Rokko's is a Japanese restaurant located in Downtown Sunnyvale that I've visited a few times for lunch. This is my first time eating here for dinner and the quality of the food really isn't any better, the portions are only slightly larger, but the prices appear to have jumped two fold. Sadly, I don't have a copy of the menu, and I couldn't find the menu online, so you'll have to just go with my descriptions of the dish.
For dinner, I ordered the two platter combo, along with a plate of half cooked fish for the appetizer. I tried to be a little adventurous this time, ordering a combo item I can't quite pronounce "Saba
The half cooked fish was that of white tuna presented atop a vinegared soy sauce with pickled onions. As a side note, I enjoy eating white tuna much more than I do the red tuna. What is the difference anyway? Is it a completely different fish? Or is it just a different portion of the gargantuan tuna? Back to the dish, The fish itself was slightly seared on the outside leaving the middle raw. Biting into the tuna, it easily broke apart first starting with a grainy texture followed by a really smooth and sweet flavoring of the middle, the typical sensation you feel in your mouth with half cooked fish. The soy sauce mixture accompanied the fish really well, with particular accolade to the onions. The quality of the fish itself? Not particularly sure, but I can tell you it was nothing like that of Ray's. Then again, Ray's was raw, so who knows.
Like most combos, it was served with the usual salad and miso soup. No surprises here. The sashimi was served first. I usually eat my sashimi plain with no soy sauce or wasabi. I know, you lose some of the flavor, but with raw fish, I like tasting it's freshness without anything to blanket it. The sashimi is your average sashimi. The sake was just okay, it wasn't as fatty or sweet as I like it. It also wasn't as smooth and "slimy" as the time I went to Rays. Sorry, but after going to Rays, I think it has set the bar in terms of fresh sushi. They also gave 3 pieces of maguro, one yellow tail, and several pieces of various other fish I don't quite know. Clearly, I'm not that great with names. I eat the food, I smell the food, but for heaven's sake, don't make me remember their names...haha. Just kidding. I'll learn it eventually.
The saba is a little different from what's usually found at your standard Japanese restaurants. It's essentially a grilled piece of mackerel. Very reminiscent of the breakfasts I used to have when I was in Japan. The fish was very firm, sweet, and juicy, and they gave a really hearty portion as well. On the side were some edemame beans and also a piece of fried "who knows what". It looked like the skin of fried wontons, but why it was served with my fish, I have no idea. Perhaps someone could leave in the comments section an explanation. :-P.
The tea? Really, Japanese tea usually tastes the same to me. I'm not exactly a connoisseur of teas, but I usually know what I like. To me, Japanese tea really all tastes the same. It has this grainy texture to it that I don't particularly like. Perhaps this is an indication that the tea isn't too great, who knows. For me though, I still prefer Chinese teas or other herbal teas.
Rokko's? It's worth a try. Their lunch is a killer deal as you can usually order their lunch special and it's about 7 bucks and you get the main dish of the day, rice, salad, soup, and a plate of sashimi. Their dinner on the other hand is quite expensive. They're pretty packed during lunch though so make sure to avoid the traffic by going earlier than 12:00 or later than 1:00 on a weekday. Value wise, it's not bad if you go for lunch. Food quality is passing but not spectacular. Service is average.
What dishes would I recommend? The seared white tuna was good, as was the mackerel. From past experiences, their rolls are acceptable as well; you can pass on the sashimi though.
Yelp
190 S Frances St
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
(408) 732-7550
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