A contemporary Asian-American restaurant with a playful menu and a kitty theme has landed in Oakland’s Rockridge District.
Oken debuted in late Could on the very triangular actual property of 6200 Claremont Ave., previously Haruki Japanese Restaurant. Spelled backward, the title is neko — Japanese for “cat.” It’s the most recent endeavor from the staff behind the town’s Ohgane Korean BBQ, the increasing chain Oh G Burger and the favored OK’s Deli, lately named a prime sandwich spot by The Mercury Information.
The vibe is casual-upscale with reservations accessible on the web site. As for the delicacies it’s somewhat Korean, somewhat Japanese, a bit American and all fairly attention-grabbing. There are Korean-inspired dishes that is perhaps unfamiliar to those that haven’t explored Seoul. Different dishes can be very acquainted to individuals who’ve eaten at OK’s Deli, just like the Sichuan scorching rooster and presumably quickly the triple-cooked, ramen-spiced French fries, in accordance with Oken’s Instagram.
The menu splits appetizers into cold and warm teams, the previous together with raw-fish shows like oak-smoked hiramasa sashimi with English peas and kelp-cured halibut crudo with Asian pear and sesame leaf (each $24). The latter has that Sichuan rooster, made popcorn-style with five-spice marinade and honey mustard ($18), and a dashi omelette with gochujang Gulf-shrimp sauce ($22).
Entrees embrace the supremely meaty kalbi ssam with quick rib and mini-“hambaga steak” — a Japanese hamburger-type patty — with recent kimchi and garlic confit ($46). There’s additionally a tsukune chicken-dumpling noodle soup with soft-boiled egg and rooster fats ($25) and hwe dup bap, which is a rice dish with fermented soybean-cured ocean trout, salmon roe and veggies and herbs ($25).
The beverage checklist takes up an entire menu web page and options wines primarily from Europe (glasses and bottles), Japanese sake, Korean soju and overseas and native beers. And for dessert, proper now there’s one choice: a chocolate satan’s-food cake with roasted soybean-sesame cream.
Particulars: Gentle-opening hours are 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Thursday, 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Sunday at 6200 Claremont Ave., Oakland; okenoakland.com, instagram.com/okenoakland
