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The trendy new dish: Where to go for Hawaiian poke in Singapore

Try a bowl of this Hawaiian-inspired dish to find out what’s the hype behind the fish salad.

By Hong Xinying

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Poke bowl at Aloha Poke. Image: Aloha Poke

This Japanese-inspired diced fish salad is a comforting streetside staple in Hawaii. Now, Hawaiian poké (pronounced as poh-kay) has made its way to Singapore cafes and restaurants.

Although it’s commonly served as an appetiser in its state of origin, restaurants here that serve Hawaiian poke do serve the dish as a main course with rice, in a style that’s similar to the bara chirashi, a Japanese dish which also features diced sashimi on top of rice.

The main difference between Hawaiian poke and the Japanese dish lies in the dressing and ingredients used. Hawaiian poke tends to feature punchy, savoury seasoning with ingredients like sea salt, shoyu, seaweed and spices while restaurants that serve bara chirashi use lighter flavours.

The dish has also been adapted to cater to Singapore palates. While the authentic Hawaiian poke tends to feature ahi tuna (yellowfin tuna), local restaurants here may use other types of fish such as the popular salmon or a vegetarian variant of the dish instead.

Read on to find out about where to get a taste of this dish in Singapore.

Aloha Poke
Where: 92 Amoy Street, Tel: 6221 6565

This new Hawaiian poke specialty restaurant opened last month (Oct 2015) at Amoy Street, with customisable bowls of the dish during its lunch hours. Get to choose from a selection of raw fish, as well as your vegetables and toppings that get tossed with a dressing of choice and served on a bed of rice. A vegetarian version is also available in which the fish is replaced with tofu cubes. Prices for a bowl of Hawaiian Poke range from $11.90 to $19.90, depending on the portion size that you’re going for. From 5.30pm, the restaurant turns into a bar and serves poke tacos with its cocktails.

Dapper Coffee
Where: 73 Amoy St, second floor, Tel: 9005 4790

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Poke don ($22) from Dapper Coffee. Image: Dapper Coffee

This cafe-bar serves a small but varied lunch menu, with the Poke don ($22) among the newest dishes. Try it for a slightly different take on Hawaiian poke; this dish comes topped with diced tuna, an ooze-worthy egg yolk and paired with squid ink rice. Be there during lunch hours for this bowl of poke, as the cafe operates as a bar named Spiffy Dapper after 5pm.

Lokkee
Where: 68 Orchard Road, Plaza Singapura, #03-01, Tel: 6884 4566

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Poke salad ($16) from Lokkee. Image: Lokkee / TungLok Group

This restaurant opened by the TungLok Group serves what it describes as “global Chinese cuisine”, as seen on its website. On its menu, this translates to fusion dishes popular at Chinese enclaves in cities around the world such as Los Angeles, Sydney, New York and London. One of such dishes is the poke salad ($16), an appetiser that features diced salmon and tuna covered with the restaurant’s own mix of poke sauce and served in a tortilla bowl.

Rollie Olie
Where: 1 Vista Exchange Green, The Star Vista, #02-05, Tel: 6316 5710

This foodie spot at Buona Vista serves up California-style rolls and other dishes like Hawaiian poke that are a mishmash of cuisines. The eatery’s Aloha Poke Bowl ($11.95) contains a marinated mix of diced salmon, tuna, along with cucumber, tamago, avocado and alfalfa sprouts, on top of a bed of rice. The restaurant has also introduced a Korean-style variation of the dish, which features Kimchi-marinated tuna cube in its Seoul Surfer ($13.95) poke bowl.