North Shore Poke Co., located on Westheimer near Wilcrest, is a California transplant that introduces its version of poke to Houston. The story goes that chef Shawn Gole wondered why Hawaiian restaurants in Huntington Beach didn’t offer this Hawaiian staple dish, so he began his own business.
North Shore Poke’s fish comes straight out of the sea, and the company uses market prices for their menu. Currently, prices for tuna and salmon are $7.99 for a small (three scoops of the catch), $8.99 for a medium (four scoops) and $9.99 for a large (five scoops).
Similar to other poke places in Houston (like this one in Montrose and another in Rice Village), North Shore offers customizable options and signature bowls that often come with house-made sauces. They even offer novelties, such as poke nachos and tacos.
We recently stopped in for a casual lunch and admired the charming interior, which resembles a trendy beach cafe. However, when it came to placing an order, the sauces stumped us for a bit. With so many options – from traditional shoyu that they call the “Pipeline” to “Waimea,” a spicy mayonnaise blend – our heads began to spin. But eventually we settled down and got on with customizing our bowls. Options for the base are white or brown rice, tortilla chips or cucumbers, and then you choose the sauce and add-ons (from daikon to fresh ginger) and/or premium add-ons (choices like blue crab (plus $1.50) and macadamia nuts).
One of our bowls featured the Waimea sauce with avocado on the side, fresh salmon and kimchi over a hefty pile of rice. (The kimchi packs quite a spicy punch, by the way.) The other bowl (above) was tuna and salmon glazed with house-made ponzu sauce for a tart edge to the flavors. Fried onion, daikon and fresh ginger served as finishing touches.
We’ve eaten quite a few poke bowls around town in the past several weeks, and the verdict for North Shore stands as follows: Fresh fish, decent prices and unique sauces make this place shine.
We wonder if the poke craze will ever peter out, or will raw-fish salad just become part of the local culinary lexicon? Houstonians, get your lean protein.
North Shore Poke Co., 11195 Westheimer just west of Wilcrest, 281-888-1946, northshorepokeco.com
Hours: Sun. to Thurs. 11 am to 9 pm, Fri. & Sat. 11 am to 10 pm