3 great spots to try pok, Vancouver's latest food trend

Vancouver is well-known for its sushi, ramenand pho, but in recent months, a new style of food has started becoming very popular: pok.

Pok (pronounced PO-kay) is a traditional dish found everywhere in Hawaii. It consists of cubed, raw fish, most often tuna, traditionally marinated in soy sauce, sesame oiland seaweed then topped with green onions and sesame seeds.

On The Coast food columnist Gail Johnson says it's becoming a trend in North America, and there are some good spots for it in Vancouver.

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"I love Pok Guy because it is the only pok place in Canada that is 100 percent Ocean Wise," she told On The Coast guest host Gloria Macarenko.

"Aside from offering crushed pork rinds as one of its toppings, Pok Guy isn't doing anything too zany. One of the owners, Angela Quan, has several relatives who live in Hawaii, and she says they want the food to be as authentic as possible."

A place that's more adventurous is Pok Time, the first pokrestaurantin the city.

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"It does pok burritos, for example: the Super Cruncheritto is stuffed with marinated salmon and albacore tuna, onion crisps, and even crushed Corn Flakes and nacho crumbs. Those give it an addictively crunchy texture," she said.

"Then there's the Inside Out Cruncheritto, which has ingredients like crushed Cheetos and wasabi peas on the outside. It's apparently incredibly popular."

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In Chinatown, Pacific Pok is focusing on seasonal, local ingredients, flavours found on the West Coast.

"You won't find tropical fruit at Pacific Pok," she said. "And I love this: you will not find a can opener in this restaurant. Instead, you'll find toppings such as beets and basiland house-made kimchi."

With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast