Trendy Hawaiian poke bowl dish sends foodies fishing

“The Guide Battle” is a column focusing on comparing the same food from different restaurants or stores in Shanghai. This time, we also invited people from different regions to taste these poke bowls. Which one is their favorite?

Poke bowl is a typical delicacy from Hawaii. The meal came about when fishermen seasoned the cut-offs from their catch to serve as a snack. Poke is actually a Hawaiian word which means stripping and slicing.

The poke bowl dish became increasingly popular in the United States in 2012, and even former President Barack Obama is said to be a great fan of the meal. 

Contemporary poke bowl restaurants in Shanghai are mainly casual-style places where the dish is fully customized from the base to the marinade and fish ingredients. 

In the culture of light meals, the poke bowl dish is extremely popular among those who advocate a healthy lifestyle and diet.

Criteria: Weight of the whole poke bowl, weight of the ingredients and proportion of food contents to rice.

Steps: 

• First, weigh each poke bowl including its packing on the scale. 

• Second, pick out all the ingredients and weigh them for a second time. 

• Last, weigh the rice of each poke bowl.

POKE POKE

Poke bowl in POKE POKE suits people who love food with a light flavor. Several types of vegetables and fish are accompanied by a refreshing sauce. Nutrients are evenly matched and the combination of salmon and tuna is a delight. 

The ingredients in each bowl have been thoughtfully put together to maximize the enjoyment from the food.

Ingredients: salmon, tuna, cucumber, kelp, green bean, corn, tomato, nut, roe 

Address: 1376 Nanjing Rd W.

BOWL SHAKALAKA

BOWL SHAKALAKA uses traditional salad dressing for seasoning and the salmon is salted in advance, so that it has a much stronger flavor. With a good match of fat, soft salmon and nuts, it tastes rich and layered. 

The restaurant offers customers three bases to choose from, including mixed salad, ratatouille and sushi rice. The restaurant also creates modern versions of the dish, such as chicken bowl, beef tongue bowl and Laksa shrimp bowl. Besides the delicious poke bowls on offer, the diner also offers a variety of speciality shakes.

Ingredients: salmon, caviar, cucumber, seaweed, kelp, soybean, cashew

Address: 350 Shaanxi Rd S.

Little Catch

Due to the special flavor with onion, opinions on this dish are split. Although the ingredients are not as rich as the other three bowls we’ve tried, each plays a special role and highlights its original taste. For people who favor strong seasoning, this is the dish for you. 

For the foodie with a bigger appetite, customers can add more ingredients according to their own personal choice. Little Catch also has several types of bagels on offer.

Ingredients: salmon, cucumber, kelp, cashew, onion

Address: 89 Taixing Rd

Miss Poke

Miss Poke offers several inventive dishes made up with a concoction of varied ingredients. 

Course grain is added to the base of their dishes and it seems healthier. However, for those who prefer the original poke bowl taste, they may find too many ingredients in this meal variation. 

Ingredients: salmon, caviar, cucumber, lettuce, seaweed, kelp, soybean, tomato, lotus root, cashew, onion 

Address: 511 Dagu Rd