Poké Go brings Hawaii to Hillcrest

I’m probably not the only person in town with a poké-salad obsession, which should bode well for a new shop that soft opened in Hillcrest a couple of weeks ago. Poké Go turns the cubed raw-fish salad into reason enough to pay a visit, offering customers a choice of ahi tuna or salmon along with options for shoyu (soy sauce), spicy mayo, kimchi, teriyaki, or wasabi sauce.

While that’s not a traditional allotment of choices, I was game for a couple of takes, going for salmon with shoyu and ahi with kimchi. Since I was sitting down for lunch with a friend, I ordered a couple of Poké Platters, each of which included a scoop of rice, poké topped by tobiko roe served with seaweed salad over a bed of simple romaine, a small side of pickled vegetables, and the choice of Kanikama imitation crab or tartar macaroni salads. For an extra buck, I added avocado.

The platters give us the feeling of a complete meal, rather than just eating a small tub of seasoned fish. Which is fine, and probably for the best, as the veggies were fresh enough. But I probably could have switched the $8.99 platter for a $7.49 serving of 2/3 lb. of straight-up poké and been satisfied.

As the name Go would suggest, everything’s built for takeout. The “platters” are served in compostable containers, with small plastic tubs for three sizes of à la carte (large is a full pound). While a Spartan dining room does allow for eating in, the lack of a beer license means you have to take it elsewhere for a beverage pairing.

The poké is not out-of-this-world spectacular, but it satisfied my craving. It’s good enough that if parking on this particular one-way stretch of Fifth Avenue was easier, swooping in for a to-go container would be tempting. If it works out that I’m in the neighborhood and a spot is open, I wouldn’t mind checking out the spicy or wasabi options.

As for the flavors I tried, I preferred the kimchi to the shoyu. The narrow strips of cabbage were only lightly pickled and spiced and paired well with a generous portion of flavorful tuna. The serving of shoyu salmon came slightly less generous and was relatively lacking in flavor. I’m not sure if the serving size is due to market value of the fish or just circumstance, but I do think the shoyu would benefit from added sesame oil.

That could very well happen, as the small restaurant is making adjustments on the fly as they prepare for a grand opening next month, including the addition of an octopus poké.