My husband LOVES Kata Robata. The food is very creative. Above, you will see one of the specials available on the day we went. Raw Kobe beef with melon and onion. It doesn't sound good, but the flavors -- particularly the melon and the onion -- melded beautifully. That's what Kata Robata does; they take things you wouldn't expect to taste good, and prove to you that they are wonderful.
Another oddly delicious dish was grilled fish collar. I don't think that Americans regularly eat the collar of the fish, and we should. It isn't easy to eat with chopsticks (eventually we just picked the collars up and ate the meat right off the bones, like a rib), but the meat was very tender and had a nice smokey flavor. Plus we got the added bonus of a little crispy fish skin, which is always tasty.
We also had the Houston roll from the traditional roll list. Tuna, yellowtail, avocado, salmon and masago (roe) -- what's not to love? Between the rolls and the collar, we ordered the perfect amount of food. We left feeling completely satisfied but not gross.
Service was basic. Our waitress seemed a little shy, like she may be new at the job. Prices and atmosphere were comparable to most other upscale sushi restaurants in the Houston area. It's not my favorite sushi spot -- that honor still belongs to Sasaki -- but it's a nice place with an interesting menu, and I can absolutely recommend it.
