NOTE: All food and beverages were complimentary, but all opinions are based on my own experience.

Thanks to Naomi of Constant Cravings, a group of bloggers and I were invited to one of the newest poke shop in Vancouver. The Poke Shop is located in Gastown, but quite hidden as you must go down some stairs next to Water Street Cafe.

Poke is great for take out but The Poke Shop also has decent amount of seating so that you can dine in.

At the Poke Shop, you order at the counter by choosing either a large ($12.95) or super large ($15.95) bowl. You then choose your base which can be simply white rice, organic purple rice, mix greens and baby spinach, zucchini noodles or a mix of two. Most places have brown rice, but I think they may be the only poke shop with purple rice, so a great option for a healthier bowl.

Moving on are the toppings, which are unlimited! I think that’s why the prices are slightly higher. They have a large variety including wakame seaweed salad, avocado, edamame, sesame seeds, cucumber, zucchini, mango, pineapple, pea shoots, corn, and nori to name a few. Last but not least, you can choose your sauce with options like horseradish aioli, wasabi, spicy, miso, or their signature sauce.

This was my super large creation. I chose a mix of organic greens and white rice for my base and ahi tuna and spicy baby scallops for my protein. As for my toppings, I had some imitation crab, pineapple, wakame seaweed salad, corn, mango, masago, sesame seeds and their horseradish aioli. The bowl was pretty big and I frankly could not finish it in one seating, so a large may be enough for me. The seafood itself was fresh and marinated and the sauce was really good with a hint of spice.

These were the other food bloggers’ poke bowls. There is seriously something for everyone. For size comparison, the bottom right is a large while the rest are super larges. Quite impressed with the poke bowls to be honest.

Pineapple Plantation Iced Tea, 3 Berry and Lemon Soda, and Iced Matcha Green Tea with Honey (left to right)

As for drinks, they have plenty of options and pictured are the Pineapple Plantation Iced Tea, 3 Berry and Lemon Soda, and Iced Matcha Green Tea with Honey. I had the Pineapple Plantation Iced Tea which actually had bits of pineapple in it. The drink is not overly sweet which I enjoyed, but some others wanted it sweeter.

Poke and Avocado on Toast

Lastly, the owner gave us a new dish for us to taste test which they are thinking of selling. This was Poke and Avocado on Toast and feature ahi tuna , avocados, mixed greens, and masago on the toast. The bread was toasted well and the combination was not bad, but I found it very difficult to eat as everything came falling apart. Perhaps, a sandwich might work better?