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IT’S pronounced poh-keh, a traditional Japanese-Hawaiian fusion of raw cubed fish and salad that is starting to catch on. So far it has popped up everywhere from chef Mark Jensen’s new Salmon & Bear in Zetland to Easy Lane at Windsor RSL.
Candace Wu and Sam Constantinou fell in love with the dish after getting married on Oahu’s north shore in 2011 and after several trips to Hawaii and Japan, to research the dish and the best fish to use, the pair opened Poke in Coogee earlier this year, the first of its type in Australia.
Last week they travelled all the way to San Diego to compete in the seventh annual I Love Poke Festival, the first Australians and first international visitors to do so.
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And so novel was their appearance, even the local TV station had them on to demonstrate one of the dishes they serve at their restaurant — cubed salmon, green onions, tomatoes, black sesame seeds, and a little gluten-free soy.
“We didn’t place (in the competition) but we got really good feedback,” Wu says. “And we had to feed 800-plus people.
“The food that we make, the food that we cook is clean, mostly gluten free,” she says. “Everything is super clean and super healthy and you can get it really fast.”
“American food is so heavy and sugary, as a light dish it was refreshing for customers (at the competition), they loved the light flavours.”
Wu and Constantinou were driven to open the restaurant by a lack of healthy choices in quick meals back home.
“My husband and I, we eat really clean, healthy food. I guess when you think about it, we are both busy, he runs his own business as well, and it’s just that fast takeaway option we were looking for. There isn’t a lot of it out there. That was one of the big reasons why we started the restaurant.”
Apart from salmon they also use yellowfin tuna — known as ahi in Hawaii.
“It’s raw sashimi grade, which is locally sourced and we don’t get any of the frozen, chemically-treated stuff from overseas. We only use (fish) that comes out of Australian waters,” she says.
“When we first started out we had lots of meetings with the fishmonger (Martins Seafoods), just letting them know what we were doing and how the tuna was going to be served and we always get A-grade yellowfin.
While top-quality tuna comes at a price, they have managed to keep the dishes accessible.
“It’s a very reasonable price point and we have kept it that way to make it accessible to the general market. We didn’t want it to be a high-end product, but when the fish does come in, it has a tendency to fluctuate (in price), so we either one don’t use yellowfin or add an extra $2 on it. Our customers are cool with that.”
While most customers are loyal locals, they are also seeing visitors from as far afield as Campbelltown and Newcastle who have loved their poke experience in Hawaii or the west coast of the US where the dish also popular. They now think it’s Australia’s turn to jump on board the trend.
“Even the kids are coming in and eating the poke which is amazing, mum comes in from pilates or dad likes to stay healthy, he might like a pork roll, but he’ll have the poke every once in a while.”
At the other end of the scale, veteran restaurateur and former chef Rob Rubis last week hosted a dinner showcasing the skills of sashimi master Hideo Dekura, in collaboration with his Manta executive chef Daniel Hughes.
Among the raw dishes were Moreton Bay bug sashimi, hiramasa kingfish and lightly seared calamari.
“The guys are quite excited. It’s the sum of many parts,” he says of the dishes presented to 100 diners. “It’s an art form, and it put art back into our cooking and that is what it is all about.
“It’s the best produce we could get our hands on.
“Having eaten in Japan and skied in Japan.
“Inherently what we do is raw seafood, what we do is probably at a level more influenced by Europe and the Mediterranean and a different style of raw. What I’d like to do more of is raw like sushi, such as master Hideo has shown us. In a sense it’s back the future.”
Both Dekura and Hughes are learning from the dinner experience, which may well be repeated.
“It’s going back to the basics and doing things properly. It’s been refreshing to do things from scratch and being taught by Hideo is amazing,” says Hughes. “And the seafood we get in Australia is second to none so it’s a lovely way to eat it and we are lucky that we get to eat so much of our seafood raw here because it is so good.
Dekura, who also runs a cooking school in Chatswood, is happy to pass on his classic raw dish skills, plus add some new twists.
“We are working together to create modern classics,” says Dekura. “There is no secret to raw dishes, Australia seafood is of the best quality and aquaculture is getting better and better.”
It’s the new nude food but not as you know it
Poke
The menu at this bright little backstreet Coogee bolthole features sustainable, seasonal and locally sourced produce, including ahi — or yellowfin — tuna. Their twists on poke include ingredients such as coconut, ginger, kale, citrus and lots of seasonal vegetables. There is also a DIY poke salad bar where you choose your fish, flavour and sides.
3/55 Dudley St, Coogee, 9664 8643, lovepoke.com.au
Showbox Coffee Brewers
Here fresh-cut salmon sashimi, wild rice salad, a soft-boiled egg and pickled ginger is offered as a simple poke salad, which has been dubbed an Hawaiian surfer’s paradise. Add a Korean-inspired apple kimchi or avocado to enjoy the dish to the max.
19 Whistler St, Manly, 9976 5000, showboxcoffee.com.au
Salmon & Bear
Deciding on sustainable salmon or tuna is the only pressing decision that needs to be made at Salmon & Bear by chef Mark Jensen (Red Lantern). There are two options, spicy or sweet poke, both served on fluffy coconut rice. The salmon poke has a sweet soy and sesame dressing and is served with a corn salsa and avocado. The tuna poke is served with chilli and lemongrass dressing served with a kimchi and seaweed salad. There’ll be another Salmon & Bear in King St, Newtown soon, which will be a replica of that in Zetland. Both are smart-casual venues where orders are placed at the counter and delivered to the table.
6 Defries Ave, Zetland, 9662 8188; 226 King St, Newtown; salmonandbear.com.au
Easy Lane
It may not be close to the ocean but Easy Lane’s poke is as fresh as it gets with this new kid in town doing a more traditional take. Cured and chopped tuna is added to a base of rice, avocado, red onion and soy.
Windsor RSL, 36 Argyle St, Windsor, 4587 6900, easylane.com.au
Kobe Jones
This poke is served in the traditional way, with sashimi cubes marinated in Hawaiian poke sauce, it is served with classic trimmings of shallots, alfalfa and avocado. The poke fits in well as a shared side, and is also offered as part of a 13-course degustation dinner.
29 Lime St, King Street Wharf, 9299 5290, kobejones.com.au
MORE RAW
QT
The QT is known for its seasonal produce and here its version of a raw fish dish is A Crystal Cup of ceviche of Moreton Bay bugs, prawn, snapper, loads of lime juice, young coriander, mint, pickled padron peppers and radish flower buds. The MSC-approved sustainable yellowfin tuna tartare lettuce cups served here come with kimchi, organic soya sauce, toasted sesame and pickled fennel hearts.
49 Market St, Sydney, 8262 0000, qthotelsandresorts.com/sydney-cbd/
Sokyo
With skills learned from his Japanese father and experience in the kitchen at famed US diner Nobu, Chase Kojima presents one of the best raw fish offerings in town. On top of traditional nigiri or sashimi look to dishes of magura tataki — seared tuna with carbonised leek aioli, pickled mushrooms, asparagus and smoked ponzu.
The Star, 80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont, 9777 9000, star.com.au
Momofuku Seibo
Executive chef Paul Carmichael offers an ever-changing sublime menu at the bar of David Chang’s offering at The Star, with a star dish of snapper ceviche, macadamia and jalapeño on the current menu.
The Star, 80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont, 9777 9000, star.com.au
Rawsons
At Rawsons, the new restaurant inside Epping RSL, executive chef Nick Whitehouse’s dish “Hawkesbury River squid 30 seconds fragrant herbs” pretty much says it all about the “nearly” raw bar that was launched in March. Other almost raw dishes include barely seared prawns with garlic butter powder, and seared cold water scallop with honeycomb vinegar.
The Epping Club, 45 Rawson St, Epping, 9876 4357, rawsons.eppingclub.com
Manta
Executive chef Daniel Hughes offers a raw tasting plate including just seared cuttlefish and last week presented a six-course dinner with sashimi, sushi and sake master Hideo Dekura. Another dinner has been announced for June 8, with Kaiseki ($125) taking inspiration from Dekura-san’s dishes.
6 Cowper Wharf Rd, Woolloomooloo, 9332 3822, mantarestaurant.com.au