Roka Akor

J

I went to Roka Akor to celebrate a very special night with my wife. Starting off there were very few options for cocktails and the few there didn’t interested either one of us to even try one. The appetizers were quick and tasty. The Beef Tataki with shaved black truffle was a must try. The presentation was a very nice touch as well. But that is where everything ends. We had 2 lobsters tails and they were just overcooked. It was a shame because the chili lime butter complemented it very nicely. We were excited to try the Japanese Mushroom Rice Hot Pot as we love the one from Uchi and Uchiko but this take on it was completely destroyed by the overwhelming ginger. It was just overpowered by the ginger to the point that my wife and I tasted nothing but it. We couldn’t even finish it, much less take it home. We ordered the Filet Mignon medium rare and it came out medium well. Eventually it came out the right temperature. The Truffle Aioli sauce complemented the Filet perfectly. Though, very oddly, even dealing the mishap with the steak having to wait further and almost having the entire dinner ruined as by that point we almost didn’t want the steak, it still wasn’t comped. Just a real icing to the cake to the bad experience. No bread before/with the steak was disappointing. We had 2 deserts. The Strawberry Yuzu Cheesechake and Ube custard. The Ube custard was very good. Very similar to a flan/pudding just a different take. I can’t say it’s better than a vanilla Flan/pudding. The strawberry Yuzu cheesecake though was again completely destroyed by the Yuzu. It was too tart and I love tartness more than anyone. Needs much much less. But the biggest let down of all was service. It was hands down the worst service I’ve ever had at a fine dining restaurant. We sat at the bar and the bartender didn’t do the bare minimum like keep waters filled and when I asked for some more water he brushed it off like I heard you but I’ll do that later. Minutes later the water was filled. Didn’t check up on us at all to the point that we had to get the attention of other servers. He was on his phone the entire night in front of us. He even rudely asked us to pick up the plates, put the smaller plates on top, and hand it to him. When it came to the bill he just placed the bill on the table and didn’t say a word. No thanks for coming in, happy new year, hope you had/have a great night, nothing. Even walking away. He was passive aggressive the entire night. By far the absolute worst service I’ve ever had at a fine dining restaurant. Worst of all, I chose Roka Akor to celebrate a very special night.. my wife’s birthday.

a year ago

Cheryn Pollard

We dined here a couple of weeks ago – sorry it took me so long to post - however there’s still time to enjoy the HRW menu at Roka Akor. We were with a large group and they served us family style so the photos may not reflect individual portion sizes. We enjoyed many of the items here. The fish and steak originally came out overcooked, but they were quickly replaced and the black cod was everything I had wanted it to be (it’s one of my favourite foods). The steak was great however, the black was exceptional (the lamb was also great). We had different opinions on our favourite appies and desserts which shows they can make multiple things well.

a year ago

Janai Smith

I treated my friend to a birthday dinner here, we had the Decadence Chef's choice (that's not what it's called but the staff will know what you're referring to). It was AH-MAZING! The carefully curated 6 course meal was full of layered flavors, fresh ingredients, and just outright deliciousness! Wait staff are attentive, full of personality and pleasant. Definitely a must try!

2 years ago

Coraline

I'm truly perplexed by all of the 5 star reviews. I've wanted to try this place for a while now. My friend and I both felt the same. It was a so so experience. Beautifully decorated, yes. Staff were friendly and helpful, yes. Though in the spirit of complete honesty, the food, not so impressive. Let's face it, Houston has an abundance of incredible Japanese restaurants and we wouldn't consider this one. The truffle rice was an expensive dish, extremely liquid, stogie and lacking in flavor. Presentation was fun to enjoy though it needs to deliver on the flavor. The specialty rolls were lacking in options which was disappointing. What we ordered was nicely plated, we simply weren't wowed by the flavors. Our dessert sounded great conceptually but was a miss for us. An overall disappointing and expensive experience. Don't misunderstand, as my reviews will show, I'm not afraid to spend money when dining out. Though I want at the least, to enjoy the food.

3 years ago

Ann

Came back here for HRW. Reservation is recommended. You can park in the garage on the retail spaces for free. We opted for dinner and got to try almost everything on their HRW menu. For the starters, each person will get to try all three appetizers which I thought was nice. The yellowtail sashimi was my favorite out of the three but Wagyu beef and kimchi dumplings and spicy tuna maki roll were also delish. A great way to start off dinner. For the entrees, you get to pick one out of the three choices. Everything was served with a side of grilled potatoes. - Yuzu miso marinated black cod: cod was cooked to perfection and the yuzu miso sauce was the star of this dish - Prime NY short steak: great portion and the meat was very tender - Korean spiced lamb chops: medium rare was a great option and the eggplant sauce really pulled it together For desserts, my favorite was the Ube custard. It was light and airy. The sorbet was good but I'm not a huge fan of sorbet. Chocolate cake was also good but eating it with the vanilla ice cream helps balanced out the sweetness. Overall, a great option for HRW.

a year ago