New D’Arblay Street eatery – Tombo Poké and Matcha Bar – brings two of the Pacific’s most scrumptious treats to Soho.
That poké is now ‘a thing’ in London is weird one for me – and seems kinda random. There are at least three eateries (that I know of) now open in town with poké as the main menu item. It’s “the next ceviche” I’ve been told (more than a few times) when I mention that I think this trend is odd.
Anybody with any experience of devouring a mound of poké in its native home of Hawaii knows, the raw fish dish is more something you’d except to have been made by some local granny to be purchased for cheap at a petrol station or convenience store on the way to the beach or jammed into a heaving polystyrene container as part of an ultimate plate lunch or epic island style bento.
But please don’t think I’m complaining. Indeed, I’m happy to deal with the out of context of situation of eating poké in London. Hawaiian food is some of the world’s most delicious, and that goes double for poké.
Tombo does a delicious version of this classic (and rather healthy) Hawaiian comfort food. My selection of Tuna Avo poké turned out to be an especially satisfying lunch during my recent visit. Featuring a heap of tuna, sesame soy sauce, avocado, white onion, tempura crumbs and nori ona bed of black and white rice (there’s a courgette noodle option too) at £7.95 for a regular size (a small is £5.95), I reckon it was pretty good value too. I just wish I had known to request sesame seeds rather than assuming they’d come as part of the dish – don’t you make the same mistake!). Next time (which is more inevitable than hypothetical) I’ll probably choose the “build your own” option.
But the poké’s just one part of the equation at Tombo. It’s a Japanese style matcha bar too. I loved my full flavoured and fairly frothy iced long matcha (£3) and adored every yummy lick of my massive matcha soft serve in a cone (£3.50) that grabbed on my way out to enjoy as I ambled on to my next engagement.
Tombo is located at 8 D’Arblay Street, W1F 8EW (there’s a sister café near South Kensington Station as well). Find out more at tombopoke.com.
