Once upon a time, sushi was the must-try meal for London foodies. That was until ceviche took over our Instagram feeds, signalling it as the new dinner du jour. But now there's a new raw fish dish in town: poké. Pronounced POH-kay, these Hawaiian bowls of brightly coloured deliciousness are taking over London's food markets and being added to the menus of London's most enterprising restaurants.
Poké is all about layers, traditionally starting with a bed of rice, topped with fresh and pickled vegetables and finished with a delicious concoction of raw fish, that has been marinated and diced. Until recently this dish was only found in Hawaii; poké began as a fisherman's snack on the islands, but its mix of fresh Pacific flavours, its tantalising hit of umami, and, frankly, its funny name, mean it has now found a home in London.
Ahi Poké
If you're a newcomer to Hawaiian food then Fitzrovia's Ahi Poké is the perfect place to start. Though named after the traditional version of poké which uses marinated tuna, this airy café offers not only their fantastic menu of signature bowls but also allows you to design your own poké. Choose your fish or veggie foundation, whether you want your base to be traditional rice or crunchy kale and if you fancy a drizzle of sweet ponzu or a topping of kimchi cucumber. The choice is yours.
3 Percy St, London W1T 1DF
Behind This Wall
Poké's combination of vegetables, oily fish and slow burning carbohydrates have earned it a reputation as a health food, to be tucked into on your way to the gym. However, Hackney favourite Behind This Wall has found that, like many of us, poké is actually best with a cocktail. To keep things healthy(ish), all of BTW's cocktails are made with ingredients that are free from high fructose corn syrup or anything artificial. So even if you're enjoying your soy butter mushroom poké with a yuzu margharita or a saffron gin fizz, you're still being virtuous! Sort of.
020 3632 1951
Eat P oké
Blazing the way for Hawaiian food lovers, Eat Poké has been lighting up London's food markets with their beautiful poké bowls for some time. Now with a pop up at Selfridges, it sets itself apart not only with its prescience in Pacific flavours and signature black rice base, but also by its ever changing menu of specials. Anyone for the "Hawaiian Fries" – pineapple fritters drizzled yuzu mayo and topped with lime salt and chilli? Yes please.
Black Roe
Something of a sophisticated older sister to London's more hipster poké joints, this Mayfair restaurant's menu offers not only elegantly prepared poké, topped with fresh roe and pickled taro root, but also more substantial Hawaiian dishes. Pair your poké with kalua pork belly cooked over a kiawe wood grill or asparagus tempura served with truffle aioli. Whatever you order from this menu will be inspired by Hawaii's Pacific flavours and will also definitely be delicious.
020 3794 8448
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
3 Delicious Palestinian Recipes To Make This Week
Stupidly Easy (& Quick) Desk Lunches To Save You Cash
Actually Delicious Pale Rosé Wine To Drink Outside This Weekend