First Bite: Poke/Poke

You know that the local food scene is getting crazier when more and more cuisines and dishes are being introduced to the market. Just a few months ago, I had my first ever poke bowl and I fell in love with the concept of rice topped with fresh raw fish. It’s like the Japanese chirashi but casually plated. As a hardcore sashimi lover, I instantly said yes when I got an invite to Poke/Poke’s preview event last Thursday.

Hello, Poke/Poke!

Okay, poke may not exactly be an entirely fresh concept here in Manila as there are already a handful of restaurants offering this Hawaiian treat. However, Poke/Poke is the first of its kind to offer Create Your Own Poke Bowls. For those who do not want to think of the ingredients to put in their bowls, fret not as Poke/Poke also has nine standard signature bowls to choose from.

First Bite: Johnny Kahuku's Hawaiian Shrimp House

I first spotted Johnny Kahuku's Hawaiian Shrimp House in the South but never had the chance to visit as I had dinner plans elsewhere. But food gods want me to drop by this place and soon, I found myself in front of this colourful establishment’s North branch one Saturday afternoon. 

Hello, Johnny Kahuku's Hawaiian Shrimp House! 

It was like being transported to Hawaii as soon as you step foot inside the restaurant designed as a shrimp shack. The colorful wall decor, warm lights and wooden furniture are so inviting and cozy making it a nice place for family lunches or dinners or a nice catch up meal with friends. 

Johnny Kahuku is known for its seafood fare so we went with Tuna Ahi Poke (PHP365), Island Pride (PHP595, 6 pcs of shrimp | PHP645, 9 pcs of shrimp), Fiesta Paella (PHP899) and Tropical Chill (PHP285). 

First served was the tuna ahi poke bowl which was chilled ahi tuna drizzled with ginger shoyu sauce on top of rice. You may opt for brown rice for no additional cost. 

The tuna cubes were undeniably fresh. I loved the subtle sweet taste from the dressing which went so well with the Japanese rice. 

Aloha from Technohub???

It was one rainy day when we decided to have a picnic. No, we did not plan the picnic because it was raining. The image we had in mind was one sunny or at least cloudy day where we get to share homemade meals (okay, my share was not exactly homemade—JUNK FOOD). Anyway, to cut things short, we got stuck in a quaint café instead until lunch time. 

Since our brains were telling us to have lunch even when we were not really in the mood for a heavy lunch because we had cake and munched on the packed meals our friends prepared, we still went out and explored Technohub and there we saw this new-looking store named Hawaii’s North Shore.

The restaurant offered burgers, fries, and other comfort food such as fish and chips and chicken wings.

Since I was full, I ordered Spam Musubi (PHP60) that looked like Spam sushi, Phat Fries (PHP60), and large Pineapple Iced Tea (PHP70) for that Hawaiian feel. Yes, I was not hungry... really.

When my order arrived, I was surprised that the Spam Musubi was just… one. I saw a display of it with two Spam Musubis so I assumed that I will be getting two. Oh well. 

It was caramelized Spam on sticky rice. (I think I do not need to share more details about this since it was just sweet Spam.) A bit hard to eat though since it was rather big for one big bite but too messy if you cut it into pieces. 

The Phat Fries was your typical greasy yet oh-so-good fries. It was served hot though wasn’t very crispy.

As for the Pineapple Iced Tea… well, I think I will eventually get used to it. I didn’t really like it since my mind was telling me that something was wrong. (Brain: Hey, this does not taste like lemon! Where’s the lemony taste?!? I want the lemony taste!!!)

What I loved about the restaurant was that it was full of surprises... sweet and just plain surprising...

Get a FREE ice cream every time you spend PHP180. I got one since I spent PHP190.

Photo Op with the crew... we felt like celebrities.

Hawaii’s North Shore is located at UP Ayala Land TechnoHub, Commonwealth Ave. Brgy. UP Campus Diliman Quezon City