TL; DR | Summary
Rokko is a Japanese BBQ restaurant in Hurstville with a HUGE variety of meats, vegetables, sashimi, and sides! Looking to satisfy your Japanese cravings in an all-you-can-eat setting? Look no further!
While nothing stands out compared to the many other Japanese BBQ restaurants found in Sydney, the sheer variety of foods is enough to make up for it. Feast your eyes on katsu curry, mini bibimbap, beef tataki, ebi prawns, and a lot of vegetables. If the dessert options were as extensive as the mains, Rokko would score a few extra points.
Rokko Japanese BBQ Review
@bestspots.com.au Looking to satisfy your Japanese cravings in an all-you-can-eat setting? ⬇️ Rokko is a Japanese BBQ 🔥 restaurant in Hurstville with a HUGE variety of meats, vegetables, sashimi, and sides! 😋 While nothing stands out compared to the many other Japanese BBQ restaurants found in Sydney, the sheer variety of foods is enough to make up for it 😄. Feast your eyes on katsu curry, mini bibimbap, beef tataki 🥩, ebi prawns 🍤, and a lot of vegetables 🥬. If the dessert options were as extensive as the mains, Rokko would score a few extra points ✔️. If you don't mind skipping dessert and plan to fill up on savoury 😜, it's worth visiting if you're in the Georges River or Hurstville area 👌. 📘 For the FULL rundown go to bestspots.com.au #sydneyeat #eatsydney #sydneyyfoodie #sydneyfoodiestour #sydneyfoodphotographer ♬ As It Was - Harry Styles
At most Asian restaurants, I would recommend dining as a group so you can try as many dishes as possible and Rokko is no exception. There are 70 dishes to choose from, and you're guaranteed to be curious to try as many as you can. Pro tip: Wear stretchy pants!
While the price may sound a little steep, with adults at $79 per person and kids at $39 per child, this is a standard JBBQ (Japanese BBQ) price considering there are wagyu and sashimi dishes on the menu. Note that this price doesn't include alcohol or dessert.
If you don't mind skipping dessert and plan to fill up on savoury, it's worth visiting if you're in the Georges River area.
One downside to the vast number of dishes is that the quality of the food isn't as good as other Japanese BBQ places in Sydney. That being said, it's still decent overall, but I'd recommend ordering strategically to find your favourites. There is a $20 per person food wastage charge, so order wisely.
The sides are nothing fancy, but they include classics such as miso soup, sashimi, takoyaki, and yukke. As a bonus, you can also order two oysters per person, which is rare. I'd definitely recommend taking them up on the offer!
Become your own grill master at this Japanese BBQ restaurant
When looking critically at the food, it has everything you can expect from a Japanese BBQ restaurant, however, nothing stands out.
It's a shame there are no dessert items, as some ice cream or mochi would really complete the dining experience and add a few points to their rating.
But nevertheless, do arrive extra hungry, as there are:
- 17 types of meat you can BBQ, such as wagyu, pork karubi (slice), beef tongue, and chicken
- 6 grilled or fried meats including chicken karaage, takoyaki, okonomiyaki, teriyaki salmon, and soft shelled crab
- 5 types of seafood including baby octopus, squid, mussels, scallops, and prawns
- 8 vegetables of your choosing, such as king oyster mushroom, onion, pumpkin, garlic, asparagus, and okra
The service is pretty fast, so your order takes little time to arrive. However, it is an old-school pencil-on-paper ordering system, so you're likely to experience some delay, mainly in finding staff to attend to you.
In peak hours, it can get frustrating, especially when you want to order a simple item, but generally, it's not too bad.
Their staff are friendly, but keep an eye out when the restaurant is busy in case your request doesn't get actioned promptly.
Wagyu Meat Selection
There are 4 wagyu cuts to choose:
- Rib finger
- Chuck tender
- Inside skirt
- Beef loin
My recommendation when visiting JBBQ is to ALWAYS order the rib fingers. It is undeniably the best beef cut with reasonable tenderness while still being flavoursome.
However, many restaurants have their own "version" of rib fingers, so it can sometimes be lacking. Unfortunately, at Rokko, it doesn't stand out, so you can order any of the other wagyu cuts and expect the same quality.
Ox Tongue Varieties
There are 3 varieties of tongue on the menu: Nami tongue, ox tongue, and premium ox tongue.
I rarely see nami tongue on the menu at JBBQ, so this is an intriguing addition. However, it was just a marinade on top of the usual ox tongue. While it adds some variety to the palate, it's nothing spectacular. You can go either way with the regular ox tongue or the nami version.
The disappointment was the premium ox tongue. Naturally, I would expect some premium quality, but it was chopped up into chunky matchsticks, which is different from how it should be, sliced thinly. The chunky cut means a longer cook time on the grill, so I wouldn't recommend it.
Pork Dishes
The menu lacks pork belly as an option, a usual favourite at any BBQ place, which limits the pork choices to karubi, pork jowl, and pork loin. They're all decent options but nothing noteworthy.
Grilled & Fried Selection
If you're looking for something grilled or fried, you won't be disappointed by the selection. There's okonomiyaki, takoyaki, karaage, grilled fish, soft shelled crab, and fried prawns. Just to name a few.
The takoyaki is served on a skewer, which is unconventional, but it's convenient for a quick bite and for sharing.
As for the rest, they're decent enough to add variety to your BBQ grill.
Seafood Menu
The seafood on offer is standard in terms of JBBQ and include baby octopus, squid, scallops, and mussels, but generally, I would recommend avoiding seafood as the beef and pork options are better overall.
Scallops are usually the best choice, but it tends to come with two pieces seated in a foil tray and take up precious grill space.
Don't forget, there is a 90-minute ordering time limit, so you want to be as efficient as possible with your grilling.
So many vegetables
If you need some veggies to break through the meat sweats, you'll have plenty to choose from. There are a few you don't usually see at JBBQ, such as pumpkin, okra, asparagus, eggplant, and shiitake mushrooms.
Sashimi & Beef Tataki
If you don't mind raw fish, you cannot go wrong with sashimi! It's the best item when it comes to value for money.
There's salmon, tuna, kingfish, octopus, scallops, and beef tataki (which is good enough to order more).
The freshness of the food is there, but unfortunately, the tuna was lacking in the right raw taste.
Sides
There are a decent amount of side options to choose from, including seasoned seaweed, yukke, edamame and kimchi. I can't complain about any of the dishes, but nothing was out of the ordinary.
Soups & Meals
The soups and meals section helps round out the Japanese experience by allowing you to choose traditional dishes such as curries, soups, and bibimbap.
If you're okay with carbs in your belly, consider sprucing it up with other meats to further enhance these dishes.
RECOMMENDED
- Your usual JBBQ dishes such as wagyu cuts, sashimi, takoyaki, karaage etc.
- Order strategically to maximise your grill time and value for money
Last thoughts
You generally can't go wrong with Japanese BBQ, and Rokko is fantastic for getting together with friends and family. All in all, it works well for gatherings with a wide variety of options to cater towards any palate. However, if you're after top-quality beef or the best JBBQ experience, you're better off looking elsewhere.
Where To Find Rokko Hurstville
Address
Hours
- Monday: 5:30 – 9:30 PM
- Tuesday: 5:30 – 9:30 PM
- Wednesday: 5:30 – 9:30 PM
- Thursday: 5:30 – 9:30 PM
- Friday: 5:30 – 9:30 PM
- Saturday: 5:30 – 9:30 PM
- Sunday: 5:30 – 9:30 PM
Website
Phone
+61 2 8541 5542
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