Pokerrito (Morgan Crossing)

Back in 2012, when the Poké craze initially began to take shape in North America, I was trying to keep up with all the new spots opening all over the place.  Seeing how it was growing exponentially, I decided to give up as I couldn't maintain the pace.  Predictably, many have come and many have gone as the market did get saturated.  However, quite a few have survived and are still doing well.  One particular chain is Pokerrito, which surprisingly I've never had a chance to do a visit.  With a menu tasting in hand, I finally got my chance at the Morgan Crossing location.

For those who aren't familiar, Pokerrito offers up classic poké bowls as well as some fusion bowls.  But as the name implies, they are known for their Poké + Burritos = Pokerrito.  Think of it as a really large sushi roll with all the goodness of poké inside.  In the picture above, you will find the Diamond Head   It was particularly impactful with the combination of spicy tuna, spicy seaweed salad, crab meat, ginger, masago, jalapeno, furikake, crispy onion and sweet chili.  Lots of spice with sweetness and tang.  This was the most flavourful of the ones we tried.

As for the Hawaiian Classic, it was much more subtle with marinated tuna, seaweed salad, sesame, radish, pineapple, sweet corn, pea shoots, tempura bits and shoyu.  As you can imagine, this was mostly sweet with some saltiness from the shoyu.and Hawaiian Classic Pokerritos.  In this picture, you will notice the nori casing and a thin layer of sushi rice. That meant we could totally taste the ingredients even more so than the bowl version.  Also, the textures were more apparent.

Now we had two different Pokerritos that resided at each end of the spectrum.  With the the Hanauma, we found something that fell somewhere in the middle.  We had it in both pokerrito and bowl form and they ate very differently.  The bowl version had much more rice, which in turn made each individual ingredient less apparent than the pokerrito.  Now it wasn't as if there was no impact.  In fact, it still tasted great with the buttery salmon, sweet imitation crab salad, ginger and wakame salad. I personally ate less of the ginger as it was sharp with a spicy and tangy bite.  In the pokerrito form, it was harder to pick out and that overshadowed the fish somewhat.  But then again, it was further enhanced by the lack of rice.

The North Shore Bowl had some elements from the Hanauma Bowl as well as the Hawaiian Classic.  Instead of salmon, we found fresh tuna with wakame salad, radish, edamame, pineapple and masago.  This was fresh-tasting with subtle flavours.  The addition of pineapple added sweet brightness and the imitation crab salad provided creaminess.  I think this would be good in pokerrito form since there would be less rice.  The tuna and pineapple would stand out even more.  Also no ginger would allow the other components to shine more so.

Onto something that was a bit different than the previous bowls, we had the Torched Ahi Tuna Bowl with soba.  Naturally, this added smokiness and varied texture within the tuna itself.  We had some slightly cooked bits while most of it was still raw and buttery.  By virtue of employing soba and seared tuna, this ate much more like a composed restaurant dish rather than quick service.  Really enjoyed the chewiness of the noodles combined with the crispy tempura bits.

If raw fish isn't your game, they also have some cooked bowls too including the Torched Miso Glazed Salmon Bowl.  If you are wondering, yes, this piece of salmon was fully cooked.  Despite that, it wasn't dry though, so it was flaky and moist with a sweet and salty sauce on top.  Nice smokiness due to the torching and lots of bite from the ginger on the side.  That was the only competing flavour in the bowl since everything else was mild.  Personally, I would've liked a more rare piece of seared salmon for this bowl, but not sure if that could be done?

Here is where we start to see some Korean fusion with the bowls.  First, we had the Torched Bulgogi Bowl.  This was aggressively sauced and then torched, which further intensified the sweetness.  We really had to mix this into the rice as it packed quite the flavour punch.  The ample beef was sliced thin and tender.  Some kimchi on the side provided some tang and mild spice.  Another variation was the Beef Bul-Dog.  So essentially bulgogi in a hot dog bun with some greens and crispy tempura bits on top.

Our last bowl was the Torched Spicy Pork Bowl.  This was just as saucy as the bulgogi bowl while adding the element of spiciness.  Once again, we had to mix this quite well to distribute the sweet and spicy sauce.  There was ample amount of pork that was tender and moist.  To compliment, we found some edamame, cubed tamago and kimchi as well as spring mix.  Great alternative for people who don't eat raw fish.

We had one more thing at the end and it was their Matcha Tiramisu.  Sure, it was a prepackaged item, but it turned out to be quite good.  The masacarpone was creamy and light while purposefully sweet.  With just a slight amount of bitterness, the matcha flavour was present but not overpowering.  Overall, the stuff at Pokerrito is solid and there was so many options available.  I love how you can have your poké as a large roll too since it not only allows for a different flavour and texture experience, you can actually have your poké and eat it too while on the go.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- You can have your poké as a handheld
- You can also have it classic style too
- Cooked items available

The Bad:
- The sauces for the bulgogi and spicy pork were rather aggressive, best to ask for it on the side 

Ono Poké (Edmonds)

With the proliferation of poké joints on the mainland, it has been increasingly difficult to get excited about them.  It doesn't help the cause when some places pass off seafood salad as poké.  Hey, I have no problem with that, but it makes it hard to get something authentic and more basic.  I'm a big proponent of fusion and pushing the boundaries, but sometimes I just want the real thing.  That brought us to Ono Poké, specifically the Edmonds location in Seattle.

If you look at the regular sized Poké Bowl with 2 protein options, we only have fish, edamame and some imitation crab salad on a mix of sushi rice and salad.  The simplicity in this allowed for more fish and less filler.  This was a mix of Traditional Limu Ahi and Tamari Garlic Salmon.  Each scoop had a cube of fish in it, so not only was there the buttery texture of the ahi and salmon, there was also the taste of sesame oil, garlic and ginger.  The ahi had a bit of spice to it.

Something a bit different, we tried the Nachos with Spicy Sambal Ahi, seaweed salad, bonito flakes, nori and a good amount of spicy mayo.  Although I personally would've preferred wonton crisps, the chips that they used were fairly light and crispy, which matched well with the tuna.  This was so addictive as I couldn't stop eating them!  Something about the spice from the tuna, sesame oil, umami from the nori and creamy heat from the mayo with the chip made this work.

Looking more like the sides of a Plate Lunch, it was actually the Poké Moco.  This was essentially layered poke within sushi rice and topped with furikake.  It was further enhanced by some mac salad and edamame.  So this had the same components of the poké bowl except with more rice and no mac salad (although you can add that to the poké as well).  So with the extra rice, this ate more like a sushi bake (without the baking) where the rice was more prominent.  Interesting, but I would stick with the regular bowl.

If you didn't want raw fish, then there was another option in the Kalua Pig Plate Lunch.  We got this in regular size once again, because the large is enormous!  The pork was legit being fall-apart tender while exhibiting background hints of smoke, saltiness and sweetness.  They didn't skimp on the amount of it as they piled it high on top of the sushi rice.  I swear there was more pork than rice!  It also came with a side of mac salad.  I found the mac to be fairly firm with a sweet creamy dressing.

We ended up also ordering the Surf n Turf so that it would offer up the best of both worlds.  As you can see, this came in a large portion which could feed 2 people if they weren't too hungry.   The combination of hot and cold made this a different experience for sure, but once again, I would go for the regular poké bowl as I liked it the most.  In the end, we came away impressed at the quality and authentic nature of the food.  It reminded me of my visits to Hawaii (especially the big island).  Would totally come back here, my kids would love it!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Straight-up poké that is done right
- Enormous portions
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Not much you can do with the compostable containers, but they don't stand up to what is inside it. Just be careful when you take out.

Musubi Kai

Whenever I'm in Hawaii, it is more about the food than anything for me.  Yes, that doesn't seem like a revelation, given that I absolutely love to eat!  Okay, I do enjoy the scenery and the sights in Hawaii too.  So whenever I'm back at home or anywhere on the mainland, I am excited to see anything related to Hawaiian cuisine.  How about a place called Musubi Kai in Seattle?  A restaurant dedicated to Musubis?  Just like the one in Honolulu???  Well I'm game!

So let's get right to it shall we?  We got a selection of Musubis including the classic Spam Musubi.  The slice of meat was thick and evenly-seared.  There was a certain sweetness to it from the glaze.  Sushi rice was moist but still had a great chewiness.  Perfect ratio between meat and rice.  Delicious.  We also had the Spam, Egg and Avocado which made things a bit heartier but not heavier.  Again, it started with the base classic musubi with a thin slice of fluffy egg omelet and ripe avocado.  More of a breakfast item here that cut down the saltiness with the other ingredients.  The next one we had was the Spam, Egg and Eel which was extra savory and more robust due to the buttery eel.  It added more sweet saltiness and this would be great for those who like it hearty.

Onto the next 3 options, we had the BBB Eel and Pickled Daikon.  Okay, no Spam here, so it was a bit less heavy and considerably less salty.  This was all unagi with its soft texture and accompanying sweet sauce.  The crunch from the pickles added texture and also tanginess.  With a whole halved wiener, the Beef Frank & Egg was just as filling as the Spam versions.  It had a different saltiness and naturally a more bouncy texture compared to the Spam.  Lastly, we had the Shrimp Katsu with 2 ebi.  This was the most different since it had a crunchy texture to it.  Combined that with some katsu sauce and it was sweet and tangy.

They also have other items to supplement the large Musubi menu.  What better to represent Hawaii than some Poke?  We had the Salmon & Tuna Poke Bowl with all the fixins' including seaweed salad, edamame, imitation crab and corn on top of a mix of rice and mesclun greens.  This was a good poke that wasn't over-the-top.  There was enough fish to match the amount of rice and this was plenty for a meal.

Sticking with Hawaiian favorites, we found the Curry Loco Moco.  This was a hearty portion of chewy rice that was bathed in a curry sauce.  It was only mildly spicy with sweetness and equal parts savoriness.  I actually preferred this sauce over the usual gravy.  The burger patties were more like cutlets being soft and a bit bouncy.  With the addition of pickled ginger, furikake, crispy onion flakes and scallions, it kept things from getting too heavy with acidity and brightness.  Of course, there was a fried egg to offer up its yolky goodness.

Now for the overseas influence where they offered Nong Shim Cup Noodles as well as Udon.  You would find these in Korea and Japan where people happily eat them in store.  We did so too and although it wasn't anything they made or "cooked", it was satisfying nonetheless (especially on a cold day).  Overall, the Musubis were good and filling.  We liked how they had some other Hawaiian options to compliment.  Also, no joke, the instant noodles were great too!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Even ratio of rice-to-Spam
- Other Hawaiian dishes other than Musubis
- Loved the instant noodles!

The Bad:
- Parking in the area is limited (could park in the adjacent parking lot though and buy something from Staples)

Poke Club

Remember that Poke craze from 10 years ago?  It seemed like a new poke spot was opening up every week!  If you've ever been to Hawaii far before that, you'd know that the poke we have here is an interpretation of the original dish.  Save for a few places that serve up authentic poke, most places here make it accessible and as familiar as they can for the local population.  Hey, I don't blame them as restaurants are there to profit and they will serve whatever the masses are willing to pay for.  They are not there to satisfy the 10% who want it a certain way (those who are always complaining something isn't authentic).  This brings me to Poke Club in PoCo.  Sure, they have poke, but they also have some hot classic Hawaiian and Korean dishes.  Yah, that isn't poke, but really great for these never-ending cold and rainy days.

So we didn't have any cold poke bowls but did have something that was in-between in the Aburi Poke Bowl.  This was a pretty good value at $19.45 with 3 scoops of protein.  In this case we found tuna, salmon and bay scallops that were beautifully torched.  Hence there was some textural contrast as well as smokiness.  With the other components such as imitation crab, corn, cucumber, green onion and fried onions, there was plenty of toppings for the amount of chewy sushi rice.

Sticking with the Hawaiian theme (it is a poke joint after all!), we tried the Garlic Butter Shrimp for a reasonable price of $17.95.  These large shrimp (an oxymoron?) were meaty with a sweet snap texture.  They were garlicky and buttery, but I thought they were much more savoury with an intense sweetness from the caramelization.  The rice underneath soaked up all the juices and was delicious as well.   Some pineapple and imitation crab were added to the bowl too.

Now we can't have garlic butter shrimp and not have a Loco Moco on deck right?  Yet another classic Hawaiian dish, we found a house-made beef patty that was fairly lean.  Hence, it wasn't exactly juicy, but we really appreciated the natural beef texture and flavour.  Of course, this was served with a sunny side egg and gravy to go with the rice.  This was hearty and definitely great for the rainy weather we have right now.

So the Seoul Ra-Myun was definitely not Hawaiian but hey, with the large Asian population in Hawaii, I'm sure you'd find this dish somewhere.  This was so comforting and delicious with Nongshim noodles and beautifully seared thinly sliced beef.  This also came with a bowl of rice and kimchi.  Sure, nothing complex about this dish but for $12.99, it isn't any more expensive than typical fast food these days.

Lastly, we tried their Shrimp Burger that could be had in a spicy version as well.  I thought this was on point with a crispy patty that had soft fluffy shrimp paste in the middle.  It was not dense and went well with the soft toasted bun.  Overall, the warm and hot dishes we had at Poke Club were well-portioned, delicious and reasonably-priced.  Something a bit different for these cold and rainy days.  So you can have something other than poke bowls at Poke Club.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Tasty

- Good portions

- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:

- Loved the lean burger patty, but maybe too lean? 

Hula Poke (Yaletown)

With all of the Poke options these days, it is hard to differentiate between them.  Let's be honest here, most of them are not "authentic poke" anyways.  However, I'm not poke snob and am always open to interesting takes on how it is prepared.  One of the more creative spots is Hula Poke, with its many locations in town.  They offer up not only international flavours and ingredients, there are also hot options that are not necessarily poke at all.

One of which is Grilled Salmon Bowl atop coconut rice base, edamame, carrot, green onion, red peppers, sesame seeds and microgreens.  We got this in garlic sesame rather than the spicy miso option.  Due to the glaze, the salmon itself already had a sweet caramelized flavour.  It was fairly moist and flaky.  The coconut rice paired well with the salmon to create a tropical taste.  Add in all of the veggies on top, this felt like a complete meal that was healthy.

Even before we got to the fish, we had the Warm Chicken Bowl with grilled chicken, rice base, edamame, carrot, green onion, red peppers, sesame seeds and microgreens in spicy miso.  The fact it was warm rather than piping hot was key as the cold ingredients didn't start wilting.  The fresh crunch combined with the tender chicken provided a contrast in textures and temperature.  Also, the spicy miso provided the kick of flavour to an otherwise collection of mild ingredients.

Onto the poke, but with sweet potato rather than a protein, we added it to the Bahamian with coconut rice.  Believe it or not, I really enjoyed this despite the absence of fish or meat.  Exhibiting robustness, the sweet potato paired well with the tropical flavours of the coconut and pineapple.  Naturally, the coconut rice was aromatic and had a nice bite, so it also did well with the ingredients.  Due to that mix, this bowl ate on the sweeter side.

Staying in the Americas, we went for the Peruvian with salmon, tuna and all kale.  So this was more a poke salad with Peruvian marinade, ponzu dressing, edamame, green onion, red chili, avocado, sesame seeds, crispy onions, cilantro and kale.  This ate very bright due to the citrus flavours.  There was also a mild spice to it while the crunch from onions provided texture.  Due to the cilantro, a certain herbaceousness was maintained in each bite.

Honestly, the Thai with chicken and kelp noodles was not really a "poke bowl", but it was delicious nonetheless.  It had coconut Thai green curry, pineapple, carrot, red pepper, cilantro, green chilies, sesame seeds, pickled red onions, ponzu and kale. With the combination of ingredients, there was tropical taste to it with spice, creaminess, sweetness and acidity.  I thought the chicken went well while the kelp noodles were chewy and firm.

We moved onto some Korean flavours next with the Koko featuring spicy gochujang, carrot, white onion, avocado, cucumber, kimchi, furikake, sesame seeds, cilantro, miso ginger vinaigrette and kale.  We decided to get this with tofu and that paired well with the spiciness.  We chose traditional sushi rice for this bowl and it was hearty and chewy, standing up to the strong flavours. Loved the ginger notes which helped give a bit of a sharpness to compliment the sweet spice.

Lastly, we had the trusty ol' Yuzu with ginger sesame dressing, avocado, cucumber, edamame, carrot, furikake, sesame seeds, crispy onion and kale with sushi rice.  This was the most "usual"-tasting bowl and especially with salmon and tuna, it ate like one too.  Sure, there were other things in the mix that added texture and flavour but this was your classic sweet and tangy concoction with raw fish and chewy rice.  So this was another great visit to Hula Poke.  I feel they have actually improved over time.  Lots of flavours and ingredients to choose from that can satisfy a variety of tastes.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Many different flavours that are unique

- More than just typical poke

- A variety of proteins and vegetarian options

The Bad:

- Can upset the authentic poke crowd

- Parking can be tough to find

Seattle Fish Guys

I love poke.  My kids love poke.  Heck, Viv loves poke.  There is a dirty joke to had somewhere here, but I'll refrain...  So if we all love poke, then there was no doubt we'd give the Seattle Fish Guys a visit while we were down there.  Now this place isn't a restaurant per se.  It is actually a fish market that also serves to-go items including poke.  They do have a small outdoor dining space, which is generally packed.  We were lucky to grab a table and also a bunch of goodies to eat.

This included a 6 piece order of Prawn Tempura accompanied strangely by unagi sauce.  Who am I to judge as it worked well with the tempura.  As for the tempura, the batter was a bit thick, but wasn't heavy.  Since it was fried and was sitting in a warming display case, it was a little hard and not uniformly crunchy.  Mind you, it wasn't soggy either.  Inside, the ebi was still buttery and had a nice meaty snap.

 

So of course we got the Poke and for this one, we choose salmon and scallop.  It also came with cucumbers, wakame and rice.  We had a choice between raw baby scallops and cooked whole scallops.  As you can see, we picked the latter and these were so appealingly delicious.  There was the hit of sesame oil that complimented the natural sweetness and beautiful chewy texture of the whole thing.

For the other Poke, we had salmon and tuna.  Much like the previous plate, the salmon was in large chunks.  Texturally, it was buttery and soft without being mushy.  However, it was not seasoned properly as it was pretty much bland except for the natural sweetness of the fish.  On the other hand, the tuna was flavourful and slightly creamy.  It was soft and delicate while having the freshness of the sea.

 

To continue with the raw stuff, we got the Sashimi Plate featuring salmon, hamachi and red tuna.  It also came with rice and a boatload of wakame.  We found the fish to be supremely fresh and appetizing.  The hamachi was so buttery soft with a minor bite.  It was sweet with plenty of that hamachi flavor goodness.  Salmon was like in the poke and the tuna was soft with a more robust texture.  Went well with the rice and wakame.  Only wish is that they included wasabi.

One of the most interesting things we got was the Dungeness Crab Sandwich with mac salad and oyster crackers (supposed to be Hawaiian chips, but I guess they ran out?).  I cannot stress how much fluffy crab there was in this sandwich.  So much so, I got the full effect from the crab flavor and texture in each bite.  I wished the bun was a bit softer and smaller, but really, this was a tasty sandwich.  Side of mac salad was solid too.

As if we didn't have enough rice already, I picked up a Miso Black Cod on rice as well.  This was pretty solid for something that was premade and sitting in a warming tray.  The rice was a little on the dry side, but I didn't mind it.  Presented in a generous large piece, the black cod was fatty, soft and flaky.  It was flavorful from the marinade, but could've used a bit more since it was the sole thing flavoring the rice.

 

Lastly, we picked up some Spam Musubis for good measure.  In terms of appearance, they were a bit flat-looking (curiously taking on the shape of the mubushi mould I bought on Amazon...).  I found that the Spam was seared nicely, but a bit thin.  However, with less rice, the ratio was still okay.  Would've liked more of a glaze on one of the musubis though.  Overall, I thought the food was solid given the price and portion size.  I would say I've had much better poke elsewhere, but not again, this was good value and fresh.

The Good:

- Inexpensive

- Large portions

- Fresh

The Bad:

- Food is good but not great

- Usually a long lineup (moves fast though)

Pokey Okey (Kingsway)

So I haven't done a poke post in quite some time.  To be honest, I don't really follow the coming and goings of poke joints since the explosion of such restaurants 5+ years ago.  There are just too many and most can be interchangeable with each other.  Sure, there are a few that stand out, so I do end up going back to them for the occasional meal.  One example of this is Pokey Okey.  I've actually been here a few times and even though I enjoy their bowls, I never got around to posting about it.  Well, I guess it was meant to be because they invited me to try some of their signature creations.  I gladly accepted as I was confident that I would enjoy their food.

They have 3 prominent bowls on the menu named after a colour.  The first is the Yellow Bowl with spicy salmon, scallop salad, seaweed salad, pineapple, sweet corn, purple cabbage, ramen egg, tempura flakes, seaweed flakes and Pokey Okey sauce.  Of the 3 colours, this one is the most mild-tasting even with the spicy salmon.  There was plenty of natural sweetness from the tender scallops to the pops from the corn and pineapple.  We chose a mix of white rice and spring mix and this was lighter than 100% rice.  It is worth mentioning that the ramen egg was perfect where it was runny while not being too salty.

Onto the Green Bowl, we got more impact from the combination of tuna, salmon, capelin roe, seaweed salad, purple cabbage, soybeans, imitation crab, wasabi peas, seaweed flakes and wasabi mayo.  Beyond the big chunks of fresh fish, the wasabi peas were the most prominent ingredient with its sharpness and crunch.  When the entirety of the bowl was combined, there was a lot going on including the crunch and sweetness from the seaweed salad as well as the briny pops from the roe.

If you wanted full-flavoured, then the Red Bowl would be your choice.  Seeing how this was comprised of spicy tuna, spicy salmon, flying fish roe, seaweed salad, kimchi radish, purple cabbage, fried onion, seaweed flakes and spicy mayo sauce, you can imagine the flavour.  However, beyond the obvious with the spice from the fish and sauce, the kimchi radish made this bowl.  It was spicy and tangy while the crunch added a wonderful texture to go with the soft ingredients.

Now ordering a predetermined bowl of ingredients is a convenient and easy way of going about things, yet, you have the option to build your own bowl too.  So that we did with the Torched Salmon Belly Bowl with extra salmon, purple cabbage, soybeans, imitation crab, cucumbers, fried onion, seaweed flakes, tempura flakes and flying fish roe, smokey teriyaki sauce and pokey okey sauce on white rice.  So the torched belly was fatty, delicate and smokey.  To up the smokiness even more, the smokey teriyaki is the sauce to get here.  Add in the crunch components and you have a very unique bowl.

Talking about unique, the one thing about Pokey Okey is that they are not only about poke.  At one time, they had a wonderful Unagi Bowl, but now in its place, they have a Coconut Truffle Udon.  I thought this was pretty good with just enough truffle for effect without going overboard.  I could definitely get the aromatics of the coconut in the creamy sauce.  Veggies added some brightness where the tomatoes burst with tang.  I would've liked the udon to be chewier, but it wasn't mushy either.

Another cooked item on the menu is the Beefy Bowl with braised beef, green onions, pickled ginger, seaweed flakes and rice topped with an onsen egg.  The generous amount of sliced beef on top was melt-in-my-mouth tender and well-seasoned.  We chose brown rice for this bowl since the ingredients were so hearty.  As you can see, the onsen egg was delicate and runny.  Mixed together, this was tasty where the pickled ginger added the brightness and tang to liven up the bowl.  So as you can see, there is more than poke here at Pokey Okey.  However, their poke is indeed solid with a few unique toppings.  I think their Yellow, Green and Red bowls are well thought-out and satisfy a variety of tastes.  Make sure you add some smokey teriyaki because it really adds depth-of-flavour.

*All bowls were complimentary*

The Good:
- Some non-poke items which are incidentally, good
- Good portion size even for a small
- That smokey teriyaki sauce

The Bad:
- No real dine-in option, purely takeout