Rising star
“Roka Dubai” opened its doors in March 2020, the brand’s first opening in the Middle East. “Roka” offers traditional robatayaki cuisine accompanied by an industrial and modern atmosphere.
The inspiration behind “Roka” is the Japanese influenced restaurant “Zuma” in London, where dishes are prepared on a robata grill. Rainer Becker, the man behind the world-famous contemporary Japanese restaurant “Zuma”, saw the potential of the robata grill, which is indispensable in traditional robatayaki cuisine and was inspired by the traditional irori grill. His vision of merging different cultures and tastes on the traditional Japanese grill became a reality at “Roka”.
Tradition and innovation Combining traditional Japanese dishes with spices from different cultures and adding a modern western touch to it, “Roka” in Dubai was unsurprisingly destined to be highly appreciated all around the world. The restaurant is situated in the “ME Dubai Hotel”, right in the heart of the city’s buzzing Business Bay. The industrial looking interiors are designed by Noriyoshi Muramatsu and consist mostly of concrete, wood, metal, and leather, emitting a warm but still edgy flair. Dining on the outside terrace of “Roka”, surrounded by Dubai’s beautiful skyscrapers, is a breath-taking experience of its own. The terrace has 64 seats and is decorated with greenery, still radiating the same aesthetic atmosphere as the inside of the restaurant.
Unique taste Considering its reputation, it is no surprise that the dishes at “Roka” are prepared with care and attention to detail. Two of the unmissable gourmet menus at the restaurant include the “Seasonal Tasting Menu” as well as the “Premium Tasting Menu”. The former starts off with the “iceberg salada no wafu”, followed by different arrangements of fish, meat and vegetables and finished off by the “Roka dessert platter”. The “Premium Tasting Menu”, not any less impressive, starts off with the “kampachi sashimi no salada” followed by variations of sushi. Afterwards, a delicious and soothing Sake is served. For the main course the menu is influenced by Korean culture, for example it includes “kankoku fu kohitsuji”, lamb cutlets with Korean spices and sesame cucumber. Both menus are appealing choices for a visit at the aesthetically pleasing “Roka” in Dubai.