Kata Robata
3600 Kirby Dr
2.5 out of 3 faces
There are going to be a bunch of people that will lump Kata Robata into the “sushi” category because of the sushi bar and because it is owned by the Azuma people. But that is a real injustice because this place is really more of a Japan tapas place (for lack of a better term). They do have sushi if you need your fix but Kata’s value doesn't come from its sushi, it comes from its inventive small plates.
The service was off and on which is to be expected from a new restaurant. Well let
me clarify the waiter was great the bar service and the hostess kind of sucked so
they get a sub par average. A bonus was that there was a Japanese business dinner
going on in the back and all forty of them were standing in a circle and clapping
about every 30-
We order pretty much everything the waiter suggested, which shockingly weren't the 5 most expensive things on the menu. They would bring out two or three dishes at a time then once we were done with those let them sit a minute and replenish, which I loved.
The first round we got Japanese snapper sushimi with truffle oil, tuna stuffed fried mushrooms and braised pork belly. All three were out of this world. The snapper had a very light fresh flavor and the truffle flavor added with the oil was really an amazing combination. I thought the truffle flavor would really overwhelm but it didn’t at all, really an amazing flavor combination. The fried mushrooms we great as well. The outside was perfectly crisp and the tuna within was somehow perfectly cook. It was a very cool technique and the sauce served with them I would bathe in. Finally the pork belly was just perfectly done. And for my money there isn’t much better than braised pork belly. This version had some Asian flavors that made it a little different but ultimately this was just a perfectly executed dish, and one of my favorite of the day.
Next robata squid and a seafood pasta with shrimp and squid showed up. I like to think of it as our fish course. The squid was a little plain to be honest. It was good but it needed a sauce or something. It was by far the weakest dish but still very good and their was none left. That should tell you how strong ht meal was. The noodle dish was great. flavor was great the seafood was fresh and top quality. It is hard to beat really great noodles and the cooks at Kata do a good job of proving this.
Finally, we had the rabata lamb, foie gras sushi, and snapper sushi roll. Yes you read that right, fois gras sushi! It is just a piece of poached fois gras on a piece of sushi rice. Ok let me take a deep breath because I am getting culinarily erect. Beautifully poach fois gras simply served to let you just enjoy it for what it is... Wonderful. I think this one bite made me love this restaurant and its concept. The lamb was great too. I know I sound like a broken record but this protein was cooked to perfection and it came with a nice herb sauce. The snapper roll was good but like I said before the sushi/rolls arent the highlight to Kata. If you want really great sushi go to a sushi bar.
The way Kata Robata keeps food simple while still being innovative and creative is where this restaurant earns its stars. Perfect technique and just damn fine food is what you will find here. And while I had some trouble with the bar and the front of the room the cooking is out of this world, one of the better meals I have had in a while.
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