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| - It's interesting to watch a restaurant like Roka Akor evolve. The BF and I have eaten here four times since it opened last summer. The food has always been exceptional and the décor is stunning in its simplicity. It's no surprise this restaurant is linked to one in London. The minimalist décor is reminiscent of the simplicity of Ozumo in San Francisco. It's worth a visit just to sit in the serene setting and enjoy its aesthetic perfection. "Bon Appetit" magazine named Roka Akor one of the 10 best places for sushi in the US in its April 2009 edition.
The good news is that the pricing has been adjusted to better align with the current economic situation. Don't get me wrong. Roka Akor is still spendy. Dinner for three ran over $300. The great news is that they now run a happy hour special every day from 3:30 to 6:30 and again from 9:00 to close. You have to sit in the bar or on the patio, but they offer half price apps and drinks. The BF and I are stoked because this means we can frequent this place without having to justify the expense. The Salmon Avocado Roll is a steal for $5. The Roka Akor Burgers looked awesome and they are just $1. As far as the drinks go, this place specializes in shochu infusions. The Hani-P'ru is an amazing combo of honey comb shochu and fresh pineapple. They go down WAY too easy and they've even better during happy hour at $6 vs. $12 on the dinner menu; especially when you have three. Yum!
Our most recent meal was superb. The food was literally pitch perfect. The Butternut Squash with Japanese Pepper Broth ($8) was excellent. Ask them to make the pepper broth spicy like they used. The spice creates a perfect balance with the fried squash. Also, don't let this dish linger on the table as the fried pieces can get soggy if you leave them in the broth too long. The Seasonal Vegetables and Seafood ($15) tempura offered up three delicious prawns as the stars of this dish. The 3 Sashimi Chef's Selection ($17.50) offered two pieces each of salmon, yellowtail and big eye tuna. The sashimi was utterly perfect, but don't believe the menu when it classifies this dish as a "large" sashimi plate. We had to order two of them for the three of us. For sushi, we selected the Salmon Avocado Roll ($12) and the Crispy Prawn Roll ($12) and both were excellent. We then moved on to items from the Robata grill, which is the main feature of the display kitchen. The 8 oz. Grilled Prime Beef Fillet with Chili Ginger Sauce ($28) was utterly fantastic and I could have had just this dish as my entire meal. It was superb, beefy perfection! We added some of the robata grilled skewers and I really like that the restaurant now offers these by the piece so you can mix and match your sides. We had the Sweet Potato with Ginger Teriyaki and Sesame skewers ($2.50 each), the Cremini Mushrooms with Garlic and Butter skewers ($2 each) and the Sweet Corn with Butter and Soy skewers ($2 each). The corn skewers were delightful with just the right char on the niblets.
We decided to try a dessert since they wisely re-vamped this part of the menu. Previously, the desserts were fairly dreadful in the traditional Asian dessert way, but that has been thankfully addressed. We tried the Warm Toffee Cake with Peanut Butter Ice Cream and Caramelized Peanuts ($12). The peanut butter ice cream was amazing and actually tasted like peanut butter with a super silky texture. The caramelized peanuts were also excellent and had great crunch. The one area that needs work in the toffee cake. All three of us noticed it was a bit grainy and gritty. When I mentioned this to our waiter, he went to the kitchen and came back to the table to tell us it was made with almond flour and chunky peanut butter. I suggested they work on the texture as the taste of the dish was spot on.
The service is also superb at Roka Akor. Our waiter has served us three times now and he is attentive and helpful without being intrusive. He is excellent at helping to navigate the menu and his recommendations are utterly reliable. When I spilled some soy sauce on my silk shirt he immediate appeared at the table with a wash cloth that had been soaked in club soda for me. That's service worthy of 20% tip on a $300+ check.
Roka Akor has hit its stride for sure. Try this place and hit the happy hour to appeal to the recessionista in you.
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