RUKA

Cuisine	Japanese, Latin (Other)
Price	$$$ (31-50)
Rating	8/10
Last Visit	Oct. 14, 2019
Location	Boston: Downtown

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General Notes

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Ruka is a trendy, upscale Peruvian/Japanese tapas restaurant situated in the heart of downtown Boston. I was originally a bit skeptical of the Peruvian/Japanese fusion, but everything from the decor/atmosphere to the food was executed beautifully and made so much sense. It's a bit expensive, but I'd certainly return; I'd be excited to try some of their other offerings and I really wish I had stayed for dessert.

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Positives

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> Food is excellent! Lately I've gotten really into tapas restaurants, and although I'm typically somewhat skeptical of fusion restaurants, Ruka pulls it off excellently. The flavor combinations make a lot of sense and they're executed well.
> The atmosphere of the restaurant is amazing. Even the Google Maps description says "Peruvian-Japanese-Chinese food in a sexy dining room that mixes cultural motifs to dramatic effect". A lot of restaurants end up being too dark, which I feel detracts a lot from the experience. Ruka has a comfortable level of brightness (which is mostly focused on the tables), and the decor is really nice.

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Negatives

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> If anything, I don't think that the sushi at RUKA is that remarkable. It's generally prepared very well, but I think the other dishes stand out more.

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Dishes Tasted

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• ★★★☆ Grilled Sesame Broccoli -- Sesame panca, scallion crema, pico de rocoto, spiced macadamia nuts. The texture and light roasted flavor of the broccoli was excellent, and the other components round the dish out with a nice acidity and crunch.
• ★★★★ Miso Chilean Sea Bass -- Dashi-onion puree, wasabi oil, yuzu, sweet soy. A bit expensive but this dish is so amazing in every way. In many ways, it kind of reminds me of the sturgeon I had at Blackbird in Chicago.
• ★★★★ Lima Style Fried Calamari -- Leche de tigre-garlic butter, red onion, chilies, bonito. I loved this dish - the calamari was fried well, and the somewhat sharp acidity really lifts up the dish.
• ★★★☆ Blackened Octopus -- Spicy harissa mayo, sesame bbq, ginger slaw. The octopus had an amazing flavor - the sesame bbq pairs remarkably well with the octopus.The ginger slaw was a bit lacking in flavor though.
• ★★☆☆ Hamachi Amarillo -- Spicy tuna, quinoa, avocado, grilled peppers, cucumber, acevichado sauce. Generally pretty good - fish is nice and the sauce adds a nice, fresh acidity. I'm generally not a huge fan of cucumbers though.