Pronounced “poh-kay”, this healthy, delicious, Hawaiian trend is soon to be making massive waves right here in Dublin city. If you haven’t heard of it yet, take it from me – this one is exciting.
Quick introductory course to poke – it is a verb, meaning to slice. Poke bowls thus involve a lot of slicing, and I suppose are essentially a large, glorified bowl of deconstructed, top-grade sushi with a Hawaiian twist. Cubed, marinated, fresh sashimi is usually always the main attraction, and then the creators really have free rein to make the dish as beautifully colourful and virtuous as possible.
Things like sticky rice, fresh mango, pickled delights – such as seaweed or ginger – avocado, spinach, edamame, are then added. Consider it a fantastic fish salad.
The Shaka Poke owners – who recently brought poke to food markets around the city to uproarious applause and also to festivals like Body and Soul and Beatyard – have now set up a permanent joint in St Stephen’s Green’s food village. Since February 18th, their exciting take on the traditional Hawaiian dish has been made available to us by means of a mere shuffle up Grafton St between lectures. Go for the intrigue (fish for lunch? Surfer dudes in Stephen’s Green?) and stay for the puns on the menu – one of the vegan options is called “No Catch”.
Bowls come in two different sizes, and are €9.50 to €13 for the classic bowls, and €9.50 to €14 for the build your own. Fingers crossed that a student discount is on the cards, given the venue’s proximity to Trinity, among other third-level institutions. They are also available now on the Just Eat app, and are regular vendors at Eastpoint Business Park, Mespil Rd and Sandyford Industrial Estate Market, and also Blackrock Village Market. Ireland’s east coast pales in comparison to the west’s if you’re a surfer, but Shaka Poke will nevertheless do great things for Dubin’s “good vibes” scene.
