ROKU is a beautiful modern Japanese restaurant situated on the boarder of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. With an indoor/outdoor dining room, their decor includes exaggerated paper lamps, life size Bonsai trees, large booths with a purple and red pattern, and adorable pineapple lamps along the bar. ROKU offers three different dining opportunities including the dining room, the sushi bar, and the Teppanyaki Room.
In the Teppanyaki Room, Teppan chefs prepare A-5 Japanese Wagyu, Matsuzaka beef, Santa Barbara spot prawns and other high-quality ingredients at interactive grill tables. They are perfect for parties and available daily for dinner or with advanced reservations for large groups at lunch. You can also sit along the sushi bar as Chef Jiro Kobayashi prepares the freshest fish daily in both traditional and modern sushi preparations.
We sat in the chic dining room and feasted on some of their best dishes, which are small/shareable plates. I highly recommend asking your server what they suggest because we tried things we would have never ordered and they turned out to be some of our favorites. One of such dishes, was the Spicy Cucumber Sunomono was a great way to start the meal (and something different from edamame or Shishito peppers). We also had the Fluke Sashimi, which paired perfectly with the kumquat and yuzu vinaigrette; the Blue Crab Tartare which is prepared table side with uni and caviar; Grilled Octopus with kimchi vinaigrette and pickles (it’s spicy); Maine Lobster Tail with pink peppercorn, soy olive oil (totally indulgent and worth it); and Sea Bass with spicy ponzu from the Robata that literally melts in your mouth.
New dishes that I loved included the Anikmo Pate with toro, salmon, uni, caviar, and wasabi aioli; and the Sea Bream Whitefish Sashimi with shiitake oil, and sudachi white soy. They also have other new dishes including the Tuna Tartare Phyllo Cup with Yuzu guacamole and soy truffle; EBI Tuna roll, Shrimp tempura topped with tuna, jalapeno vinaigrette, and eel sauce; Grilled Avocado with Yuzu, soy and lemon; Wood Roasted Cauliflower with Red dates and pine nuts; and Shaved Vegetable Salad with fresh mozzarella and honey vinaigrette.
We were going to pass up the desserts, but the blueberry cheesecake with a lemon curd and a passionfruit sorbet was speaking to Tyler. I have to say it was one of the best desserts I have ever had and the perfect ending to a delicious meal.
