Pacific power

20 : 06 : 2016 Tombo : Café : Poke

London – Two Pacific cultures collide at Soho’s Tombo café, which serves bowls of Hawaiian poke alongside cups of matcha tea.

  • The founders were inspired by their trips to New York and Tokyo, where poke is proving popular
  • Poke is a raw fish salad and is traditionally served as an appetiser
Tombo, London Tombo, London
Tombo, London Tombo, London
Tombo, London Tombo, London
Tombo, London Tombo, London

Poke, pronounced poh-kay, is the latest raw fish dish to sweep across London and is being re-invented as a healthy fast casual option by cafés and restaurants including Soho’s Tombo.

At Tombo, the classic Hawaiian appetiser of cubed raw fish and various flavourings is served alongside cups of matcha, a finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea that is popular in Japan and China.

The café serves its poke on top of a bed of rice, in a similar format to a traditional sushi bowl. Customers can choose from a set menu or build their own bowl of salmon, tuna or prawn poke for a healthy lunchtime treat.

The Big Picture

Like sushi and ceviche before it, poke is not just a flash-in-the-pan trend. Chefs are increasingly looking to the Asia-Pacific region and archipelagos such as Hawaii for inspiration and to keep things fresh. Check out our Aloha Raw microtrend to find out more.

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