Hi everyone! I’m back with another weekly update for ya! This week I got to check out a new restaurant that I had never been to before: Roka Akor. I had heard so many great things about their city location that when I saw there was one in the mall nearby I thought let’s check it out.

I started off with the Prime Beef Tataki – a seared steak appetizer with freshly shaved truffle, fried shallot and a truffle onion vinaigrette. It was a very fresh start to the meal and tasted really good, however, the truffle wasn’t super strong. For me, I wish it was the opposite but at the same time I know that real truffle isn’t supposed to overwhelm you. That being said, since it was on the pricier side and everything I would probably skip this next time.

Next up, I got the Tiger Prawn Tempura bento and thought that it was going to be a version of a shrimp tempura roll but realized after that it just meant fried shrimp 🙈 …so next time I go I will definitely be trying sushi! None the less, it was still good! The value was also a great deal since you got a bowl of miso soup, a salad AND the prawns all for $14. The soup was ok, the salad was actually super tasty with a little drizzle of soy sauce on top – it really brought out the flavors.

The prawns themselves were nice and crispy and served with some curry salt, rice, and fried shishido leaf and seaweed. I dipped the prawns in some soy sauce and added a little bit of the salt with it for some flavor  – it was a bit salty after a while so I had to forgo the salt after a few tries. The seaweed leave had no flavor so I skipped that but the shishido leaf was actually super yummy! I would honestly order these as an appetizer if I could. The service here was great and I could tell the staff really knew their product, which is super helpful for newbies like me. Another big kudos goes to the fact that they asked me before putting my order in if I had any allergies or dietary restrictions! #awareness

Since I didn’t get my sushi fix there (oops), I went to a different sushi place during the week instead: Blufish. I had not been here in a long time but coming back made me realize what I had been missing. I got the maki/sashimi lunch special with black rice and got all tuna (not a salmon fan, sorry!) and loved it!! The spicy tuna roll has quite a kick so it was nice to throw in the sashimi to break it up. Both were very flavorful and the apple “flower” was a nice touch too. Such a great deal – I took home half of the spicy tuna for lunch the next day and the service was great!

In my theme of food-related adventures this week, I took a turn to more of a Latin flare this time. I had the surprising opportunity to try Uncle Julio’s newest margarita concoction: the 3-2-1 Margarita. Made with fresh fruit and lime juice as well as liquid nitrogen, this table-side cocktail was so fun to watch and it actually tasted good too! I was afraid given the theatrics that the margarita itself would taste more “artificial” and more like flavored ice. In actuality, it was smooth and creamy like gelato and the flavors paired together nicely – plus it was consistent throughout (not like one bite was super sweet while the other wasn’t). They also give you those little “dragon egg” sugary nitrogen ice balls to try – when you eat them the cold ice is supposed to come out of your nose and mouth like a dragon! Sadly, I did not get any evidence of it since my phone had no storage left but it was such a funny experience. I was not ready for how cold it was but again it tasted better than I expected! My friend and I shared both the “eggs” and the drink so if you want your own, go ahead and order one. If not, this was enough to share! This product launches today so walk, don’t run to grab yours for happy hour! Something else we got that wasn’t pictured was the pineapple bacon guacamole – so yummy!! Not much different from your regular guac besides the obvious toppings but if you haven’t tried it at least once, you should!

Jacket: The Gap (post about it here), White Shirt: J.Crew

That’s all for this week – this coming one is going to be very event driven (yay) so stay tuned!

Local Spots I Checked Out: Roka Akor, Blufish, Uncle Julio’s

Events I’m Looking Forward To: Flower Crowns & Cocktails with Alex, Punch Bowl Social West Loop Opening, Drake Fest, Oscar Parties, St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl, Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt,

See you in the next post!