Far eastern Cuisine in London
London as the capital of United Kingdom has been hosting the cuisines of the countries they had under control for a long while. People immigrating to the UK due to diverse reasons have been adding new contributions to the harmony of food in London. No doubt, Roka Restaurant is one of the best representatives of far eastern cuisine in London.
One of the best representatives of open kitchen
In terms of visual presentation and credibility, open kitchen concept is an absolutely good practice. Knowing under what conditions the food in front of you is prepared stimulates how you get pleasure from your food. Sitting on a stool by the kitchen at Roka London and having a couple of appetizers before your dinner give you absolute happiness. Often, you hear “Hai”(yes in Japanese) used for the approval of orders amongst waiters. It’s a part of their show.
As main course, we order Korean style spicy ribs with Shishito spiced peppermeat. The decoration of the place consists of plain wooden tables and chairs, and metal embroideries in every shades of grey. It’s possible to feel the humble Japanese architecture in every corner. Small details don’t disorientate your attention. Their menu is plain and simple.
Korean Ribs are Amazing
Baby back ribs glazed with a spiced master stock and cashew nuts is a taste that should be eaten with a philosophy rejecting the civilised world, as it’s recommended to be eaten with hands. It’s marinated for 8 hours in what they call master stock consisting of a sauce of cinnamon, lime and orange. 8 hours help this sauce penetrate into meat. Then, they blend this meat with sesame oil and seeds. Lastly, they fold meat in sugar before cooking as this makes meat to get in to this crunchy form after cooking. The sweet taste is also related to this. I suggest you eat this dish with your hands. Actually, wherever you eat ribs, please eat it with your hands. Otherwise, the fatty parts can’t be enjoyed much.
The level of hot spiciness of our spicy meat is a little bit high for a taste expert, although it’s nice for a hot-spicy lover like me from Mersin. The quality of meat is not as quiet good as ribs. This meat made of beef is boneless, so it’s not very challenging to eat. For those steak lovers that don’t like to take risks with meat, it’s good choice. However, if it’s not all about meat for you, I don’t really recommend it. I think you should try different things here.
The quality of sushi is indisputable. In particular, Sake to Avocado Maki is a sushi with salmon and avocado. I find the salmon inside absolutely beautiful. Try to feel the effect of asparagus as you eat. If you eat it in one go, you’ll break the spell.
Greentea is not as good as expected
As a dessert, we eat the famous dessert chocolate soufflé with green tea. In terms of consistency, it doesn’t overwhelm you with loads of sugar; however, the light taste of green tea creates a lack of taste in this dessert. The plant itself doesn’t have a lot of taste as tea as well, so green tea sauce doesn’t add much spell to the dessert. I can’t say it’s bad, but it’s not a taste above standard.
Especially, I haven’t talked much about rice. As you might ask, “What’s with rice anyway”,I’ve left it to the end. I really like this rice. Yes, it’s not an amazing taste that will make you wonder; however, please rate the quality of rice when you go there. You’ll be amazed how they cook this rice without using any oil and surprisingly it doesn’t get mushy.
Sit by the bar and have an simple evening full of taste. Roka Restaurant London has it all.
Evaluation: 8/10
Address: 30 North Audley Street
London W1K 6ZF England
Tel: +44020 7305 5644
