Sawtelle Blvd is bursting with new restaurants. ROC is one of the newest and certainly worth a trip. It is open continually for lunch and dinner. If you stop by around 4 you miss the crowd and can be assured you will get a table. Greg, our server, was fantastic – knowledgeable plus fully committed to making our dining experience fun and pleasurable. There is no liquor license so be prepared for soft drinks and tea. We did make one mistake and ordered everything at once. It is best to order one dish at a time so you aren’t rushed and overwhelmed by a table loaded with dish after dish.
The room as you enter
The room by the open kitchen – notice the light fixture
The open kitchen
The chef making dumplings
Shanghai Soup Dumplings with Shrimp and Pork (Xiao Long Bao) – Greg had to teach us how to eat this.
First you carefully remove the dumpling, dip it in the ginger sauce and put it on your soup spoon. You then gently pierce the top skin of the dumpling and the wonderful soup spills on the spoon mixing with the sauce. Then you just pop it into your mouth. I would say I got a C doing this – it does take practice!
Sauteed String Beans with Garlic – we asked for a medium amount of garlic – delicious
Scallion Pancake with Gingered Soy Dipping sauce – another winner and a large portion for two (We did end up taking quite a bit of food home)
ROC Rice Cake with Chicken, Napa Cabbage and Spinach – my least favorite dish
Crispy Shrimp and Pork Dumplings with Ginger Chili Dipping Sauce – The dish is presented as a crisp pancake. You then carefully cut the pancake and turn it over.
Underneath the pancake are the shrimp and pork dumplings – 8 pieces in all – another winner dish.
We will definitely return to ROC, order one dish at a time and practice how to eat the soup dumplings.
Refined Palate 