POKÉ IN THE BOWL  | Montrose is getting pokéd 

By Jim Ayres  

Wait a minute. Wasn’t poké trendy a few years ago? Is it still popular?  

Immensely! There are a few reasons why people have become so fond of poké bowls.  

• Healthy and Customizable: Poké bowls are generally seen as a healthy meal choice. They feature fresh fish, which is packed with protein and omega-3 fatty acids. The bowls can also be customized with other healthy ingredients like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.   

• Convenience: Poké bowls are a great option for a quick and easy meal.   

• Delicious and Appealing: Poké bowls are colorful and photogenic (making them perfect for sharing on social media) and can be quite mouthwatering.   

In the past, I’d been turned off by memories of ghastly “Sushi Salads” and other such fare. But in recent months, I’ve found myself drawn to Poké in the Bowl on Westheimer and have loved it on several visits.   

Poké (pronounced poh-kay, rhymes with okay) uses Japanese ingredients, but hails from Hawaii. In A Brief History of Poké in Hawaii, the Hawaii Ocean Project tells us, “It’s believed that poké was first prepared by native Polynesians centuries before Western travelers arrived on the islands.”   

However, the essay continues, “Most historians agree that it wasn’t until the 1960s and ’70s that the name ‘poké’ was given to the dish we currently recognize.”  

Walking into a clean, brightly lit Poké in a Bowl, you find a minimal décor is minimal, a subliminal message that poké is a quick, fresh meal. The setup is basic — as with Chipotle, you go down the line with your server as your bowl is customized.  

Start with a base of rice or salad. Two scoops or three. I got two scoops of sushi rice. Next, choose two side items; mine are often crabmeat and avocado. The protein station is the star, with several seafood and tofu options (chicken too, if you must). Tuna and salmon frequently call my name.  

After adding your vegetables (pickled radish, cucumber, and cilantro for me), you enter the home stretch of sauces and toppings. The House Ponzu sauce is perfectly sweet and tangy. Mango ups the sweet factor, while a final dusting of tobiko (fish roe) lends crispy umami goodness.  

I absolutely love it every time. The fish is even fresher than it looks and mixing it all together in a bowl is flavor fusion magic. I leave buoyed by the feeling that a meal this good could be so healthy.  

Until I found out that a typical poké bowl is about 1,000 calories (that damn rice) with nearly a day’s worth of sodium (soy, pickled this and that).  

Oh well, it’s still better for me than a burger, right? I intend to keep exploring Houston’s many other poké options with gusto unabated.  

Poké in the Bowl  
515 Westheimer, Suite D (and 6611 Main)  
Houston, Texas 77006 
713-714-8608  
PokeInTheBowls.com 

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