Almost unknown a decade ago, poke or poké is today one of the most consumed recipes, thanks to its nutritional endorsements.
The
culprit
of its fame is none other than the former president of the United States
Barack Obama
, who a few years ago affirmed that this humble elaboration that centuries ago prepared - in a very basic way - by the
fishermen of Hawaii
was his favorite dish.
Many link this bowl of raw marinated fish, vegetables and rice (or also quinoa) to
Peruvian or Mexican ceviches
and there are even theories about its expansion for all tastes. For example, that it was the
Hawaiian
surfers
who, in the
80s of the last century
,
caught the wave
and took the recipe to
California
, where new ingredients were incorporated (avocado, seaweed, vegetables, pickles, sauces), and from there they were spread to the rest of the world. A world that, precisely, this Tuesday,
September 28, celebrates International Poke Day.
The poke works as a single dish and as a powerful
nutritious and healthy kick
: it is rich in proteins and essential fatty acids that come from fish (
tuna and salmon are the most used
) and the vegetables, algae, fruits and nuts with which it is used. complete the bowl provide
fibers, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
.
Dish in continuous evolution, there are versions
with poultry, vegetarian
, vegan.
A few years ago he arrived in Madrid and did it to stay, in thematic places or as part of the restaurant menu.
Here are a handful of those sites, listed in alphabetical order, that are worth more than one visit if you miss the pokes.
Aloha Poké.
Aloha Poké
Carlos and Guillermo discovered poke when they lived in Los Angeles and when they returned to Spain they brought the concept under their arms. With a commitment to
healthy fast food
and
sustainability
, in 2017 they opened their first store in Madrid, in Chueca.Today the brand is present in
nine more cities
and has
23 spaces
, whose decoration takes in a seen and unseen to Hawaii . What is the offer of your
Aloha bowls
? There are two formats. The first allows you to choose one of the
10 specialties already prepared
, based on the most popular dishes of the house, such as
Ninja Salmon
(with Norwegian salmon, avocado, wakame, sesame seeds and a touch of spice) or the
Uh!
Mommy!
(with tuna, salmon, avocado, edamame, mango, chives, wakame, sesame seeds and Aloha Mayo sauce).
With the second,
the ingredients
are
combined to taste
, a
do-it-yourself
book.
In both cases, you can choose the size and add extras.
They also serve versions without gluten, for vegans, without lactose, low in sodium, free of simple sugars ... Price: from 9.90 euros.
Address:
Libertad, 17. Tel .: 91 000 50 99.
Miss Poke. © MISS POKE
MISS POKE
It is the pokera bet of the
Miss Sushi
group
, a chain of Japanese food restaurants that operates nationwide. In Madrid, it has a place, where you can taste its bowls and from which its
pokes
also come out
for delivery,
which come home through the food
delivery
platforms. In addition to the option of designing the bowl to taste, its menu includes up to
nine
different
preparations
: from the
Norwegian salmon
poke
(based on Japanese rice, avocado, cucumber, natural tomato, wakame, sesame dressing and, of course, the quoted diced fish) to
Panko Chicken
(tender sprouts as a base, sesame dressing, crispy strips of battered chicken, natural tomato, edamame, apple and sesame mixed with chipotle sauce), passing through the
Azteca
(rice with Poke sauce, accompanied by goat cheese, tomato, avocado, onion and peppers, with the crunchy touch of chips and chipotle sauce).
The proposal is completed with
meat gyozas
, various ceviches, yakisoba,
teriyaki chicken
, among others.
Price: from 9.90 euros.
Address:
Hortaleza, 108.
Ohanasana.
OHANASANA
The season in a bowl
. That is the common thread of the proposal of this establishment in Chueca, whose name refers to the "healthy family (ohana, in Hawaiian)". Thus, his proposal is based on the
healthy
, in a
cuisine "without"
: without sugars, without refined oils, without ultra-processed carbohydrates. Right now, the kings of the house are
Loved 2.0
(with diced
salmon flambéed with a torch
, toppings of mango ceviche, wakame, avocado, edamame, sauce of your choice, sesame seeds and chives. Price: 13.50 euros) and
Happy 2.0
(diced tuna tataki, mango ceviche toppings, wakame, cucumber, edamame, your choice of sauce and crunchy onion. Also available in a vegan version. Price: 13.90 euros).
In both cases, you can order up to two bases (rice, quinoa,
red brown rice
mix
,
veggie
noodles
...).
The offer is expanded with other
bowls with chicken or falafel
, as protein, in addition to a couple of sweet versions.
Address:
Barquillo, 34. Tel .: 91 066 49 72.
Poke House.
POKE HOUSE
Hawaii and California are the two influences that emanate from the dishes that are made in this brand
born in Italy
, in 2018, and that for almost a year has been present in
Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid
, here it has already opened seven stores, all decorated with pink walls and neon lights. His star is the
Seasonal Special
, a limited edition pokes
season
. This autumn comes
Flavors of the world
, a bowl designed with "the best flavors from around the world", they explain from the banner. With
roast beef
, it has a base of basmati and brown rice and includes avocado, pak choi, almonds and sesame. Another
five pokes
are added to the proposal
(from salmon, white fish, tuna, chicken and vegan);
options of "I stew it, I
eat it
" (that is, that the diner designs their own bowl) and the
pokes in burrito version
.
Average price: 10 euros.
Address:
Santa Bárbara, 9. Tel .: 91 441 65 22.
Pokelolo © POKELOLO
POKELOLO
It opened the doors in 2019 in the heart of the Salamanca district with three coordinates:
author's, chef's and California-style pokes
(the founders of this place with an industrial air toured Los Angeles in search of the best recipes). The dishes are served in a
glass bowl
to see all their ingredients, which are arranged
diagonally
(hallmark of the house): the
rice
(which they serve
warm
), the protein (
always cold
) and the rest of the dressings to take them in one bite. The menu, which includes some changes depending on the season, now offers about eight proposals: from the
Boom Salmon
(fish, creamy
sriracha
sauce
and shichimi
, edamame, avocado, pickled red cabbage, watercress, fried onion and radish) to
Tropical Pork
(pork tenderloin cooked at low temperature and flamed at the moment, sweet and sour mango chutney sauce with a spicy touch, among other ingredients) or
Tuna Madness
(red tuna, shoyu ponzu sauce, avocado, hijiki seaweed, tobiko, cucumber and pickled jalapenos).
Price: from 8 euros.
Address:
Núñez de Balboa, 35. Tel .: 91 163 29 24.
Tasty Poke Bar.
TASTY POKE BAR
Its journey began in 2017 and immediately the firm achieved success. Today, it
renews its image and opens new stores
, the last one in Madrid's Calle de Corazón de María and soon, in
Santiago de Compostela
, and new openings are planned for this year. Present in more than a dozen
Spanish provinces
and in
Brazil and Italy
, its menu offers a
dozen already prepared pokes
. Let's go to the bowl: four
classics
(tuna, salmon, both fish and chicken); two
premium
(salmon or tuna marinated with truffle); the
spicy
tuna with sriracha sauce or salmon marinated with ginger and sriracha; two vegans (with
tofu or Heura
) and the newcomers,
Philly Salmon
(fish, cream cheese, caramelized onion, avocado, sesame, crispy onion and the house sauce) and
Cream Teriyaki
(salmon marinated with teriyaki, avocado, crispy onion, cream cheese and edamame).
Price: from 11.50 euros.
Address:
Corazón de María, 33. Phone: 91 264 98 51.
Urban Poke Bar.
URBAN POKE BAR
Behind this concept of
healthy and urban
cuisine
is the brand of Italian restaurants
Grupo La Nicoletta
, with 20 years of experience in the sector. The format - which combines its own premises and franchisees - started shortly after the beginning of 2021 and already has
eight restaurants in Madrid
. And what do you eat here? Well, pokes, from the one you make yourself (you choose the base, the sauce, the protein and the toppings) to the formulas already made, including the
premium bowls
(salmon with truffle and sushi rice; tuna with truffle and brown rice or chicken); the Urban Crew, whose flavors evoke
four great metropolises
, from New York to Tokyo, via Manila and London; the
spacy
(with tuna and sriracha sauce or spicy salmon with brown rice, wakame and tenkasu) and the
greens
.
Price: from 11.50 euros.
Address:
Plaza de Manuel Gómez-Moreno, 4. Tel .: 616 48 34 78.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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