Local restaurant capitalizes on authenticity
Poki is a tasty modern invention which combines sushi and the Hawaiian salad, poke. Poki adds on to the traditional poke by using a lot of Japanese ingredients typically found in sushi.
Pokiland is one of the first restaurants that revolves around the dish in Fresno. Founded by Binh Tran and Tram Tran a year and a half ago, they helped bring local fame to this now-popular dish.
Both owner’s heritage lies in Vietnam, which is why they coincidentally have the same last name. They met at I.S.I Ministries in Fresno over seven years ago and only recently ventured into their own poki restaurant. Since Pokiland’s opening, many similar restaurants based around the original poke have popped up.
Poki is a very customizable dish in which the base is usually rice. However, there are many other options for bases such as nachos or a poki wrap called sushirrito.
After picking the base, proteins such as tuna, salmon, yellowtail or tofu are added. Sauces are then mixed with the protein and placed on top of the rice.
Various toppings are added to finish the dish. The sizes are based on how many scoops of protein are in each bowl. A small has two scoops, the medium has three and the large has five, the bowls cost from $8-12.
When I walked in at around three o’clock, it was fairly busy and all the inside tables were occupied. Although not very fancy, Pokiland is very casual and comfortable. There is not a lot of fancy decorations, but the interior is not boring or plain either. There is an assembly line where your server makes your food while you watch behind a glass display.
The server making my food was extremely patient while explaining the concept of poki to me. He welcomed me with a friendly smiled and did not rush me.
I got a medium bowl with rice and two scoops of tuna and one scoop of salmon. I also added da-bomb sauce (their signature spicy sauce), spicy mayo and unagi sauce. After putting the fish on the rice I added seaweed, ginger, lemon and fish eggs.
My food was well plated and arranged to appear appetizing. I was given generous amounts of all the things I ordered, contrary to certain reviews on Google. My selected fish was full of flavor and contained the right amount of spice.
The sauces mingled perfectly together to infuse the fish with flavor. The seaweed was seasoned and very flavorful. One of the main highlights of the dish was that it was not heavy. Upon finishing my meal, I did not feel too full or sick.
The only complaint I had was the rice was a little bit tough, most likely from sitting in a warming container. I am not sure if they use warming containers but the rice was warm when I got my bowl, which was a little bit weird for the naturally cold temperature of the fish.
Overall I had a great experience at Pokiland and definitely plan to go back. I would recommend this as a quick and light lunch or dinner. Pokiland brings affordable sushi-like food that is very enjoyable. I would recommend Pokiland to anyone who likes sushi and is looking for something new.
Pokiland is located at the corner of Champlain and Perrin at 1189 E Champlain Dr., Fresno, next to Campagnia. They are open from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. You can contact them at (559)-433-8980.
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This author can be reached via twitter @vijays3242 and via email: Vijay Stephen.