bibendum - review by Hmm

Rating: 4.2

Location: Michelin House, SW3 6RD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7581 5817

Website: http://www.conran.co.uk

The building itself is an experience and the food has been good, although it's been a while since my last visit.

Roka - review by Gavroche

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 11:40:22 +0000

Roka - review by Gavroche

Rating: 4.0

Location: 37 Charlotte St, W1T 1RR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7580 6464

Website: http://www.rokarestaurant.com

Tags: lively, expensive, romantic

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 dÃ©cor 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!)

Roka - review by Browners

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:57:07 +0000

Roka - review by Browners

Rating: 4.0

Location: 37 Charlotte St, W1T 1RR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7580 6464

Website: http://www.rokarestaurant.com

Tags: lively, business, crowded, japanese, expensive, romantic

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 Â£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 Â£100 and left feeling perfectly full, deleriously happy and super keen to come back.

Roka - review by DavidMuir

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:29:54 +0000

Roka - review by DavidMuir

Rating: 4.0

Location: 37 Charlotte St, W1T 1RR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7580 6464

Website: http://www.rokarestaurant.com

Tags: expensive, business, japanese

Great food but horribly over priced for what it is.

Go to Kiku on Half Moon Street instead.

Roka - review by ellyberry

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:16:59 +0000

Roka - review by ellyberry

Rating: 4.0

Location: 37 Charlotte St, W1T 1RR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7580 6464

Website: http://www.rokarestaurant.com

Tags: lively, seafood, international, business, good value, japanese, expensive

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.

Roka - review by antimega

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:11:57 +0000

Roka - review by antimega

Rating: 4.0

Location: 37 Charlotte St, W1T 1RR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7580 6464

Website: http://www.rokarestaurant.com

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

Bibendum - review by elliemoff

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:21:56 +0000

Bibendum - review by elliemoff

Rating: 4.2

Location: Michelin House, SW3 6RD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7581 5817

Website: http://www.conran.co.uk

AMAZING place - this restaurant is set in the old Michelin head quarters and the oyster bar downstairs is the original garage.

If you sit upstairs in the restaurant, request a seat by the window - they have huge stained glass panels of the Michelin Man! :)

I had rabbit which was fabulous and also the tarte tatin. I highly recommend this for a special occasion - we went early and had the restaurant practically to ourselves.

I have to disagree with mikezoomf's comment that the waiting staff are stuffy - we found them attentive and not over bearing.

It's the details that really make this restaurant - the hand made petit fours with coffee, the fantastic building and the service - definitely worth a visit (if you have deep pockets :)

Bibendum - review by mikezoomf

Fri, 04 May 2007 14:49:16 +0000

Bibendum - review by mikezoomf

Rating: 4.2

Location: Michelin House, SW3 6RD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7581 5817

Website: http://www.conran.co.uk

If you are looking to have a seriously high end meal, this is the place for you. I had an amazing fish dish with some type of raspberry sauce long ago. Great atmosphere... slightly stuffy from the attitude of the wait staff but the food is brilliant.

Roka - review by vroenski

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 21:24:34 +0000

Roka - review by vroenski

Rating: 4.0

Location: 37 Charlotte St, W1T 1RR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7580 6464

Website: http://www.rokarestaurant.com

Tags: lively, sushi, japanese, expensive

great place, great shusi. A bit expensive though

Bibendum - review by anniec

Thu, 03 May 2007 15:04:07 +0000

Bibendum - review by anniec

Rating: 4.2

Location: Michelin House, SW3 6RD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7581 5817

Website: http://www.conran.co.uk

Tags: romantic, expensive but still good value, beautiful setting, intelligent staff, elegant, French

Bibendum is a restaurant I have been visiting for nearly 15 years and it still remains a favourite. The design/ambience is grown up romantic - especially in the evening. Or a place to impress the prospective parents in law over lunch if the romance is proving that successful! The food is always of the very highest quality. Wonderful French classics alongside some modern intrepretations. The fois gras is divine and the lamb one of my favourite main courses. Any of the fish dishes are good too. And the wine list is probably one of the best in London. Take your time and have a leisurely meal - just like the French. This is both a place to linger and the food to be thoroughly appreciated.

Roka - review by anniec

Thu, 03 May 2007 14:50:28 +0000

Roka - review by anniec

Rating: 4.0

Location: 37 Charlotte St, W1T 1RR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7580 6464

Website: http://www.rokarestaurant.com

Tags: lively, good value, crowded, japanese

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

Roka - review by ivailo

Thu, 03 May 2007 12:17:34 +0000

Roka - review by ivailo

Rating: 4.0

Location: 37 Charlotte St, W1T 1RR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7580 6464

Website: http://www.rokarestaurant.com

Great food, great presentation, great location, pricey menu (considering the portions sizes).
To me Roka is one of those places that I love coming back to quite often. It is located in the middle of media land and opens straight onto Charlotte Street which is great for those warm summer evenings. The staff is friendly and know their menu well, which is very helpful in a Japanese restaurant as it could get tricky.
The food some times takes a little longer to arrive, but it is always excellent and presented really well. The prices are not cheap though, with the cheaper tasting menu being at Â£50 per head, though buying cheaper raw fish would make me nervous.

A 2 hour limit on tables does apply, but I have never so far been asked to vacate a table.

All together I would totally recommend this place to anyone as it is a great experience and makes a great evening. Donâ¬"t forget to head down to the Shochu Lounge (just next door) for a night cap on your way out, they make killer dirty martinis!

Roka - review by alfelstead

Thu, 03 May 2007 12:12:12 +0000

Roka - review by alfelstead

Rating: 4.0

Location: 37 Charlotte St, W1T 1RR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7580 6464

Website: http://www.rokarestaurant.com

Tags: lively, seafood, business, crowded, japanese, expensive, romantic

I have been to Roka twice - once to paint it and the second time to have lunch. I am a fan of sushi so it was difficult not to like the food. It's owned by the same people as Zuma, except Roka has a less formal atmosphere and is a great place for a business lunch. It's much brighter than Zuma with large windows looking out onto Charlotte Street. The staff seemed friendly and were happy to provide me with a free lunch when I painted there - I think they were all amused by my depictions of the staff and customers! Roka has a very cool dining area downstairs which has a completely different atmosphere to the upstairs sushi bar. I haven't eaten there at night but it's quite dark and I imagine a great place to take a date. Definitely one to check out.