Poke Theory (Boon Tat Street) (Closed)

Note: The Boon Tat Street Outlet has closed down but there are many more outlets to check them out!

Our Poke Theory Review

Poke Theory at Boon Tat Street is the first outlet which was opened in 25 July 2016 by a pair of young and daring siblings (Joey and Vanessa) and they focus on modern Hawaiian-Inspired Poke Bowls (a growing popularity in Singapore).

Poke (a Hawaiian word and pronounced as Poh-Kay) means “to slice or cut” and refers to the chunks of raw, marinated fish (usually salmon or tuna) tossed over rice and topped with generous servings of vegetables and umami-packed sauces.

For us, it was our first time trying out Poke Bowls and we were eager to know what was all the excitement about and so we decided to try them out on a weekday afternoon (joining the many hardworking office people). We were there around 1 plus and the place was almost fully occupied but we managed to grab two seats over at the high chair corner.

Not too sure about the other outlets but the one at Boon Tat Street was pretty crowded and noisy (we had a hard time hearing each other out).

— The Ordering Process

At first, we were confused on how to make our orders until we saw this (big) 4 Steps Ordering Process pasted on their wall. The Fifth Step is optional whereby you get to add some Premium stuff. The queue was fast moving at that time so we had to make our decisions fast.

The staff at the counter were very friendly and helpful. One of the staff actually posed in front of the board while we tried taking a photo.

So, The Steps Were:

Choose your Size:
- Light – 75g poke or 100g avo poke ($9.90)
- Regular – 100g poke or 150g avo poke($12.90)
- Large – 150g poke or 225g avo poke ($15.90)
- An option to add an Additional 50g Poke or 75g avo poke at $3.
Choose your Base:
- Signature Sushi Rice
- Brown Rice
- Lemon Herb Quinoa
- Romaine Lettuce
Select Your Poke (Pick up to 2 Poke and its variations):
- Salmon (Original Shoyu, Avocado Miso, Spicy Mayo, Seasonal Special)
- Tuna (Original Shoyu, Spicy Garlic Sesame)
- Vegan (Avocado Poke)
Add Free Toppings:
- Carrot
- Jap Cucumber
- Cherry Tomato
- Honey Pineapple
- Wakame Seaweed
- Sesame Seeds
- Furikake
- Tobiko
Add Premiums (Optional):
- $1 Toppings:
  - Kimchi
  - Teriyaki Edamame
  - Lime Avocado
  - Pomegranate
  - Thai Mango
  - Smoke Almonds
  - Cajun Corn
- $2 Toppings:
  - Kale Chips
  - Crispy Salmon Skin
  - Spiced Roasted Cashews
  - Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

We really liked their service – generally helpful, patient and friendly! The queue that day was pretty long but luckily it was really fast moving. The staff had their smiling faces on and gave pointers when we had queries on the selections. One of them even smiled for our camera when we tried to take a photo of their menu.

We ordered two Poke Bowls and after collecting them at the end of the line, we made our way to the cutlery collection point (located at the side of the wall) and we collected our cutlery, water (it’s free flow) and sauces there. The sauces for the bowl were also free flow but we won’t advise squeezing too much of it. The taste might end up too overwhelming.

— Poke Bowl #1 ($10.90)

For this Poke Bowl, we went with:

Size: Light
Base: Signature Japanese Rice
2 Pokes: Spicy Mayo Salmon & Spicy Garlic Sesame Tuna
Free Toppings: Tobiko
Optional: Kimchi, which add to the crunchiness while eating the rice.

Basically, ladies should be more comfortable with the light size portion if rice, that being said, I think the large bowl won’t post many issues too because the Poke and the variations make everything taste good. And to be fair to their customers, they really do weigh the food to make every penny worth it. So definitely no worries about being cheated off a few grains of rice.

We liked the crunchy taste (from the Tobiko and Sesame Seeds) of this bowl. The Kimchi added a bit of sour-y taste. The spiciness from Salmon and Tuna were not overwhelming but still felt good. And while this may look like the usual Japanese Chirashi Don but due to the seasoning, sauces and add-ons, it actually tasted better. Size wise (light), we felt that it should be just nice for ladies but for guys, it might not be tummy-filling.

— Poke Bowl #2 ($15.90)

For this Poke Bowl, we went with:

Size: Large
Base: Signature Sushi Rice
2 Pokes: Original Shoyu Tuna & Avocado Poke
Toppings: Carrot, Jap Cucumber, Cherry Tomato, Honey Pineapple, Wakame Seaweed, Sesame Seeds, Furikake and Tobiko

Size wise (Large), we felt that it was the right size for the guys. We liked that they were generous with their servings (the bowl was filled to the brim) and the overall mixed taste (crunchy, sour, sweet, juicy) was really good. We could finish the whole bowl and did not feel bloated.

Tuna was really chunky and savory and we liked that chewy feeling as we chewed through it. Though we were not an Avocado person but eating together with the toppings gave the Avocado a really good taste. The toppings were also fresh on their own and each complemented one another in taste with each scoop. This meal was definitely satisfying. We could also eat this on a regular basis but the price ($15.90 x 5 meals) would hurt the pocket a little.

In summary, we really liked the taste of the Poke Bowls we ordered that day – full and satisfying! The poke servings were generous and there was a wide selection of free toppings selections – they were fresh and complemented the base and pokes well.

We also liked the idea that we got to choose how much (bowl size and the number of toppings) and what to eat (a light meal to satisfy our taste buds or a full meal to perk us up for the rest of the day).

How To Get To Poke Theory?

Previous Address: 27 Boon Tat Street Singapore 069623

Nearest MRT: Telok Ayer MRT

Other Outlet(s):

179 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 068627
Raffles Pl, #01-18, CIMB Plaza, Singapore 048622
01-04, 111 Somerset, 111 Somerset Road, S238164
01-53, Velocity @ Novena Square, 238 Thomson Road, S307683
01-36/37, DUO Galleria, 7 Fraser St, S189356
01-04, Park Place Residences @ PLQ, 2 Paya Lebar Road, S409053
02-02/#02-03, One@KentRidge, 1 Lower Kent Ridge Road, S119082
01-21, 68 Phoenix Road, Hillsta Condo, S668202
163 Tanglin Rd, #02-126 Tanglin Mall, S247933
3 Temasek Boulevard, #B1-122, Suntec City Mall, S038983
8A Marina Blvd, #B2-46, Singapore 018984
1 Woodlands Square, #B1-22, Singapore 738099

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