05 Aug Poked, Melbourne CBD
Wake up Melbourne, poké has just landed from the sunny shores of Hawaii. You can catch it at Pokéd, the first store in Melbourne dedicated to the dish. Classically made with seafood, the protein is seasoned, combined with salads and toppings and piled on top on hot sushi rice.
Started up by medical student Thomas Hu, Pokéd aims to promote a healthy lifestyle, and not just through dietary choices. Seating is mainly comprised of standing stools designed to improve posture, and importantly, digestion.
In a Subway-like process, you can watch your bowl being filled with ingredients of your choosing. After selecting a protein and either white or brown rice, add on five toppings for a large serve, three for a small. At the end, take a pick from the range of sauces made in-house, such as Hawaiian soy, spicy mayo and wasabi mayo. If the choices are too overwhelming, ask for one of their pre-determined combinations.
Toppings and proteins are prepared fresh daily. Sustainably sourced sous vide prawns, and sashimi salmon and tuna make up the seafood side of things, the other proteins available being tofu and sous vide chicken. Although the cut of chicken is from the breast, the sous vide method keeps the meat moist.
Being a bit indecisive, we try two bowls designed by the team at Pokéd. The Hawaiian contains sashimi salmon and tuna, Hawaiian soy, cucumber, tomato, spring onion, sweet onion, edamame, seaweed salad and crispy wontons. For something more bright and tropical, go for the Big Kahuna, with salmon, prawns, Hawaiian soy, cucumber, tomato, spring onion, sweet onion, edamame, seaweed salad, seafood salad, tobiko, pineapple and crispy wontons. My pick of the proteins is the salmon and tuna sashimi, and our favourite toppings include the addictively crunchy strips of wonton skin, and the fresh seaweed salad. The spicy mayo gives a nice kick to the bowl of ingredients, though the Hawaiian soy is equally satisfactory in flavouring the base of rice.
The poké here is tasty, the servings are generous, and it’s easy to forget that your meal is so nutritious. With so many ingredients available, we’re spoilt for choice, making it easy to return and try something different, or simply pick something that matches your current poké cravings.
Disclaimer: I dined courtesy of Pokéd. Opinions expressed here are purely my own and based on my experience at the time of the visit
Pokéd
Shop 3, 551 Little Lonsdale Street
Melbourne CBD, VIC, 3000
(03) 8657 7681
http://www.poked.com.au/
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