That’s what owner Allen Mouradian thinks, and so do a lot of restauranteurs in other cities – that poké is the next big thing in Montreal.
We’re the latest city to get on the poké bandwagon, and Le Poké Bar on Crescent St. north of de Maisonneuve is the first restaurant in the province to exclusively offer the bowls.
What’s poké?
According to Wikipedia, it’s “a fish salad,” but that doesn’t do it justice. According to every cool west coast restaurant with a raw bar (I’m looking at you California and Las Vegas), it’s the next big thing: a fresh and traditional Hawaiian dish consisting of sliced (most often cubed like ceviche), marinated seafood or fish.
Actually it’s a lot like ceviche, except instead of a lime-based sauce called leche de tigre, there’s usually a bed of rice, some tuna, avocado, mango, sesame seeds, green onions, maybe wasabi, and a sesame-soy sauce involved too. Think of it like someone threw together a deconstructed sushi bowl with tropical ingredients and realized it was brilliant.
“I fell in love with the dish in Hawaii,” says Allen. “I was never a big fan of raw fish and it made me really get into it and I wanted to bring it to Montreal.”
But Amie, Le Poké Bar lets you make your own bowl from a ton of toppings. How do I choose?
The restaurant has some menu items with ingredients already put together in ways that work (e.g. the $13 Mahalo: tuna, avocado, kale, edamame, red onions and pumpkin seeds; and the $13 Honolulu: chicken, edamame, celery, carrot, onions and lettuce.
So if you’re not feeling adventurous (or are just feeling indecisive), you can order one of those.
But for the build-your-own option, you choose from a base of brown rice, white rice, couscous or rice vermicelli, then top it with marinated Atlantic salmon (wish it wasn’t farmed), tuna from Japan, smoked tofu or shrimp. “I’m new to this whole idea of sustainable seafood,” says Allen, “but I’m doing a lot of research to find out what’s the best alternatives.”
(FYI: Allen used to be in the toy business and he sold his company in 2013. He’d never had any restaruant experience before, but you wouldn’t know it by how sleek the restaurant looks, the professional mise-en-place of the ingredients in the counter display and the fun branding.)
On top of that protein you can add mango and/or a generous scoop of avocado, which cost a little extra, and then there are the all-you-can-eat other toppings including cucumber (perfectly chopped to a small dice by hand), grated carrot (they’re getting a food processor soon, thank goodness…), edamame, kale, tofu, green onions, beansprouts, carrots, nori strips, masago (fish roe), wasabi peas, celery, tempura, cashews, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pickled ginger and cilantro with a choice of a handful of dressings: Classic (soy-sesame with chives and spices), spicy (with spicy mayo added), yuzu-miso, and a house teriyaki sauce.
So Poké always has gluten?
Not here! Le Poké Bar has gluten free soy sauce, so the only items with gluten are the couscous, tempura and maybe the wasabi peas. I usually avoid pickled ginger and wasabi just to be safe, but less sensitive people should be fine. And I didn’t check the packages. Allen says he also wants to transition to more gluten free sauces, like the teriyaki sauce, which could easily be made with the gluten free soy sauce he already has on hand. The mayo is gluten free already, and the sriracha hot sauce on all the tables is good, too.
“I’m told that in Montreal there aren’t that many restaurants that are 100% gluten free,” says Allen. It’s practically impossible with cross-contamination. But if I change a few items, I could be completely gluten free. So I said why not? We get a lot of demand for it and I want to please all the customers.”
How expensive is it?
It’s going to be about $20 with tax and tip. Most bowls go for between $14 and $16.
How fresh are the ingredients?
Very. That’s what really sold me on the place. It’s not organic, but it’s really fresh and flavourful. This isn’t Subway…
The avocado was perfectly ripe – right on the point between firm and creamy – and the mango was pure sweetness.
The carrots were juicy, the edamame wasn’t mushy, and the whole bowl mixed together had so many flavours and textures (crunchy vegetables, smooth avocado, soft, warm rice, savoury nori) that you just want to keep chewing.
How does it compare to other healthy restaurants in the Guy-Concordia area?
I swear by the Green Panther mixed salad plate, it’s true (those sweet potatoes are roasted crack…), but it’s great to have another option. It’s a little pricier than the Panther – it’s more in line with all-organic Crudessence – but it’s portions are more generous and filling than the almost-all-raw restaurant on Mackay as well as nearby Soupesoup and vegetarian restaurant Burritoville. It’s lighter than Copper Branch. It’s better quality than Sushi Shop. And it’s quick, tasty and fresh. And if you’re feeling too healthy after eating a poké bowl, you can stop by The Brass Door Pub a few doors up Crescent for a pint.
Any other tips?
Allen says that in Hawaii you don’t build your own bowl. There, the fish is pre-marinated so the sauce infuses the fish. Which is better: À la minute or pre-marinated? “I prefer it marinated,” he says. “I get my bowl in the fridge for about an hour and then I eat it. I’m a die-hard tuna fan, with avocado, scallions, little bit of mango and I would put rice pops [tempura], some masago and that’s it, with the classic sauce.”
Anyone for takeout?
Le Poké Bar
2153 Crescent Street
514-903-6777
Hours: Daily 11:30am-9pm
www.lepokebar.com
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