Roka

I was told about this place by several friends who all had mixes views but I wanted to try it myself. We visited Roka one Friday evening and must say it is one of the best restaurants I have visited and believe me I have visited many !. The food was excellent, the surroundings were wonderful and the serice was second to none. People complain about prices being high but hey you only get what you pay for. Thank you
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Mulberryeater - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, March 23, 2008

Really love this place.Definately recommend it - but be sure to book. I am a sushi freak but was tempted away by the grilled lamb chops. mmmm. I def put this on a par with zuma and nobu. Pretty £££ though.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Monday, March 17, 2008

Went to Roka last night (07-03-08) and just had to write a review. The food was excellent, we have eaten at Zuma which is very good but this just had the edge. Everybody was extremley helpful and we will definately be going back.
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BettyAnne Warwick
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, March 08, 2008

I could not agree more with the previous reviewer. Somehow we had a similar experience. The people were very friendly, the food was delicious, the wine was great, the atmosphere was lively and nice.... we experienced the perfect evening in Roka.....
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Ricky
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Saturday, January 26, 2008

We were initially booked to eat across the road, but stepping out of the cab we immediately noticed the " Buzz " of this cool insider restuarant. We took a raincheck on the original plan and just strolled into Roka asking if we could join the pulsating crowd within. To my astonishment the very friendly waitress said yeeven without a reservation we are more than welcome .

We sat at the food counter and experienced a super , pleasant and efficient service both in speed and attention to our needs throughout the whole evening .

We ordered a menu for two as this seemed to be the right choice and combination of individual starters , mains and deserts and believe me they were good in fact bloody good !

Like the company , the wine was a pleasure , ( .......a good choice from somebody who knows ! ) , served at the right temperature with a second bottle required to finish the evening in style !

To conclude , great place , good food , wonderfull service and in life you only get what you pay for ...... thanks for a memorable evening
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Baloo
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Thursday, January 24, 2008

I know everyboby loves this place and I see Nick says very good things about in "our comments", but what he doesn't actuay mention is the price, other than to say it is expensive.

I can confirm that it is mostly good, but at these prices is mostly good, good enough.

I am not one of those people who knows the price of everything and value of nothing, but I find it hard to see the value in Roka. Its about £100 a head, and not a complimenrty olive in sight. 4 cocktails on arrival £52. No freebies to wash them down, so you blow £30 pounds on soya beans and miso soup. A fabulous presentation, this is what they are very good at, of 16 pieces of fish @£26 follow and I have to say that quality wise, it was middle of the road; as were most of the rolls we tried.

£4.80 for 2 chicken wings, takes gross margins to a new dizzy height and left a bitter taste for me as we were four and had to order to dishes to serve the table.

What was really high end cooking was the King Crab hot pot, wonderful slow cooked rice with fish eggs mixed in at the table, great taste and wonderful texture.

We finished with the dessert presentation, £56,again exquiste presentation but lacking on substance; essentially 3 puds from the list, plus 2 ice creams and 2 sorbets, it was ok.

The wine list is good but really pricey.

I won't be rushing back
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M taylor
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Having been to Roka, maybe a dozen times over last 18 months, I feel I know the menu & the restuarant inside out, but the place just keeps getting better. 4 of us went a couple of weekends ago, and it was the best meal I have ever eaten there- the spare ribs ( on a Japanese menu?!) were fantastic, the thai lamb chops as ever the best lamb I have eaten- the only slight disapoinment is that the sushi sin't quite up to standard, but other than that- fantastic
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Wayne
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Monday, November 26, 2007

My daughter and I came for a meal at Roka. We had a meal that was made up of several dishes. This was a wonderful meal and I would deffinately recomend the restaurant to anyone. Having several dishes gave me a chance to try things that I have not tried before. That was the best meal that we had the whole weekend and would like to return with my husband the next time we come to London. Thank you to the staff for the excellent service and the welcome we received.
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Gail Wilcock
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Great location in a fab part of town, boasting a really striking interior and an all glass front so you can enjoy the atmosphere on Charlotte Street. The robata grill in the centre also heightens the buzz within the restaurant. That said the table placement was a bit too close for comfort - it’s always a bit disconcerting when the diner at the next table is sitting closer than your partner across the table from you.

The food is pleasant. Presentation is fairly impressive which is great if you care more about what your food looks like as opposed to what it tastes like. Unfortunately considering the cost it doesn’t even come close to somewhere like Tsunami in Clapham where the food is spectacular. But the food is agreeable and Roka fits as a good after work venue.

But without doubt the biggest shame was the staff. Relentless is the only word. There was rarely a 60 second period where they weren’t leaning across us as we were trying to eat or changing our plate and you really felt like they were trying to rush you out the door. At one point the waitress tried to top up my boyfriend’s glass of wine before he had even had a sip out of it – it was still completely full! We decided to try and slow it down as after half an hour we had almost finished the whole meal. So we tried taking time on each dish but they just kept throwing the next plate on the table. At one point I felt the waitress loitering behind me wanting to whip away my plate to replace it with an identical clean plate (??) and willing me to eat my last dumpling. I decided to just sit there chopsticks in hand finishing my conversation, hoping that she would back off. Instead she leant in, interrupting us and asked if I was having issues with my chopsticks. When I replied no and commented I just didn’t want to scoff my food down, she ran off only to return 60 seconds later with a chopstick holder which kids are given to help them use chopsticks!
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Emma
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Saturday, November 03, 2007

We were at Roka last week and were intreagued by the stunning interior the restaurant features.

The interior design is sophisticated and well thought through. Being an interrior designer myself, I would congratulate the head behind the scheme.

Unfortunately I have to point out some points that reallly let us down.

The menue is complicated and there is not one dish that is fully translated into the English language. To understand what you eat, you will have to ask a member of staff. The very pricey portions happen to be so small that we felt overcharged. The quality of the food was excellent, however the amount and preparation reminded me of tiny difficult composition that one might have found on a plate in the 80's.

Roka's staff is very fussy. The napkin does not need to be unfolded three times and placed back on my lap. If I may add here that I am expecting, I found this gesture very uncomforting and disturbing. One waitress interrupted a conversation I had with my dinner partner.

I can finally say I will not come beack to Roka. I do not recommend this restaurant but appreciate the very distinctive atmosphere.
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Nadja
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, October 24, 2007