The Hawaiian poke trend is starting to seriously catch on in D.C. The latest crusader for the raw fish dish: Poke Pop DC, a pop-up from Momofuku CCDC sous chef Kevin Tien and environmental attorney Logan Hollers.
The pop-up will take place at Prequel (918 F St. NW) on May 5, 6, and 13 from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. (or until food runs out).
Tien spent some time in Hawaii when he was young and his first job in the restaurant industry was working as a sushi chef in Louisiana. “Fresh fish and seafood has already been a big part of my life,” he says. “Coming out to D.C., I always thought there was a lack of really awesome sushi, good quality fish. There’s not much poke out here.”
Tien and Hollers are neighbors in Capitol Hill, and over the past year they’ve been discussing ways to fill the poke void in D.C.
Poke Pop DC’s menu draws from Tien’s Vietnamese heritage and cooking experience at Oyamel and Momofuku. Diners can choose from Hawaiian, Mexican, Korean, and Vietnamese-inspired poke bowls (see below) from $10 to $12. Lunch service will be to-go, but guests can order in the bar and lounge area for dinner.
The duo haven’t discussed plans for anything more permanent, but if all goes well, you can expect more pop-ups and an expanded menu.
“We’re just putting feelers out there to see how D.C. responds to poke,” Hollers says.
The menu:
The Hawaiian – $12
Ahi tuna, soy ginger dressing, cucumber, wakame, red onion, scallion, furikake
The Vietnamese – $12
Hamachi yellowtail, nuoc cham dressing, pickled daikon, carrots, cucumber, Thai chili, mint, holy basil, peanuts
The Korean – $12
Atlantic salmon, gochujang chili dressing, pickled red cabbage, radish, scallion, nori, puffed rice
The Mexican – $10
Fried tofu, chili crema & lime dressing, avocado, cherry tomato, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, crispy quinoa
UPDATE: To avoid confusion, the Poke Pop DC team would like to clarify that the pop-up is unaffiliated with Momofuku CCDC.