One of the challenges of our legal system is finding an impartial jury in a celebrity case, the kind that is splashed all over the media in real time. It used to be that jurors could deliberately avoid learning details by not reading newspapers, but the ubiquity of television and the net means that we are bombarded by news wherever we go. Anyone who has no knowledge or opinions about some cases must be living in a cave, where they probably aren’t going to get a jury summons.
In the same way some restaurants inspire such strong opinions that you can’t avoid having some preconceptions about what they’re doing and how well they do it. Rok Sushi is a case in point; the high-profile location at the corner of Pier and Hermosa avenues means everyone knows where they are, and the controversy about various aspects of the business keeps them in the limelight. Those who decry the Hollywoodization of Hermosa sneer at the very idea of the place having a VIP room, and traditionalists sniff at a menu that offers pizzas, burgers, and fettuccine Alfredo. Social networking sites host pitched battles between a cadre of fans and those who complain about prices, portions, and such minutiae as the portrait of Chinese martial artist Bruce Lee in a restaurant that at least allegedly specializes in Japanese cuisine.
Some of the critics are obviously annoyed because the place isn’t what they want it to be, rather than about how well Rok does what it is trying to do. The goal here is evidently a lounge and nightspot that serves many things, including sushi, and whether you are open to that concept in the first place says a lot about whether you will enjoy it.
Three of us arrived just before 7 p.m. on a Monday – and I mention the time and day because 6:30 p.m. is when happy hour finishes, and Monday is when the football specials are offered. Yes, football – despite the very unsportsbarlike interior, the big screens were on, though few people seemed to be paying much attention to them. We sat at the sushi bar and were greeted by a cheerful itamae who dished up some complimentary cucumber salad and left us to study four different menus – happy hour, Monday night football, standard food menu, and the drink menu. He graciously offered to allow us to order from the happy hour menu even though it was past, and we huddled over the various pages of food and drink to figure out what we wanted. In the end we ordered from all of them, having decided to sample traditional and outré items.
We started with traditional nigiri sushi and a few rolls, and found that both positive and negative buzz were true – the fish quality was very good, the portions on the small side. There were also some eccentric choices about sauce and garnish; I might have liked the option of dipping my yellowtail in ponzu sauce, but it arrived pre-sauced and almost drenched. The nigiri sushi seems to be an afterthought here – more care was taken with the rolls that are the focus of the menu. There are more than forty of these offered, most of them slight variations on the Asian fusion ideas that have become standard offerings in LA. Looking at the array of items with the words spicy, habanero, or jalapeno in the descriptions, I was struck by how completely California ideas have taken over what was originally a very simple and bland cuisine. It makes sense for the décor at Rok Sushi to be divorced from traditional Japanese ideas, since modern sushi is more a California phenomenon.
We had ordered a firecracker roll from the happy hour menu and a “GA Snake Roll” from the regular menu. The firecracker was a fairly standard idea – spicy tuna roll topped with avocado, tuna tataki, and tataki sauce – but very well executed. The balance of spice and tuna was nicely calibrated, unlike places where the chef deploys so much pepper that the fish is lost. The snake roll was even better, a mix of tempura soft shell crab, avocado, smelt eggs, and cucumber topped with tempura crunch and sweet eel sauce. At almost fifteen dollars for a moderate size roll it was expensive, but exquisite.
The tempura soft shell crab was perfectly done, so we had high hopes for the tempura vegetable appetizer, an item featured on three of the four menus. It arrived artistically arranged, fat pieces of vegetable with crisp batter and dipping sauce. Unfortunately it was the least successful item, because some of the vegetables had been sliced too thick. These didn’t cook correctly, and the open spaces in the broccoli and bell pepper filled with batter that didn’t cook through. It was served with a sweet sauce rather than the traditional spice dip, which worked with some items but not others. I mentioned the pockets of doughy tempura to a manager, who said they’d review the way the vegetables are cut.
We continued with a much more successful yellowtail collar – the area right behind the head of the fish – split, brushed with sauce and broiled. One of my companions was skeptical about ordering collar because even though the Japanese prize the flavor of the meat from this area, it can be a mess to eat. She was pleasantly surprised that the meat was easy to separate from the bones, and there was a lot of it. If you are the type of person who prefers a filet, then don’t order this, because it does take some skill, but the taste is enough reward.
We had decided to finish with one of the non-Japanese offerings and selected lobster and crab ravioli, despite a warning from our server that the portion was not as large as some other items. That may be true, but it didn’t need to be, since the dish was so rich that it was quite filling. Pastas might seem to be an afterthought on this menu of Japanese-inspired dishes, but you wouldn’t know it from this – the sauce was creamy and rich with herbs and slivers of tomato that fit the seafood like a glove. We had ordered this item just to have something from the Western section of the menu, but it’s one we would certainly order again.
Various desserts were offered, but we demurred because we were quite full. Dinner for three, with two flasks of the house hot sake, ran $115, and could have been much higher if we had delved deeper into their excellent sake list or had ordered sushi rolls with more abandon. The happy hour specials had saved us about $25, a generous enough amount that we’d target future visits to arrive while it is still offered.
So is Rok Sushi worth a visit? The place has inspired such passionate advocates and detractors that it seems odd to be in the middle. It’s partly about atmosphere and setting – if you prefer a quiet atmosphere, more traditional food, or are watching the budget, this probably isn’t the place for you. If you like to eat eclectic sushi and seafood in an exciting restaurant with a lounge vibe, this could be the place you’ve been looking for.
Rok Sushi is at 1200 Hermosa Avenue in Hermosa. Open daily for dinner only, full bar, street parking only. Wheelchair access OK to most of ground floor, but sushi bar is high. Some vegetarian/vegan items. (310) 798-4765. ER
