Straight off the heels of our Hawaii trip, we found ourselves at Hawaiian Poke & More with a craving for island-inspired eats. At the time of our visit, the restaurant was closed for dine-in but still open for take-out. We had called ahead and arrived at their cute and cheerful digs in Capilano. The owner, who helped us at the counter, was super sweet and welcoming.
As their name suggests, the restaurant focuses on poke, the popular Hawaiian dish consisting of diced raw fish in a combination of seasonings. Compared to other poke shops in town, Hawaiian Poke & More definitely wins for authenticity, with the fish already pre-marinated and served simply on its own, with or without rice. The menu also boasts other Hawaiian classics like loco moco, kalua pork, and spam musubi.
We ordered one of their grilled entrees, which was the kalbi short ribs ($13.99). Three pieces of kalbi served with two scoops of rice and macaroni salad. You get great value for the price but we did find the kalbi marinade to be on the saltier side.
Mac salad is a staple with any Hawaiian plate lunch. The macaroni is mixed in a creamy, sweet mayo dressing with shredded carrots.
For the main event, we ordered three types of poke. The poke is available in eight different flavours, with your choice of salmon or tuna. We got them in half pound sizes (tuna $12.50 / salmon $14.39), including one poke bowl (tuna $14.25 / salmon $16.25) which comes with two additional scoops of furikake rice. I love how the poke came in deli containers like you would get at the grocery stores and poke counters in Hawaii.
The sweet & spicy tuna poke was mixed with green onion and slices of raw onion. I would say the sauce was more sweet with the slightest bit of underlying heat. I was pleasantly surprised that the tuna was smooth and firm, which speaks to its freshness, rather than the mush that we've become accustomed to.
The spicy mayo salmon poke also comes mixed with tobiko, green onions and sliced raw onion. There's a definite kick but the mayo lends some creaminess. As someone who doesn't take to spice very well, the heat level is fortunately bearable.
Our final poke was the oyster sauce salmon. This was my favourite out of the flavours we tried. Mixed with green onion and sesame seeds, the salmon was sweet and a little nutty. I found I needed rice to balance out the strong flavours of the other fish, but I was fine eating this poke on its own.
Since a Hawaiian vacation doesn't seem likely in the foreseeable future, stop by this family-run business for your own little island escape! I, for one, have raw fish cravings 24/7 and will definitely be back to try more!
Hawaiian Poke & More
7256 101 Ave NW
Edmonton, AB
(780) 540-3777
- CT
Oh my gosh. All these food looks so good ��
ReplyDelete