Yes, Oke Poke. Not hokey cokey. Two very different things. One is a dish of rice, raw fish and vegetables – not unlike a sushi bowl, the other, well. You put your left leg in, and before you can turn around everyone’s giddy with childhood memories.
The poke bowl is finally hitting Manchester – hailing from Hawaii, poke means cut, slice, or chunk, and is a bowl full of rice (or quinoa or other grains), primarily raw fish (sometimes chicken or tofu), vegetables and seasoning. To someone like me who is a big (massive) sushi fan, it offers something a little different to traditional ngiri or sashimi, but still with the fresh flavours you’d expect.
Options on the menu include both signature dishes, and make your own so if there’s something you don’t like, or want more of, or if you’re gluten free, vegan or vegetarian, dishes can be adapted to suit.
For the opening of the site in the Northern Quarter, we were treated to dinky versions of the full bowls. salmon with quinoa and pomegranate sauce (sweet sticky and sour, a definite winner), chicken with black rice, pickled ginger and edamame and tuna with chilli, radish and roe.
And we shared bigger versions, here more tuna, with cucumber, rice, sesame, salad leaves and avocado. Th emphasis of the poke is on fresh, fast, tasty food. The quality of the ingredients is evident – you can’t hide cheap ingredients when it’s this fresh. Poke bowls come in at £7.95, and pokeritos – yes a poke burrito so it’s a little more portable – are £6.95 it’s a pretty good price point for something this tasty and quick.
And healthy. Yes, I’ll say it, this is the ultimate healthy fast food.
Whilst the emphasis on this spot is on takeaway, there is seating inside if you’d rather not grab and go, and you can sit and enjoy a smoothie, juice, or tea with your poke bowl.
As for me? I think I’ve found my post Saturday gym session refuel. Poke bowl and a protein shake for me please. Ta.
