Ushered inside by the friendly bouncers bookending the weighty glass doors, we found the dimly-lit Roka Mayfair buzzing at full capacity come Saturday night, yet clearly this was just a normal service judging from the serene expressions on the faces of the front of house team. This Japanese robatayaki restaurant is fast and furious, and that’s the way they like it…
As we waited at the bar for our table to be prepared, it was easy to be entertained by the focal point of the room; the robata grill where five chefs (who didn’t look remotely Japanese) successfully managed an avalanche of orders as proficiently as master Iaido swordsmen slicing through tatami mats. The aromas from the grill are also seriously hunger-inducing and, whilst there are tables on the main floor, parties of one or two can enjoy a ringside counter seat, fully embracing the original concept of Roka; ‘ro’ meaning a meeting place where friends can enjoy food and drink together, and ‘ka’ meaning warmth and surrounding energy.
Featuring natural wood and steel, acclaimed interior designer, Noriyoshi Maramatsu’s interpretation of contemporary and urban Japanese style has made it impossible to recognise the former NatWest bank that was once here, although the thickness of the walls will mean that you’re unlikely to get a mobile signal. It’s twelve years since Rainer Becker opened the first branch of Roka on Charlotte Street, following on from his hugely successful Knightsbridge restaurant, Zuma, and soon outposts of Roka popped up in Canary Wharf, this branch in the heart of Mayfair, and the most recent in Aldwych, which marked the 10th anniversary of the first premises.
And the brand only seems to be growing in popularity if the night we visited was anything to go by. We were surrounded by businessmen who, even on a Saturday night, weren’t off-duty enough to leave their suits behind, couples out on a romantic date, and slender young socialites enjoying some protein-rich sustenance and Krug champagne with their dates ahead of a heavy night on the town. Couple this with background music that’s a mix of lounge/house classics and it seems Roka Mayfair is the obvious place for rich, svelte twenty-to-thirty-somethings to enjoy dinner before taking in one of the area’s exclusive nightclubs.
When you turn your attention to the menu after all that people-watching you’ll find it easy to navigate irrelevant of how familiar you are with this type of cuisine, as it takes diners on a journey of sushi, sashimi, salads, and of course, specialities prepared on the robata grill. Whilst the food celebrates traditional Japanese techniques and flavours, Roka aren’t afraid to partner these with ingredients we typically associate with European cuisine such as truffle and foie gras, and the result is not just pleasantly surprising, in a kind of “but I wouldn’t order it again” way, but exciting in a “why hasn’t anyone thought of that before” way – and although it’s over ten years since Roka burst on the London restaurant scene, it still feels just as exciting.
Starting off with a refreshingly sweet, fragrant sparkling sake, from an extensive list including hard to come by seasonal varieties, I prepared my disposable wooden chopsticks for the feast, starting with one of the fusion house signatures “foie gras to umeshu no ume to nama nori”; foie gras with plum wine and seaweed bread that is vaguely reminiscent of pâté and Melba toast, yet certainly more appealing. Presented with exotic-looking seaweed bread toast which resembled delicate black lace, this not only provided a fascinating texture but a slightly salty platform for the unctuous foie gras, sweet and tangy plum sauce and slices of pickled plum. It has to be one of the most original ways I’ve ever experienced foie gras, and it worked.
Other must-try Roka fusions are “Kampachi Sashimi No Salada”; finely sliced yellowtail sashimi with truffle yuzu dressing, and the “gyu no tataki to truffle”; seared beef striploin with black truffle dressing, cucumber, daikon pickle and miso tapioca crisp – packing a punch whilst playing with your preconceptions of Japanese food. It’s important to remember that Roka is all about having fun with the cuisine without trying to please a solely purist audience, however, should you wish to stick to more authentic Japanese dishes, they do that just as successfully too, including the finest sashimi and nigiri I’ve ever tasted, which I enjoyed sampling alongside the more unique pairings.
Although I hate to be predictable, the star dish was Roka’s legendary “gindara no saikyo-yaki”; black cod marinated in yuzu miso presented in a leaf; a traditional Japanese dish that ensures the fish melts in the mouth, while the fruity marinade isn’t only citric but has just enough sweetness to enhance the natural flavour of the cod without overpowering it. The final dish of the night was an equally lasting memory, however, and was worth getting messy for; baby back ribs from the robata grill which had a brûléed effect and literally shone like a newly set caramel; a heavenly sensation as we sank our teeth into the most tender and smoky meat.
Whatever you do, don’t go away without sampling pastry chef, Julien Philippe’s incredible Japanese-French fusion desserts. We opted for the “chocolate to macha pudding, yo-nashi aisu”; dark chocolate fondant with an impressively liquid green tea centre accompanied with a pear ice cream that was an inspired partner designed to off-set the richness and add a refreshing edge. And the “saku saku banana aisu bo-ru, miso-lime toffe to banana zoe”; crunchy banana ice cream choux puffs were as light as a feather (alas not as kind on the hips) and come presented with a dish of highly addictive miso-lime toffee sauce with which to douse as little or as much as you can handle. Dinner at Roka might not come cheap, but every element of the experience was flawless. For once, London’s rich-set has got it right. I don’t bank at NatWest any more, I bank with Roka.
Roka Mayfair, North Audley Street, London. For more information and reservations visit the website.
