The Rocka Restaurant — Restaurant in Portsmouth

I took my wife here for her birthday after stumbling across the menu online. We were not disappointed. I had tempura pork belly to start which was fatty heaven, really amazing and came with apple sauce and a sweet chilli dip. My wife had the crispy shredded lamb with houmous for starter and the Brazilian fish stew for main. Both were again excellent. I had the octopus for main and whilst it was very tasty, by the end of the meal I was a bit tentacled out. The tips were crispy and delicious and the thicker end was fairly soft but the middle was slightly chewy and with such a large portion, I couldn't finish it. I also don't think the sweet potato added much. I think crispy fries would have been a nice contrast. That said, I'd probably order it again in future but we'll be returning to try loads of other dishes first. For 2 x starters, 2 x mains, a beer, large glass of rose, a very nice bottle of Portuguese red and 2 x double Courvoisier's to finish, our bill came to £125 including a service charge. I was more than pleased with that. Service was very friendly and the atmosphere really nice and relaxed. It was quite busy by the time we left but not at all noisy as the background music was nice and low. I did give some feedback to one of the owners before we left and he seemed genuinely delighted to hear it. A future favourite and we can't wait...

This place took me by surprise in the best way possible. The atmosphere strikes a great balance between vibrant and relaxed, with stylish décor and a welcoming buzz that makes you feel at ease straight away. The menu offers an exciting mix of Portuguese and Brazilian influences, and every dish we tried felt crafted with care. We started with mussels in a rich garlic and white wine sauce and tempura pork belly, both fresh, generous and full of flavour. For mains, the Brazilian fish stew was fragrant and comforting, while the picanha served on a sizzling hot stone was a real showstopper, perfectly cooked to our liking right at the table. The lamb shank was fall off the bone tender and packed with depth, and the grilled octopus was one of the best I have had in the UK. We finished with a silky panna cotta that was just the right level of sweetness. Service was genuinely friendly and attentive, and the staff clearly know their menu well, offering great wine recommendations that paired beautifully with our food. Prices feel more than fair for the quality and portion sizes. This is the kind of restaurant that works equally well for a casual dinner with friends or a special celebration. I left already planning what I will...

Went here for my wife’s birthday. Food was good. There was a mix up with our steaks which happens, but it was sorted without any questions (they were different dishes but they were cooked as the other person liked) They were recooked from fresh, which was great, and the new plates were ace. Starters were delicious. Staff were over attentive to the point of making us uncomfortable. We were asked 6 times if the steaks were OK after the mix up, we could barely get a mouthful in without a check up. Later we were very kindly asked if my wife would like a dessert on the house as it was her birthday. We said we were full... she was asked again... we politely said we were full, so she was asked again.. we said no thank you. It was then offered to me. Buy this time we were just being swarmed over by staff, making it hard to relax. The wine is poor. We all know and accept that this is a key money maker for restaurants but we expect savvy choices. This was £6-7 retail wine which they will have got for less (£4-5?) wholesale sold at £23-25 a bottle. The key point was it tasted like £5 a bottle supermarket plonk. Why cook good food to pair it with bad wine? In short good food, bad wine and hovering staff that put...