Jenny H.
Yelp
Still maybe the ichiban (number one) Japanese restaurant in the area. Japanese-owned, and all the employees are Japanese, too... which means timely and cheerful hospitality!!
Pro-tip: The lunch menu is definitely more affordable than the dinner one.
\\ chicken katsu lunch special
- tender, juicy chicken encased in panko flakes and sliced thin for the optimal crunch-to-juice ratio
- comes with two sauce options (tonkatsu sauce and "spicy" mayo), salad, a generous bowl of yummy perfectly-cooked Japanese rice ("sticky rice," according to my Caucasian-American culinary professor), and warm miso shiru (Japanese staple of a soup with a fermented soybean paste + dashi stock)
\\ tonkatsu
- less tender than the chicken, but that's the nature of pork
- evenly and thoroughly coated in panko and fried to a crunchy brown
- comes with tonkatsu sauce (similar to Worcestershire sauce but vegetable-based and with more delightfully complex flavors without being overbearing), salad, rice, and miso soup
\\ saba shioyaki (grilled mackerel)
- saba = mackerel, shio = salt, yaki = grilled
- tl;dr - really really yum (see extended Ode to the Saba below)
- comes with rice, miso soup, simple but delightfully crispy and fresh salad
\\ all salmon combo
- salmon is hands-down my favorite fish for sashimi, nigiri, and sushi, and this platter gave my parents and me plenty of ways to savor it
- absolutely succulent
- beautiful fish
\\ tonkotsu ramen (pork broth)
- 2 slices of fish cake, 1 slice of pork, bamboo shoots, pickled veggies, seaweed, bean sprouts
- the soup was truly hearty and savory (i finished every drop), and the noodles don't clump, but the perfectly smoked umami-packed pork was the secret star who stole the show
- unapologetically authentic Japanese ramen
- come here to start your ramen journey properly!
\\ dessert: strawberry shortcake + coffee
- guys this is huge. i basically never stay in the restaurant for dessert. (that's what dessert places are for!)
- we asked about ordering a sheet of cake after sharing this slice...
- this cake is a cloud, and the strawberries are happy naked baby cherubs that grace it. the cream is simultaneously rich and light, and it doesn't give me ominous insulin-resistant nightmares.
- also what's in Japanese coffee? how is it so so pleasant to drink? no one has to pretend to like it or pretentiously compliment its depth of bitterness or fruitiness... it's just so simply delicious!
- we were stuffed, but if you find yourself here for lunch, i highly urge you not to skip dessert!
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Ode to the Saba:
Where do I even begin? This is such a perfect use of this lovely ingredient. What a respectful conclusion to this mackerel's life (sorry PETA and all you fish-lovers).
Grilling with salt helps bring the fish's elastic skin to the epitome of savory crisp (English lacks the vocabulary to do it justice), while the grilling process has somehow perfectly preserved the juicy flesh to be flaky and soft in juxtaposition. I'm not usually a fan of fish skin, but this is a must-have. Don't throw the best part out!
Fresh radish puree takes this dish into another eigenfunction of light/juicy/freshness that gives the mackerel's tasty omega-3 grease more space to play. Also--don't forget to add lemon!
If the concept of umami is still vague to you, let this fish inform you.
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Wow this was a wordy review.
tl;dr - I have no shortage of praises.
Japanese food is an art form, and while I do love seeing cultures mingle and experiment, there's no one I'd trust more for authentic tasteful Japanese food than a Japanese chef.
If you're just looking for a cheap California roll, you might be happier giving up your table here to the next customer. But if the idea of being teleported to Japan and immersed in a gastronomic quest sounds amazing to you, Sushi Robata is a trusty place to visit.
I often think to myself that "hey, this is surprisingly actually pretty good for Dallas" or "this is pretty good for the US," but regarding this restaurant, all I can say is that it's "pretty good." As more and more Japanese restaurants pop up in Dallas, please don't forget Sushi Robata!