Roka
37 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1T 1RR - View on a map
Telephone: 020 7580 6464
Roka
| Overall 6.8 |
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| Food 9.0 |
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| Service 6.6 |
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| Atmosphere 7.0 |
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| Value 4.7 |
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| Based on 7 reviews |
Roka
Either this place has really gone down-hill or there is a huge disparity in the dishes.
On previous visits I had things like tuna tartar and, black cod, Korean lamb chops, and was impressed.
This time I had California Maki, Lobster and Cod Gyoza and Tomato salad.
The California maki was good.
The Gyoza were terrible, dry mush of a filling. I can't be sure but I don't think it actually contained any seafood, it was just flour with lobster and cod flavoring.
Tomato salad also terrible, slimy dressing, overpowering bonito taste. The sliminess was just vile. I could not eat more than two bites of this and it went to waste.
With two cocktails, this was a £50 lunch for one, which represents very poor value when only one of the dishes was any good.
Lesson to be learnt, if your going all out and ordering grilled meats and fishes and some sushi and sashimi I still rate this place very highly, but its not the place for a light lunch and their experimental dishes are very poor.
Comment on this reader review
5
Overall rating 
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 3
Friday, June 19, 2009
Roka
Good but a lot of reviewers are drawing comparisons to Nobu. I personally think this pales in comparison.
Beware the pork belly. I think crispy skin is an absolute requirement. Roka doesn't. Go for the ribs though.
Comment on this reader review
Nick W
6
Overall rating 
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Thursday, May 28, 2009
what the bloggers say
London Eater
Monday, March 15, 2010 - I actually really love this place. I love the concept of it and I think the food is lip smackingly brilliant. Aside from a few duds on the menu, I think Roka is a prime example of an exceptional highly evolved, highly produced and eerily pretentious restaurant that so epitomises modern metropolitan classiness. It is a tad cheaper than the other stripped down elegant Japanese inspired brand with a gimmicky roasting machine - a wood-fire oven at Nobu Berkeley in place of a robata. If I had to choose, I would choose Roka over and over again. I highly recommend it if you have money to throw around.
A Girl Has To Eat - 7/10
Friday, March 12, 2010 - The food menu is full of choices, but it's always hard to pass up on a black cod marinated in yuzu (a citrus fruit) miso and homemade hajikami (ginger pickled in vinegar). This was a lovely rendition of the classic Nobu dish, with the cod being succulent and flaky. It oozed with lots of sweet, slightly sticky yuzu miso sauce...We also had a quail marinated in plum wine and red miso where the slight tartness of the plum flavour worked well with the miso to give the quail a lovely finish. However the quail was slightly dry and a touch less time on the grill would have left it moister.
Gourmet Chick - 8/10
Thursday, July 16, 2009 - I could sit for hours and watch the Robata grill chefs at work. There are at least six of them hovering around the grill which operates as a sophisticated multi level barbeque...The food looks stunning, like its sister restaurant Zuma, presentation is everything and each dish is served on beautiful stoneware and artistically arranged. Finally, a bit of fried food heaven. The soft shell crab's spindly legs are delicate and crunchy while the meat inside is tender. The crab is served in a pool of smoky tasting mayonnaise adds moisture to balance the dry, crispy crab.
Cheese and Biscuits - 9/10
Monday, July 13, 2009 - 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...Along with impeccable and genuinely friendly service and a light and informal room, you'd be nit picking to find anything to fault about Roka at all. Apart from the odd extravagant option 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.
World Foodie Guide - 8.5/10
Saturday, April 04, 2009 - I’m older and a little wiser now, but find that Roka is still a wonderful restaurant where modern and creative dishes can be found. Sometimes it’s the simpler dishes that stand above the others, such as the scallop skewers, the asparagus skewers, the salmon skin temaki roll and soft shell crab maki roll…Roka remains on my London favourites list, but with half a point less than it received based on my previous visits. I still wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to people looking for a good night out, although I would advise to order carefully, as it’s certainly not cheap.
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@foodepedia Pretty bright and sticky over here but not as wet as we thought. Enjoy the heatwave!
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