In what will be the business’s 10th year of existence, Roka will open a restaurant in Mayfair in February 2014, followed by Roka Aldwych in the summer.
The Mayfair location will open on North Audley Street and will be a ‘relaxed yet elegant’ dining destination. Meanwhile, Roka Aldwych ‘will deliver a new dynamic altogether with unique design elements in both the restaurant and bar’.
The new restaurants will join Roka Charlotte Street (which opened in 2004), the 140-cover Roka Canary Wharf (2009) and Roka Hong Kong.
At the heart of the Roka offering is the charcoal robata grill. Groupexecutive chef, Hamish Brown, has designed the contemporary Japanese menu that offers a variety of iconic Roka dishes alongside new creations specific to each location, all using the very best seasonal produce.
Becker and Waney
With dishes intended for sharing, the menus at the new venues will showcase a selection of expertly crafted sushi and sashimi to compliment the food from the robata grill.
Becker spent the better part of a decade in Japan and his journey resulted in an international restaurant group which is now run with business partner Arjun Waney and includes Roka and Zuma restaurants.
Zuma, which was co-founded by Becker and Waney in 2002, offers the more informal izakaya-style Japanese dining in which dishes are brought to the table continuously throughout the meal. It has sites in London, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Dubai, Miami, Bangkok and Abu Dhab, with more international openings in the pipeline.
Earlier this year, Becker and Waney also opened Oblix – a rotisserie and grill restaurant and lounge bar situated on the 32nd floor of The Shard development in London.