Fins Poke Fusion serves up fresh and customizable poke bowls in Mission Viejo, California

Brothers Peter and David Cho have teamed up with restauranteurs Moby Duncan and Garo Mardirossian to bring poke to Mission Viejo. Peter and David are sushi chefs by trade so they have an unspoken commitment to serve the highest quality fish and ingredients at an affordable price. The result is a wonderful concept for healthy, fresh seafood. But if you’re looking for authentic Hawaiian poke, you might be a touch disappointed. According to one of the owners, in order to make it customizable, the seafood must stay in its pristine state to show its vibrant color and freshness. Hawaiian poke is traditionally marinated in its sauce. It can sometimes give the fish an unusual color, not because the fish is bad, but because of the dark color of shoyu and/or ponzu. If you are from Hawaii, you know what I’m talking about. Most of the markets in Hawaii like KTA, Sack N Save, etc., have poke pre-made in many different varieties in the seafood case where you can order by the pound. I grew up on poke so I might have a stronger opinion on this than most. This concept is more like chirashi with chunked fish instead of sashimi sliced fish. I like the concept, but just have a hard time agreeing on this definition of poke.

BYQ Poke Bowls starts by choosing your size: PeeWee (3 oz. for $7.50), Kahuna (5 oz. for $8.95), or Big Kahuna (7 oz. for $10.95). Choose your base: mixed greens, sticky white rice, or brown rice. Choose your fish: salmon, tuna, spicy tuna, albacore, or sometimes they will have special ingredients like shrimp. Choose your sauce: Kilauea (house spicy mayo vinaigrette), Molokai (Fin’s original ponzu blend), or sesame shoyu (the more traditional poke sauce). Add extra toppings ($0.50 to $1 per serving): avocado, cucumber, crabmeat, garlic chips, jalapeno, sunomono (Japanese pickles), masago (capelin roe), hotategai (scallops), tako (octopus), wakame (seaweed), shelled edamame, and sometimes they will have uni (sea urchin roe).

Here are two combinations you might like to try:

BYQ Poke Bowl with salmon, scallops, masago, wakame, sesame seeds, sliced onion, chopped green onions, sesame shoyu sauce, and sticky white rice. The fresh salmon and scallops are tossed in the sauce before your very eyes. It has a nice flavor but needs more of a salt element like more shoyu or Hawaiian sea salt. I would definitely try this combo again atop mixed greens or even in a taco. Rating: 4/5

BYQ Poke Bowl with tuna, tako, masago, chopped green onion, ginger, and sticky white rice. The seafood and ingredients taste fresh and bright. The sauce didn’t stay on the fish and ended up on the rice. A splash of extra shoyu helped bring the flavor back to the fish. This might be better on mixed green salad so the sauce can act more like a dressing. Rating: 4/5

For a fresh and healthy meal, stop by Fins Poke Fusion and grab a bowl, salad, wrap, or taco for your next meal.

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5 stars

Décor: 5 out of 5 stars

Service: 5 out of 5 stars

Food: 4 out of 5 stars

For more information:
Fins Poke Fusion

28251 Marguerite Pkwy Ste A

Mission Viejo, CA 92692

+1.949.542.7466