With its cool blue interior, walls adorned with surfboards and dishes named ‘Heatwave’ and ‘Venice,’ Ahi Poké is about as close as you’ll get to a dip in the Pacific on your lunchbreak. It’s actually round the back of Tottenham Court Road – hardly Hawaii, but a pleasant enough part of Fitzrovia for dining alfresco on pavement tables.
An eager team of staff make poké (Hawaiian bowls of sashimi fish with rice and veg, in case the trend has passed you by) to order from an open bar filled with fresh, vibrant ingredients. You can choose straight off the menu or walk on the wild side with a build-your-own combination on a base of rice, quinoa or kale (or all three mixed together). Chunks of chilled raw tuna were paired nicely with radishes in my ‘Oahu’ bowl, even if the raw onion had me reaching for the mints afterwards.
Those of you who eat with your eyes won’t be able to resist the DIY mix of pretty elements – get the zingy leche de tigre sauce and splash an extra 50p on cashew nuts for added crunch. Change from a tenner is unlikely, but if you go for the more substantial bases, you’ll feel satisfied rather than short-changed. It may not weather the winter months but Ahi Poké gets refreshing summer food spot on.