KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 — In the past year or so, poke bowls have become part of the Klang Valley dining landscape. Whether it’s at our favourite cafe or as stand-alone shops selling endless variations of this Hawaiian dish.
Credit for this particular food becoming popular may be the quest for a healthier lifestyle. There are those who liken these to the Japanese chirashi bowls since both combine the same elements like raw sashimi-grade quality fish, rice and greens.
Poke (pronounced “poh-kay”) means “to cut” in Hawaiian as their fishermen often use offcuts of their catch to make a snack. “Typically it’s made with reef fish or leftover fish which is marinated in soy sauce,” explained Katrina Taib, 35, who grew up in Hawaii as a child.
In the island state, poke is eaten as a snack or pupus, as they are called in Hawaii. You can find them sold at the ABC store; their version of a convenience store that sells everything from newspapers, groceries and even tourist items.
The poke would be sold by weight in the store’s delicatessen section. As Katrina explained, “It was always served at parties. When people want to go to the beach, they just go to the ABC store and it is eaten on its own with toothpicks or plantain chips.”
Even in Hawaii, the flavours for poke has evolved through time. “When the Japanese came over, they added soy sauce, sesame oil, seaweed and candlenuts,” said Katrina.
You can also pair the fish salad with rice to create a poke bowl. A typical poke bowl would use tuna (ahi) that is mixed with soy sauce, sesame oil, Maui onions (a type of sweet onions) and seaweed. Many varieties featuring salmon, octopus and all kinds of fish are now on offer.
At Rubberduck in Plaza Damas, a cafe Katrina set up with her best friend, Lin Tan, 32, they started to serve poke bowls last January, after being in business for one year.
“We had always wanted to do poke bowls from the get go but we didn’t have enough human beings working in our cafe. We also had to strategise where to store raw fish but eventually we figured it out,” explained Katrina.
Since they were an al-fresco cafe, it was perfect as a light snack. Earlier on, they planned to serve the poke with plantain chips rather than rice but with limited storage, they shelved the idea.
Their version uses the healthier brown rice as a base. Once an order is placed for the bowl, the raw salmon cut into cubes gets mixed with soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, cilantro and a bit of sugar. The 10-minute marinating time lets the flavours meld.
“Fish marinates quickly so you don’t want it to sit for too long as it is similar to a ceviche,” said Lin. It’s placed on top of the rice together with purple cabbage, cilantro and pickled cucumbers. Mix it up and enjoy the flavours together.
As the cafe has moved to a bigger space since November, there are plans to expand the poke bowl varieties. Katrina hopes to introduce tuna, a preferred choice and hopefully the plantain chips pairing. The chips will be made in Kuantan by Katrina’s cousin. A different marinade for the fish is also in the works.
Over at the two months-plus old Paperfish, variety is their calling card for their poke bowls. Choose between three types of protein; tuna, salmon or shrimp. Paperfish has put their stamp on their poke bowls, making spicy versions to keep Malaysian palates happy.
Top sellers include their Cili Tuna and Heat Wave where the heat is ramped up with cili padi or bird-eye’s chillies. If that is not spicy enough for you, add more of their Sriracha mayonnaise anointed with that iconic Thai chilli sauce.
They also offer a wasabi mayonnaise. Another popular favourite is the refreshing Mango Salsa Shrimp with a hint of spices. There is also ceviche, a Mexican touch with the raw shrimp being cooked in a marinade that packs a hot spicy punch.
You can also vary your base, whether it is brown or white rice, quinoa or just baby greens for a no-carbs day. The bowls usually come with edamame, sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, onions and Japanese cucumbers.
Toppings such as the ebiko, sesame seeds, furikake and seaweed flakes are also added. These items give variety to your bowl and textural contrast. Vegetarians are also catered to with their Cado Bowl that uses mango paired with vegetables.
Add-ons can also be ordered such as chia seeds, flax seeds, almonds or even a sous vide egg.
The eatery in Taman Tun Dr Ismail is the brainchild of a group of twentysomething childhood friends who grew up in Subang Jaya: Nick Alec, Ryan Thoo, Brian Lee, Lai Ee Lynn, Dennis Yin and Mike Tiu.
As Ee Lynn explained, the idea for Paperfish was mooted by Nick. She added, “He is the go hard or go home kind of person.” Bringing their various skills to the table — from design to marketing — the six of them also often get together at the eatery, taking turns to talk to customers and helping out.
Nick was previously instrumental for the design of the menu for another poke bowl place, The Fish Bowl. Even though he has no formal F&B training, he believes it’s all about the taste.
“The whole idea behind this business was we wanted to create food, whether it’s poke or not, that is delicious and yummy. We want to be able to crave for it and by the way, it is also healthy,” explained Ryan.
Crafted as a neighbourhood cafe to serve the residents, their biggest compliment is their returning customers. Some even bring their family and friends to try the poke bowls. “Our longest standing record is this woman who came back six times,” said Nick.
Enamoured with the taste of the poke bowl, that particular customer would order their Cili Tuna and Tropical Tuna repeatedly. Nick also recalls how another regular diner became their close friend.
Since he added the poke bowl as his daily meal, he lost about 5 kilograms without any exercising. “You substitute it and you cut down the calories.” Nick explains that each bowl is around 450 calories, or half a Big Mac. It makes a good lunch or even a light dinner with the base.
The fish is handled every hour and the marination time is tightly controlled to ensure the flavours are absorbed thoroughly. To keep the quality and freshness, the fish is only marinated once a batch in their chiller finishes.
In the pipeline, they are working on possible menu specials such as octopus and maybe unagi. Nick also hopes to introduce more variation by offering wraps. “To be honest we think the food is relatively simple. It’s not too difficult to prepare but what is tricky is the flavours; getting the right kind of pairing to tailor to the palates and the freshness,” said Ryan.
When it comes to leaving their customers to mix-and-match themselves, the duo are less keen on the idea. This may for instance, throw off the balance of the taste of the poke bowl.
“The bad thing is they think that is poke so we want to do it right. We have carefully selected our sides to pair with a particular flavour of the poke. If you want to swap something, then we will suggest it, “ adds Ryan.
Delivery has also been requested by their customers. However, it is still a tricky thing to ensure the flavours are top notch since the rice needs to be kept hot and the fish chilled.
Moreover delivery sometimes can take up to one hour. Nevertheless, Nick tells us they are trying to work out a solution. “We are working for a design for a takeaway concept, to avoid it from ruining each flavour. We wouldn’t want people to have their experience ruined.”
What the owners also emphasise here is customer service. As Nick explained, “Even though we don’t have any F&B experience, some people may think these guys don’t know what they are doing. We kind of want to look at it from the point that we are consumers and foodies.
“There are people who enjoy good food, good service and decent experiences.” With each customer, they take the time to talk about their experiences so they can improve.
“We admit that we may make mistakes so we down to the ground to ask their opinion and how we can improve. That is how we do step-by -step, day-by-day, to enhance your experience. This neighbourhood is great and if you’re good to them, it will be a good brand,” said Ryan.
For them, poke bowl is definitely a daily meal and much more than just a passing trend. “This is something you should eat every day. It is the unsung soldier.... the silent one that fits all your needs,” said Nick.
Paperfish
26, Jalan Datuk Sulaiman
Taman Tun Dr Ismail
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 - 2385 0007
Open daily: 10am to 10pm
Website: https://www.paperfish.com.my
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paperfishmy/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperfishmy/
Rubberduck
Lot K-08, Plaza Damas
Jalan Sri Hartamas 1
Kuala Lumpur
Open: 8am to 8pm (Monday to Friday), 8am to 6pm (Saturday to Sunday)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubberduckquack/
