PICK OF THE WEEK: Poke Island Plus!
So, if you thought that the new Pokรฉ Island Plus, which opened shortly before we went to press with this issue in the same Village at Hunterโs Lake plaza that also is home to Fresh Kitchen, First Watch, Via Italia and Touch Nail Spa, was โjust another pokรฉ bowl place,โ guess again.
Great sushi, Vietnamese food and boba teas are the โPlussesโ at Pokรฉ Island Plus. So, whether you like California, Mexican or spicy tuna rolls or hand rolls, or Vietnamese bun noodle bowls (like the top photo, with marinated, grilled pork), pho noodle soup, rice plates or fried rice, Pokรฉ Island Plus also has you covered. Oh, and thereโs also delicious appetizers, like the pork, cabbage and onion gyoza dumplings shown below, as well as Vietnamese fresh rolls with shrimp, pork, vermicelli rice noodles and lettuce wrapped in rice paper, mini vegetable egg rolls, chicken skewers, edamame, tempura shrimp and steamed bao buns. Thereโs even fried donuts for dessert.
But, the pokรฉ bowls, whether you custom-design your own โ with 1-3 scoops of tuna, salmon, spicy tuna or salmon, krab mix, fried chicken, steamed shrimp, fried tofu or tamago as your protein(s) of choice โ or choose one of the Signature Pokรฉ Bowls or Burritos (from Krispy Krab to Philly to Land Meets Sea to Protein Junkie (with salmon, tuna, spicy salmon and spicy tuna), everything at Pokรฉ Island Plus that weโve sampled in the short time itโs been open has been fresh and delicious.
In fact, managing editor John Cotey, whose wife is Vietnamese, says his entire family loved the pho noddle soup and other Vietnamese specialties, so you know itโs good.
Photographer/videographer Charmaine George also said that her taro boba milk tea with mango popping bobas was delicious, too.
Pokรฉ Island Plus (8636 Hunterโs Village Rd.) is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. every day. To place an order, call (813) 866-POKE (7653) or check them out on Facebook, Doordash or Uber Eats. If you do stop in, please tell them you read about them in the Neighborhood News! โ GN