Poké is food that you didn't know you could live without, until you try it. Sure, one could live a happy life exposed to just ceviche, tartare, or even tataki, but Pololi takes minced fish to a different level while remaining blessedly low key, unpretentious and familiar.Poké (pronounced like 'okay') is a Hawaiian riff on flavoured raw fish mince. Here they ply blushing cubes of tuna with various sauces, each catered for specific palates. For the ordinary, a straight forward "Hong Kong style" sauce. For the plucky, a wasabi and yuzu focused flavour. For the daring (but not too daring) a spicy Thai marinade that isn't too over the top, especially when cooled by a base of mesclun salad or rice (or a mix of half and half).What I love about Pololi is that it's the right blend of healthy and filling, while still a powerhouse of flavour. And if one is in for a splurge, I'd suggest trying the spam musubi ($30), a slab of cooked spam pressed into rice and wrapped inside a strip of nori.Pololi is also strong on quality - the salad greens have always been fresh and crisp on my visits, and the rice still moist and fluffy, rather than the gummy stuff that comes from disuse. While the poké is pre-mixed and marinated, they bring it out in small batches to prevent over-oxidation or over-marinating.Despite the familiar flavours, warm service, and dreamy Hawaiian reggae music in the background, there are slight flaws. Compared to equivalent dishes to the already expensive food prices in Hawaii, the food here is at least 25% higher than I would expect. Ancillary toppings such as a single sprinkle to scallions or extra sauce will run you $10.I can live with overpaying for quality Hawaiian food. Once you've had a few good bowls of poké, you'll wonder how you've ever lived without it.
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5-min walk from Exit A2, Sheung Wan MTR Station
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Opening Hours
Mon - Fri
12:00 - 21:00
Sat - Sun
12:00 - 20:00
Above information is for reference only. Please check details with the restaurant.
I've been the the Central branch of Pololi several times but was disappointed by their Sheung Wan location. despite it being on a busy road it's not very visible and Ive actually walked by many times without even noticing the shop. I was there around 5:30pm and the poké choices were sad. They were out of salmon and no stock left which is fine because I prefer tuna. There were 3 tuna choices but each container was almost empty so it just looks like leftover scraps to choose from which isn't very appetizing. because there was so little left, th guy had to make more so that my friend didn't have to choose the vegetarian option. Again he only makes barely enough so it just doesn't look nice. The flavor isn't as good as at their central location. I feel like tha balance of flavored wasn't quite right and less spice was used. The tuna itself tasted ok but texture wasn't very nice. I know sashimi grade ahi is frozen first but the meat should still be firm and feel fresh. The texture here was a bit soggy and spongy. The meat definitely had a weird squishy texture that was very unappealing. I won't be returning to this location in the future and will stick to the original shop in central where everything tastes and feels fresh.
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