Robata Asian Fusion — Restaurant in Trondheim

I have been very impressed with sushi bar in the past, as being the top level for quality sushi in Trondheim, however I feel that they may have compromised a little bit to stay in competition with more reasonably priced local rivals. The sushi rice is perfect, which is a huge plus obviously since it's the core element of sushi. The presentation of the food is also excellent. The staff is also friendly and helpful, and my wife was on the verge of going into labor at the time, so they were willing to customise the meal to our needs which was hugely appreciated. We got the tempura mix, and it was nice, but i do feel like the chefs have a misunderstood idea of what tempura is. The set came with four blocks of deep fried salmon, which had a crispy batter like a hard shell more reminiscent of British fish n chips. Firstly, Japanese people would see deep frying the world's best salmon as blasphemy. Secondly, real tempura batter is much lighter and more commonly used to deep fry vegetables like egg plant, mushrooms, bell pepper, lotus root, fine beans etc or sea food like shrimp, squid, octopus, white fish. The tempura did come with fried shrimp (which was excellent btw), but there are two variants of fried shrimp in Japan - ebi tempura and ebi fry and what was served was ebi fry. The mango sauce it all came with was also fantastic and went really well with the fried foods to balance off some of the heaviness of the oil. Lastly, the tuna was not great, but then again tuna is not a fish Norway is known for (it's almost impossible to find anyway). Maybe I would've been better off with the pure nigiri/sashimi moriawase, but unfortunately my pregnant wife couldn't have too much raw fish so this is the experience I had to base the review on! I recommend coming here though as it is definitely one of the better sushi parlors...

The sushi selection is a bit limited to my tastes and somewhat overpriced.

I used to visit this restaurant very frequently, although typically opting for takeout, until the removal of a favored item from the menu.

The flamed salmon nigiri is quite good, and my wife is very fond of their Thai basil cocktail.

Unfortunately, they didn’t appear to have a proper bartender available and were unable to make it for her this time. She ordered a Moscow mule instead but it turned out to be just a glass of ice and lime juice.

Inquiries regarding the presentation of their Moscow mule - if it was prepared in a traditional copper mug - were met with a rather judgmental look of confusion.

The quality of service at this establishment is inconsistent and appears to be contingent upon the staff on duty during each visit.

The quality of the cocktails vary greatly, depending on who’s making them.

My personal favorite, the espresso martini - last summer I had 5 in one sitting - was prepared so poorly this time, I found myself unable to finish the drink. Very...

We visited Rabata Asian Fusion in Trondheim and were genuinely impressed by the food. The flavors were bold, fresh, and beautifully balanced—clearly crafted with both skill and creativity. Every plate was a pleasure to eat. Presentation was also top-notch, making the meal feel special.

We also appreciated the interesting wine list, which featured several well-chosen options that paired nicely with the fusion-style dishes.

However, there were a couple of small things that kept the experience from being perfect. The temperature in the restaurant was a bit on the cold side this day, which made it harder to fully relax and enjoy the atmosphere. Additionally, while the staff were polite, they seemed slightly inattentive at times—we had to wait a bit too long to get follow-up service.

Still, the quality of the food alone makes Rabata worth visiting, and we would definitely return—hopefully to a slightly more attentive...