Roku Asia — Restaurant in England

I was really disappointed. The reviews were giving high expectations. Walking in it was dead, walking up some stairs there was no music, no ambiance. When you arrive in the bar, the staff were friendly enough, but it felt far too relaxed like I was walking into a pub. Our table was set out nicely, and the decor was eye catching, if not a bit tacky. It's very bright, which left very little room for ambiance. Plus it was so hot in there. I could see a lot of diners fanning themselves etc which makes it very hard to relax.

The food was ok. The sushi was probably the best, however the flavours were lacking. No better than yo sushi, basic. the rest felt very takeaway, salty and not at all the fresh explosion of taste I expected. The miso cod broth was over cooked, and the over bearing flavour was salt. There was no sharp edge to cut through. The Chicken Karaage was greasy, its deep fried thigh meat and felt overly fatty. The lemon is stuck on the bed of the screwer and not actually a flavour throughout the dish, the sauce was like something from McDonalds The wok tossed beef was the best, but the sauce honestly tasted like a sachet I could get in Sainsbury's, there was no fresh flavours coming through. Having eaten a lot of Japanese and Asian fusion food, it was tailored to the English palate - and it was dull. This isn't to say the food was bad, per se, just sub-par "asian fusion" /japanese food. The Rose & Lychee martini was delicious. The sake was served in shot glasses, which I can't say I've seen often (especially at the price they sold it at) usually in small ceramic cups or wooden cups - all well and good having lantern light fittings but ATD around things like Sake cups is probably somewhere better to spend your money if your trying to give a real experience. The staff were nice, but awkward and not very professional. I personally wouldn't have left a tip, but they automatically added it on to the bill - and I'd had to leave my husband to pay as I was not feeling well.

All in all, it was ok. But definitely not...

We had a lovely meal here and let me say the food was very good. We enjoyed every dish we ordered. That said, the service was not as good. The waitstaff did an okay job, but the real problem was the slow trickle of dishes from the kitchen. Everything came out very slowly and with great delays in between. This was a week night and the place only had about 5 tables of customers. It couldn't have been more than 40% capacity.

It took forever for any food to come out and when it did, it was only one person's dish. We then sat for at least 20 minutes with only one person having a single dish of food on the table. Then a second came out. Then 15 minutes later, a third and fourth dish. That was enough for everyone to start eating, but we were still short several dishes, which we had to ask for about 25 minutes later. It was clear to us that the problem was the kitchen. The dishes just weren't coming out.

Maybe it was a bad day for the kitchen staff or some problem in the kitchen, but an apology and/or an explanation would've been appropriate. Because the food was so good, we'll give Roku another try at some point, but if this experience repeats itself, we won't be returning.

UPDATE: Within 48 hours of posting this review, the owner of Roku Asia called my spouse on their personal cell phone to apologize, stating the kitchen staff was struggling with a new menu during our visit and they should have informed us of this. While I can appreciate that the intentions were in the right place, this approach was inappropriate and a violation of privacy. My spouse did not write the review; I did. The apology should have been directed to me, the author of the review and not to my unnamed and unidentified family member. The appropriate venue for any response is here on the Google...

This visit to ROKU Asia was our first visit back to the restaurant since the change over from what was OGINO Japanese and, what a great experience this proved to be.

The original class and flair of Ogino remains evident although, there has been sufficient but subtle changes to ensure past customers feel and experience something different.

From the moment you step inside from the street you feel like you are somewhere special and as you wind up the stairs and enter the reception and bar area you can tell that you are.

Upon arrival guests are immediately made to feel very welcome by the team. Throughout the evening, every member of staff we spoke to was excellent….. friendly, professional and knowledgeable about the service and menu.

As always this restaurant is incredibly popular so book well in advance if you want a specific time slot. A bright, colourful and modern themed restaurant designed to give its guests the wow factor.

ROKU has a superb menu choice and lovers of Asian food will not be disappointed. Food is chosen and served in Tapas style i.e. it comes in whatever order it is ready and this suits our style of dining very well.

Our food choices were fantastic. Ingredients, quality and presentation were first class. The taste and flavours of the dishes were immense leaving you wanting more.

The food served here is exceptional and makes an exciting dining experience. ROKU is not a restaurant that someone who enjoys Asian cuisine should miss.

In conclusion….. perfect and we can’t wait to go back. Top...