One of my favorite places for sushi in Houston is Kata Robata. I love their selection of fresh, buttery fish. When you are seated at Kata (we usually try to get a spot at the sushi counter across from Chef Hori), the first page of the menu will have that day’s featured drinks, dishes, sushi, and sashimi. We always order from this list because it highlights their freshest fish. We used to get the sushi omakase (Japanese phrase meaning “I’ll leave it up to you” where the chef chooses what to serve), but the last couple visits my husband and I have been opting for nigiri (raw fish over rice) a la carte– mostly because I can’t quit eating sushi. From our past experiences with omakase at Kata, the Chef will continue feeding you until you say stop, and I don’t know when to stop. Great for my appetite, but not good for my wallet.
Kata Robata featured menu of the day on March 3. We ordered almost all the listed sushi.
We recently went for my husband’s birthday, and here’s what we got (note: we ordered two of everything except the Uni King Crab spoon, Ikura, and dessert):
Uni King Crab Spoon (MKT price). This was a little more expensive than usual ($10.50) because the uni was from Hokkaido instead of Santa Barbara. The crab flavor was dominant, so skip this if you’re in it for the uni. This is from the regular menu.
Chu-Toro (Blue Fin Medium Fatty Tuna) and Hiramasa (Wild Japanese Yellowtail Kingfish) from the featured menu. Buttery goodness.
Aka-Mutsu (Japanese Sea Perch) and Japanese Fresh Hokkaido Scallop. Both great, though the Sea Perch is my favorite. If you see it on the menu, order it!!
Japanese Hokkaido Uni and Kamasu (Seared Japanese Red Barracuda) in the back. I know Hokkaido uni is usually the preferred choice for uni lovers, but I actually like Santa Barbara uni better. It’s got a more pungent, uni-er taste imo, and it sticks on your tongue longer, which is what I like because I can’t get enough of it. Also bonus that Santa Barbara uni is cheaper than Hokkaido uni.
Sawara (Hay Smoked Japanese Spanish Mackerel) and Tennen Aji (Line Caught Japanese Horse Mackerel). Mackerel have a slightly fishier taste so if you’re not into that, skip these. I personally like them, but they are on the lower end of my favorites list.
Kohada (Marinated Japanese Gizzard Shad) and Mirugai (Washington State Geoduck). The Kohada was extremely flavorful, but it was too anchovy-ish to me (which I’m oddly not a fan of). My husband loved it though. The Mirugai was good, but nothing mind blowing.
Salmon + Quail Egg Sushi + Black Truffle. We first had this when we dined at Kata over New Year’s Eve and loved it. So when we saw it on the menu again, we had to get it. Gimmicky? Yes, but so worth it. The fish you see in the bottom right corner is Hamachi (Yellowtail). We had actually ordered the Hamachi + Quail Egg Sushi (another fav of ours that we always get), but it was misheard. No biggie– Hamachi is still delicious on its own. We also did not figure this out until we got home and thought, “Hey, didn’t we order the hamachi quail egg?” lol
Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp) and Wagyu A5 Sushi. The Amaebi is from the regular menu and is always a favorite. The Wagyu A5 Sushi is from the featured menu and is also very nice. Love the torched taste.
Fried Shrimp head. I always forget that this comes with an order of Amaebi, so it’s a nice surprise when it’s served. Eat the entire head. It’s crispy good.
Foie Gras + Scallop Sushi and Ikura (Salmon Roe), both from the regular menu. The foie is a favorite of ours, and we always order it. I like Ikura, but not in “large” amounts like this, so we only ordered one of that (for my husband). How can I not love Ikura? It stems from my trip to Japan’s Tsukiji Fish Market 13 years ago. I wasn’t much of a sushi lover back then, and trying to stomach an omakase at 7am was a difficult feat for a wannabe foodie. I ate as much as I could, but shoving a handful of Ikura into my mouth on a full stomach and a throat-ful of fish left me gagging. I remember that vividly, and I think of it every time I see Ikura.
Green Tea and Strawberry Cream Puff – green tea pastry cream, strawberry cream, hazelnuts, cinnamon, Fuji apple sorbet. This was on the house as a birthday treat for my husband (which was a very sweet and kind gesture, thank you Cory!). I am usually not a fan of cream puffs because they never have enough cream in them– they’re always just bready puff! But these little cream puffs were great and filled with lots o’ cream. They oozed out with each bite. And that Fuji apple sorbet was fantastic!
Good cream to puff ratio.
The total of our meal came out to $267 before tip and tax. Overall a very satisfying meal. I think next time I will order 3 of the Aka-Mutsu for myself 🙂
Two days later was my husband’s actual birthday, and we went back to Kata for happy hour with his coworkers. Here’s a few of the food items we ordered:
Pork Belly Bun. Nice n fatty.
Kobe Beef Taco. Obviously not actual Kobe beef, but it was a very tasty taco.
Miso Lobster Macaroni & Cheese $19 (not on happy hour menu). Houston Dairymaids Parmesan cheese, Marieke gouda, Veldhuizen cheddar, panko, miso. This was sooo good. Could have used more lobster, but the cheesiness was perfect!
Also ordered but not pictured: Yuzu Salmon Carpaccio (love this and its yuzu-ness), gyoza, and fried fish.
And last but not least, here is a photo of Chef Manabu “Hori” Horiuchi serving us some delicious sushi from a previous visit.
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