I went back to Raku on a recent trip to Vegas. Walked in on a weeknight at about 11pm and there were a good number of seats available. They are open late, until 3am most days. This time I ordered a la carte.
Raku’s Tofu (Half) ($3.50)
Had a half order of some of their excellent house made tofu. Served with chives, grated ginger, and katsuobushi (bonito flakes). Was instructed to first try it by itself and then try it with some of their green tea salt and soy sauce and the condiments on the side. Delicious.
Poached Egg with Uni and Ikura ($9)
Uni, ikura, and okra, with nagaimo and poached egg. And a few mushrooms. Was instructed to mix it up. The nagaimo or mountain yam bits were crunchy, with a texture similar to water chestnut, and also gave the dish a slightly slimy consistency along with maybe the okra. Interesting mix of textures and flavors. I think I like these things more separate than mixed up though.
Fried Ice Fish ($8.50)
Perfectly fried crispy little fish with a lemon wedge. Even the bones and head were soft. Delicious.
Kobe Beef Tendon ($3.50)
Fantastic. Soft and gelatinous interior, but not falling apart. Nice lightly sauced exterior, could really taste the charcoal from the grill.
Agedashi Tofu (Half) ($7.50)
More of their tofu, only agedashi style. Slightly crispy fried exterior. The interior was similar to the cold tofu, only warmer. Served in a soy based sauce with a few matsutake mushrooms and topped with ikura, nori, and chives, with a dab of smoky hot sauce on one side of the plate. Very good.
Foie Gras with Glazed Soy Based Sauce ($17.50)
Great! Very rich piece of foie. Like the beef tendon skewer it had a nice slightly smoky flavor from the charcoal. Some of the fat had rendered from it forming a pool underneath. Topped with a slice of fried black garlic.
Cold Udon Noodle with Foie Gras Egg Custard Soup ($18.50)
Finished with the udon. Was instructed to eat the custard on the bottom of the sauce first (I think). Nice smooth creamy custard. I think the sauce and/or custard were infused with foie, which gave it a distinctive rich savory sweet taste. There was a piece of duck in there too. I then dipped the udon into the sauce tsukemen style. The udon noodles had a nice texture, springy and al dente, and were topped with a mound of crushed ice to keep them cold.
Also had a cup of Kamoizumi Shusen Junmai Ginjo “Three Dots.” I’m not much of a sake drinker but this was quite nice.
Didn’t have room for dessert. I thought everything was great with maybe the exception of the egg/uni/ikura dish, which was good but not mind blowing. I think a la carte is the way to go here.
