Roka (in London pronounced Roe Ka or Rock a) is perhaps mine and my husbands favorite restaurant of all time. We have sampled three of their delightful eatery's - Canary Wharf, Aldwych and Charlotte Street - with Charlotte street being hands down our favorite. We are slightly biased in that we live only 5 minutes away, but this place really does have 'something about it'. It does not have the pretense of many Mayfair restaurants, with the arty Fitzrovia crowd often dining in jeans and a shirt. Booking can be a problem if you want our desired area upstairs towards the back, but often room is available last minute in the Shochu Lounge down stairs or around the wooden shelf at the main cooking station. Just a warning, Shochu Lounge can get noisy and I would be careful when balancing your wine, particularly red as we found out, on the wooden surface around the station.
So what to order? In terms of drinks, they make an excellent margarita (without the syrup which so many places now insist on). The rose petal martini or anything with lychee liquor is a good bet. They offer some very good wines in the £25-35 region. For those who would like something a bit different, the Shochu Lounge offers guests the opportunity to create their own bespoke flavored shochu. You are given a personalised jar which is stored and can be enjoyed each time you visit.
The nice thing about Roka is the varied menu. Dishes range from as little as £5 for chicken wings (which you have to try) to £20-£70 for some of the beef dishes. Their dumplings are always delicious (which over the years have changed regularly - their best has been the pork and scallop), all the sushi is good, and they do particularly nice warm fish dishes, including black miso cod. They also do an amazing range of desserts, although possibly their BEST EVER has been removed from the menu, spelt along the lines of "Chawan mushi", which was fruit based, with real honeycomb, a crumbly biscuit and the softest of cream (sorry in my own dream world now).
The Aldwych and Canary Wharf branches are ideal for those who want a boozy brunch, offering weekend specials of unlimited food and drink for a set price. I am not familiar with Canary Wharf and if you aren't either, I would recommend leaving plenty of time to locate the restaurant in the concrete and glass multilevel maze.
So what to order? In terms of drinks, they make an excellent margarita (without the syrup which so many places now insist on). The rose petal martini or anything with lychee liquor is a good bet. They offer some very good wines in the £25-35 region. For those who would like something a bit different, the Shochu Lounge offers guests the opportunity to create their own bespoke flavored shochu. You are given a personalised jar which is stored and can be enjoyed each time you visit.
The nice thing about Roka is the varied menu. Dishes range from as little as £5 for chicken wings (which you have to try) to £20-£70 for some of the beef dishes. Their dumplings are always delicious (which over the years have changed regularly - their best has been the pork and scallop), all the sushi is good, and they do particularly nice warm fish dishes, including black miso cod. They also do an amazing range of desserts, although possibly their BEST EVER has been removed from the menu, spelt along the lines of "Chawan mushi", which was fruit based, with real honeycomb, a crumbly biscuit and the softest of cream (sorry in my own dream world now).
The Aldwych and Canary Wharf branches are ideal for those who want a boozy brunch, offering weekend specials of unlimited food and drink for a set price. I am not familiar with Canary Wharf and if you aren't either, I would recommend leaving plenty of time to locate the restaurant in the concrete and glass multilevel maze.
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