I usually don't review casual or quick service type restaurants but every now and then when something great and/or unique opens up, I feel like I have to. It looks like 2016 is shaping up to be the year of the poke in NYC, which is totally a trend that I can get behind. If you've been reading my blog long enough, you know that there are a few dishes that I am fanatical about and poke is one of them. The 3 times I've been to Hawaii, I usually bath myself in poke and I could honestly eat it everyday of my life. At it's core, it's basically raw fish marinated with soy, sesame oil and other Asian inspired flavors that make this super addictive. Plus its incredibly healthy for you, so what's not to love about it?
While poke is extremely prevalent in Hawaii and parts of California, I was always curious why poke never quite made it to NYC. In addition to Wisefish, there is also Pokeworks in Midtown and you can also go to one of the few Hawaiian restaurants like Onomea or Noreeth to order it but otherwise, there aren't a ton of places that serve poke in the city. I had just read about Wisefish and I happened to be in the neighborhood so I thought it was worth checking out. You order at the counter and you can either make your own bowl or they have custom bowls that you can order. The premise is fairly simple; order a base + fish (you can get tofu but really why bother coming to a place like this if you're not going to eat fish) + toppings + sauce. I opted for the large classic Hawaii Style of ahi tuna and scallions on brown rice ($13.95). Apparently the only difference between a regular and a large is how much fish they put in it. At first I was a bit skeptical because when they were putting the bowl together it seemed more heavy on the rice vs. the fish but once I started eating it, there was actually plenty of fish and it was a nice ratio of fish to rice. You can still get other toppings like seaweed salad, cucumber, or add spicy mayo but I wanted to go classic for my first try.
There is a communal table you can sit at but I took it home and it held up well on the 30 mins commute home. I was honestly really really happy with this dish. The fish was bright red and fresh and clean to the taste. It had the right level of seasoning and acidity with the soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger and it paired well with the slightly crunchy brown rice. All the meanwhile, I felt like I was eating something really good for me. While obviously it's still not like the poke you can get in Hawaii, it's pretty close for being so far away from paradise.
I was there on the 3rd day it opened, so the staff was super friendly and the adorable co-owner was also there making sure that operations were running smoothly. The line was pretty long by the time I walked out with my food around 7pm, so it sounds like the buzz has already gotten out. Even though I don't live or work anywhere near this, I can definitely see myself going out of my way to come here to get my poke fix at least once a month, if not more. This had made me incredibly excited for the poke craze to take over the city this year - bring on the fish! Total bill: $15 with tax
Photo Credit: Yelp
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