Hōchō

Located in Via Riyadh, Hocho presents a simple décor and relaxed atmosphere enhanced by pleasant music, with staff who are attentive and welcoming. The kitchen emphasizes fresh ingredients and clean flavors, while the exclusive Kobe beef section, authentic, halal, and directly imported from Japan, sets the restaurant apart as both a dining destination and a distributor for the Saudi market. Diners can enjoy both playful interpretations: samosa with chili mayo, kibbeh with yuzu tahini, tacos, grape leaves maki, crispy rice, or sushi flamed to order; and refined creations such as carpaccio with yuzu ponzu and truffle or premium ribeye, striploin, and tenderloin steaks, each cut showcasing the exceptional marbling and depth of flavor. A private area is also available, where the chef can prepare a tailor-made meal directly for you and your guests, adding a touch of exclusivity to the experience.

It's the ultimate secret experience, even more exclusive than that of the mother house, Hocho. Inside this now well-known Japanese restaurant on Via Riyadh, pass through the door of the cold room, along a small corridor to enter the hidden universe of Ruby Room, accessing this intimate room with its 14-cover counter. The only proposal is an Omakase menu at almost 1,000 SAR for 19 courses, a gigantic epic to showcase Kobe meat in particular, of which the instigator of the Ruby Room project is the exclusive importer for Saudi Arabia. The staging is meticulous, every detail is carefully thought out, right down to the chopstick holders which are all different (the chef's favorite is black and blue). From this gastronomic adventure in an inspiring fusion mode following the local trend, we will remember the most interesting dishes within an overall sequence that is certainly impressive, but sometimes lacks a little coherence and personality: the adaptation of chawanmushi is pleasant, with its shredded bacon, the cherry tomatoes and kombu make a dish that looks modest but has an intense, harmonious flavor, the Kobe nigiri approaches three toques, with a real chewiness (we're already on the seventh plate), and the two compositions, in positions 13 and 14, are well done, the first as a pastrami, well explained and detailed by the service, the second, for the meat itself, in three ways, including one named "steak au poivre" which could even do without the sauce. Good tangerine dessert, rosewater in jelly, granita and mousse in a siphon, custom mocktails with varying degrees of success, and service and welcome attentive to everyone's needs, showing their enthusiasm and involvement with fervor.