Enter the world of an uncultured “foodie” — me – who recently binge watched every episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown in rapid succession to suppress his eager yearning for a cultural food adventure by living his life through other people’s experiences. It’s a sad life. Nevertheless, he left his dorm in search for a bold and audacious culinary uproar, only to realize that he didn’t have money…
Broke and broken hearted, his failed journey of sprawling into the outskirts of Broad Street in search for a culinary delight led him to discover a modest and humble poké restaurant near closing time. However, “near closing time” does not mean closed, it means “we’re closing in like 5 minutes so why bother?” Well, to our classless hero that meant “Come on in, we’re still open!”
Hunger drives our hero to use his mother’s credit card…
So, what is a poké bowl? It’s a Hawaiian raw fish dish. Basically imagine unrolling sushi and putting it in a bowl, but way more awesome. I was able to snag an interview with the owner – a brilliant and well-spoken woman who wanted to introduce Poké to Atlanta. She was skeptical at first, since she wasn’t sure if Atlanta was ready for something new and different. Nevertheless, she took on the challenge.
She went from making Poké for her friends and family to making it for the city, and I was curious what set the Poké bowl apart from it’s competition — sushi.
It all swims down to how much we get and how much it costs. While you can get a roll of sushi with 6 pieces for about 12 dollars, Atlanta’s Fish Bowl Poké costs the same for a bowl full of fresh, and high quality ingredients that is customizable from the base, the fish, the toppings, and the sauces.
Overall, the staff at Fish Bowl Poké were awesome, fast, friendly, and professional. The location is clean, and there is an Asian aesthetic to it, making the place seem authentic and modern. So, next time you’re craving fish take some advice from their menu, “Forget the roll, get the bowl.”