I think I’m still on my poki kick from my trip to Hawaii. I think I over did it when I was there when I had poki with every meal for a week. Now I wish my local Safeway would carry poki by the pound. Now the only good poki is the poki I make. Almost like the best ceviche is the one I make. Well, I’m still working on my ceviche but at least I know my poki is one of the best. In fact, here’s a new twist on poki with my Poki Nachos…no cheese just poki on top of a bed of taro chips. Yes, taro chips…island style all the way. I don’t want to get too into it but the taro chips give me that feeling of eating poi but not eating poi. You’d understand if you like and dislike poi.
Anyways, I was in Los Angeles the other week and I had a craving for poki. I think it must have been the heat or something that reminded me of the islands and then the islands reminded me of poki. So while in LA, I went on a quest to find some poki. Sure enough I found a couple of places and chose a place named Wiki Poki. I went with Wiki Poki for the many reviews it had but more importantly it has wiki in the company name. Well, that and they use a pineapple in their logo.
Stepping into the shop almost had a Pinkberry feel to it and I’m not sure how I really felt. I think I was more intrigued by the ordering process. They make the process easy like Pinkberry where there are several steps.
- Pick your rice/salad
- Choose two sides
- Choose three types of protein and add-ins
- How spicy?
I just jumped in. Not sure what to really expect but I just went in and started ordering. I went with white rice, crab salad, seaweed salad, tuna, albacore, Hamachi, cucumber, carrots, pineapple, and medium spice. This is where things went funky. I’m used to ordering poki by the pound and having it over rice. I won’t say funky, just it’s where my poki experience took a turn. The add-ins were mixed with the fish and sauce was added (I’m assuming sesame seed oil and some kind of soy sauce based something) along with some kind of spicy sauce per your request. I began to rethink my choices of fish and add-ins.
I just wish I had a warning of what to expect. Overall, my choices seemed to make a great combination but I don’t think that there would have been a difference if I added all the ingredients they have in stock. The quality of the fish was fresh and the cuts were very clean with the connective tissue removed.
The sides…seaweed salad was standard. The crab salad was very meaty despite the imitation. I mean, normally I see a bunch of mayonnaise added to crab salad—this salad was great. Oh, I forgot to mention that near the point of payment, you can also add other things like masago, furikake, and green onions.
How did it taste? It’s not Hawaii but brings me a little closer to aloha. The pineapple is refreshing and all the ingredients worked well together. The masago, furikake, and green onion definitely round of the dish. I think I could have sent a little spicier. Unfortunately, I think they sauce needs to be a little bit more salty to bring out the umami sensation. Overall, it’s a great stop to get my fix.
WikiPoki is definitely something to try out if you’re in Koreatown in LA. I’d go again but next time, I’m keeping it simple. Tuna poke over rice.
Here’s where you can find them:
Koreatown
3438 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90010
213-739-4363
