Poke popularity in London continues to intrigue me. Don’t get me wrong though. I love the stuff and am glad to see I’ve got options on where to get it when I’m on the go. One such eatery is Ahi Poke in Fitzrovia.
Ahi Poke offers a good – if London-ised – version of poke in a short but tasty menu with an assembly line approach to fresh preparation. Seafood is sustainably caught. Veg is locally sourced when possible. Prices are reasonable, which bowls ranging in price from £5.95 to £9.95. Service is friendly and speedy. The dining area is pretty basic but clean, well light and pleasantly decorated with fun and sunny wall paintings.
For my recent lunch at Ahi Poke, I had regular size (but plenty ample) bowl with a rice base, a scoop of ahi tuna (mixed with scallions and black sesame), spicy mayo, edamame, coriander, red onion, and carrot, with an extra sprinkling of sesame and sliced avocado (£1 extra). It was delicious – and really hit the spot. A had a taste of another topping, chilli grapefruit, on the side to see how it went with tuna. It went well! And I’d be inclined to try it next time round. A Vita Coco to was it down and a cup of earl grey pineapple with desiccated coconut for dessert rounded out the meal nicely and with a welcome tropical island tone.
Some minor quibbles … I would have liked to see macadamia nuts as a topping choice (like they do in Hawaii) instead of or in addition to cashews. I’d have loved some nori with my lunch as well.
Ahi Poke is located at 3 Percy Street, W1T 1DF. Find out more at ahipoke.co.uk.
