Every time I walked up and down Charlotte street, I was eyeing out Roka, the sister restaurant of Zuma in Knightsbridge. I had been to Zuma for drinks a few times previously and was very curious to see what Roka had to offer.
My first impression was the ambience, it was much more laid-back than Zuma, the interior however is very similar. The staff was very attentive and the dishes arrived quickly. There is clear attention given to every single dish, the presentation was perfect. The portions were light and small, great to share.
For starters we had Kampachi sashimi no salada – Hamachi Sashimi with yuzu truffle dressing, mizuna and pickled vegetables.
Of course we couldn’t leave out some Hamachi and Salmon Sashimi pieces. The Sashimis were all very fresh and tasty but it was nothing which
particularly stood out from other sushi restaurants I had been to before. The cocktails were also good, but they could have been a little stronger in my opinion.
So far Roka was nice, but not anything that I would in a hurry to
recommend to people…… and then came the lamb accompanied with the sweet soy and sesame grilled asparagus, WOW.
The kankoku fu kohitsuji lamb cutlets with korean spices were beautiful and the texture was immaculate. Each piece was extremely soft and the meat came straight off the bone, not to mention they were juicy and crispy. They had a hint of spice which was not overpowering – this was by far the best lamb I have ever had in my life.
Roka turned the tables around, I would recommend the restaurant in a instant purely for the Robata Grill, and the nice touch is that you can watch the chefs work their magic in the middle of the restaurant.
Overall rating: 7.5/10.
Check it out here www.rokarestaurant.com
Thanks for the post! I’m going to definately check out Roka this week!
Roka is so tasty!