History

Robata grilling came to Las Vegas with chef Mitsuo Endo at Raku on Spring Mountain Road in 2008. The kitchen runs imported Japanese binchotan, white-oak charcoal that burns at 800C with almost no smoke. Endo's skewers cover the full Japanese izakaya canon: kushiyaki of pork belly, chicken skin, chicken thigh with green onion (negima), asparagus wrapped in beef, quail eggs and Japanese mushrooms. Raku earned multiple James Beard nominations and became the off-Strip room Vegas chefs ate at after their own shifts ended. Endo opened Sweets Raku in 2011 and Raku NYC in 2018.

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Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 45 minTotal 1 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 400g pork belly, cut into 3cm cubes
  • 4 chicken thighs, boned, cut into 3cm pieces
  • 100g chicken skin, cleaned
  • 8 spring onions, cut into 4cm batons
  • 8 asparagus spears, halved
  • 8 thin slices beef (sukiyaki cut)
  • 12 bamboo skewers, soaked 30 min
  • Tare sauce: 100ml soy, 100ml mirin, 50ml sake, 1 tablespoon sugar, simmered 10 min until syrupy
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Thread alternating chicken and spring onion onto 4 skewers (negima). Thread pork belly cubes onto 4. Wrap each beef slice around an asparagus piece and thread, 4 skewers.
  2. Heat a charcoal grill (binchotan if you have it, lump charcoal otherwise) to a glowing white-grey. The temperature should be hot enough you can hold your hand 10cm above for 2 seconds.
  3. Grill pork belly skewers first, 6 to 8 minutes total, turning every 2 minutes and brushing with tare in the last 2 minutes. They should be lacquered and the fat rendered.
  4. Grill chicken negima 5 to 6 minutes, turning. Brush with tare in the last minute. Salt to finish.
  5. Grill beef-wrapped asparagus 3 to 4 minutes. Salt to finish.
  6. Serve immediately with extra tare on the side and a wedge of lemon.

Tip from the editors. Don't over-baste with tare or the skewers caramelise and char before the centre cooks; brush only in the last quarter of cook time.

Where to eat robata skewers

Robata skewers in Las Vegas

Raku ★ 4.8

$$$ Japanese Izakaya and RobataSpring Mountain Chinatown

Raku in Las Vegas is Mitsuo Endo's Spring Mountain izakaya since 2008, binchotan-charcoal robata that drew chefs from the Strip and earned multiple James.

OrderAgedashi tofu (made in-house daily) plus a run of robata skewers chosen at the counter.

TipBooking is essential. Late-night kitchen runs to 03:00 for after-shift industry diners.

Directions

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