I had heard nothing but good things about Roka Akor, so I was excited to dine there last Friday. It is a Japanese restaurant located in Central Scottsdale that features "Sushi and Robata Grill". 'Robata' reminds me of a certain song by Styx, but I was willing to roll with it anyway. Besides, "Bon Appetit" recently named them one of the top 10 sushi places in the U.S., so we owed it to ourselves to check it out.
Happy Hour
There were four of us dining and we started off in the bar area to take advantage of happy hour before sitting in the formal dining area. The look of the lounge is sleek, but pretty generic. If Ikea offered Japanese themed interior decorating, Roka Akor would probably be their main customer. Nothing bad about that, but it felt a little sterile to me. Our server was very pleasant and she was attentive without being annoying. Happy Hour drinks were well priced ($3 beers, $6 wine and martinis) with a decent choice of libations. The standout was probably the Saketini my girlfriend ordered: simple drink done well. They also offer Shochu, which is like a Japanese vodka, but nobody tried it this go-round.
The Happy Hour food menu is a nice size and reasonably priced ($2 - $7). We ordered the Crispy Fried Squid, Spicy Sashimi Salad, and 2 orders of the Butterfish. The plate sizes were enough that everyone got some of each. Everything was fresh and tasty, with the Butterfish being the favorite.
Dinner
We finished our happy hour drinks and made our way into the dining room. The first thing I noticed was the noise. It was about 7:30p and the dining room was maybe half full, but the sparsity of the decorating mixed with very tall ceilings meant all the various conversations echoed off everything. Do not expect a cozy meal with conversation you can easily hear if the place is full. Our server was nice enough, but seemed a little out of sorts as if he were new or nervous.
There were four of us dining and we started off in the bar area to take advantage of happy hour before sitting in the formal dining area. The look of the lounge is sleek, but pretty generic. If Ikea offered Japanese themed interior decorating, Roka Akor would probably be their main customer. Nothing bad about that, but it felt a little sterile to me. Our server was very pleasant and she was attentive without being annoying. Happy Hour drinks were well priced ($3 beers, $6 wine and martinis) with a decent choice of libations. The standout was probably the Saketini my girlfriend ordered: simple drink done well. They also offer Shochu, which is like a Japanese vodka, but nobody tried it this go-round.
The Happy Hour food menu is a nice size and reasonably priced ($2 - $7). We ordered the Crispy Fried Squid, Spicy Sashimi Salad, and 2 orders of the Butterfish. The plate sizes were enough that everyone got some of each. Everything was fresh and tasty, with the Butterfish being the favorite.
Dinner
We finished our happy hour drinks and made our way into the dining room. The first thing I noticed was the noise. It was about 7:30p and the dining room was maybe half full, but the sparsity of the decorating mixed with very tall ceilings meant all the various conversations echoed off everything. Do not expect a cozy meal with conversation you can easily hear if the place is full. Our server was nice enough, but seemed a little out of sorts as if he were new or nervous.
The wine list was a bit disappointing with very few worthwhile bottles under $50. There is good wine to be had, but be prepared to pay for it. Wine markup was anywhere from 2x - 3.5x retail. Ordering our wine was a bit of a process as they were out of a Syrah I wanted off the main list and the alternatives suggested by the server and the little-too-annoying sommelier were not doing much for us. I finally went with a 2006 Canonball Cabernet Sauvignon - fruit forward Cab that paired well with dinner.
The menu is split into different areas: Appetizers, Sashimi & Sushi, Tempura, and Robata Grilled items (sides and entrees). As seems to be the current trend, entrees are served a la carte (no sides). As a group we decided to order several things and share them. We picked items from all over the menu, so there were a mix of small plate and large plate items. One thing to note is that the food arrives very quickly and it seems to show up in a random order. We were expecting apps and smaller plates to appear first, but it was a hodgepodge of apps and entrees. A few minutes later, more plates of food arrived before we were even done with the first round. The table was crowded to say the least. The presentation of the food is excellent and you can tell the chefs take pride in their creations.
Food Highlights:
- Sashimi Chef's Selection - This was amazing. The chef chose Tuna, Scallops, and Yellowtail and it was seriously the best sashimi I have found in the Valley.
- Robata Grilled Asparagus - Tasty soy glaze and grilled perfectly to crisp-tender.
- Robata Grilled Lamb Cutlets - 3 very nice sized lamb loin chops. Grilled medium rare and served with a Korean chili sauce. These were a big hit at the table.
- Roka Akor Rice Hot Pot - What a nice surprise this was. A cast iron pot filled with mushroom infused sticky rice. Very savory and just amazingly good - we scraped every last bit of it out. The only issue was it took so long to arrive compared to the other food, that we thought they forget about it.
Food Lowlights:
- Spicy Tuna Roll - this was surprisingly boring for a 'spicy' roll.
- Beef Tataki with Salad Greens and chili ponzu - This was a letdown. Should be renamed "miniature beef roll-ups with zero character". Instantly forgettable...
- Japanese Eggplant Tempura - Slightly overcooked and very bland, even with the supplied sauce.
Final Take
Roka Akor is bound to be a Scottsdale hotspot. It has that generic hipster vibe to it that just seems to pervade many Scottsdale eateries. The food they do well is excellent and easily eclipses the lackluster items. Stick with their signature dishes (Robata Grilled items and the Sashimi) and you will be pleased. I'd also recommend asking your server to space out the food orders a bit to allow you to enjoy each course a bit more.
I will be back again, but I may just hang in the lounge area next time. It's a little quieter and the seating is bit more intimate. Plus, I still need to see what the Shochu is all about...
Overall Grade = B (very good)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment