Zureen Zaaba goes ‘poke’, Hawaiian-style, and finds it refreshing
THE Fish Bowl has a big claim. It says it’s the “first authentic premium poke restaurant in Malaysia”. And I take their word for it as I have not come across such a restaurant anywhere like it here. The Fish Bowl serves Hawaiian food with a mix of Japanese and local inspirations.
The Hawaiian word “poke” (pronounced ‘poh-kay’) means “to cut into small pieces”. Therefore all its servings come as such. And the freshness perks me up.
What makes it even more interesting is the way you order your poke bowl. The process for ordering requires you to be patient and precise to BYOB (Build Your Own Bowl). The restaurant provides a template sheet where you can tick the boxes provided to indicate your choice. It’s like taking an exam but in a fun way!
Every bowl of poke comes with unlimited toppings, and it is served with rice or salad, and four sides of your choice. The cost of each set varies depending on your choices.
HERE’S HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN POKE BOWL:
First step
Pick your poke base. The choices are white rice, brown rice and baby greens. You can also upsize your bowl by paying RM6 and you will get extra protein, rice and sides.
Second step
Pick your sides (maximum four) — from Japanese cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, corns, onions, shallots, edamame, almonds, walnuts, seaweed salad and pineapple to mangoes. For every additional two scoops of sides, you’ll pay RM2.50.
Third step
Pick your protein (one choice only). An additional scoop will cost RM9 each. For salmon and tuna, you may choose shoyu (soya sauce), kaffir lime (citrus flavour) or spicy siraccha (spicy sauce made with red chilli and garlic).
Another protein choice is shrimps cooked with garlic. If you are not a seafood person, go for the chicken cooked in honey herbs. The chicken will take about 15 minutes to cook so you must be prepared to wait.
A premium add-on of avocado, poached egg and salmon skin costs RM2.50 but it’s worth it as it allows you to build more in your bowl to give that extra hint of flavour.
Fourth step
This is my favourite! Unlimited toppings! There are lots to choose from — pickled ginger, pickled cucumber, green onions, pickled radish, seaweed flakes, chilli flakes, sesame seed, furikake (Japanese seasoning — mixture of dried and ground fish, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt and monosodium glutamate), fried shallots, fried garlic chips, ebiko (fish roe) and wasabi.
And the last bit to make the perfect poke bowl is the sauce. Choose a maximum of two sauces. The choices are lime aioli, gar-gar (garlic sauce), baby racha (mild) and monster racha (spicy).
Every poke bowl also comes with unlimited flow of iced lemon tea. Also available are organic hot tea, fresh coconut, mineral water, cold brewed coffee (black or white) and cold pressed juices.
THE FISH BOWL
WHERE 77, Jalan PJS 11/9, Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya
Tel 03-5612 9992
Website www.facebook.com/thefishbowlmalaysia
HOURS 10am-10pm (Monday - Thursday & Sunday); 10am-11pm (Friday & Saturday)
FOOD Hawaiian raw seafood salad
PICK Salmon Spicy Sirracha
PAY From RM17.90 to more than RM30 per bowl.
MOOD Casual and lively
SERVICE Good and helpful
I SAY... Must try