By Sharon Chang
Amid the gloom from WFH*, a simple midweek lunch, courtesy of Tail & Fin, a Las Vegas-born brand, specialising in ‘bowls and rolls’, did not disappoint. I finally had my poke bowl fix with lots of flavours and combinations thanks to the masterfully crafted menu by Chef Karu Wedhas, a former Executive Chef of Nobu Restaurant.
Literally translating into “to cut in cubes” , the Japanese fusion dish traces its origin all the way from Hawaii itself. The distinctive feature of Poke Bowls are either brown rice or Japanese sushi rice as its base vegetables and raw fish.
I started off my poke journey with It’s Stupid Good Sushi Salad, a delightful zesty tasting veggie bowl with tuna. It’s Stupid Good Sushi Salad is a hearty healthy veggie bowl with tuna flavoured in yuzu sauce and Umami sweet soy – dish enough to be shared by two. The bowl is made up of tempura flakes, surimi crab, onions (a little less as I would prefer), tomatoes, Romaine lettuce, and cucumber Sunomono flavoured with yuzu sauce and Umami sweet soy. A definite A-lister!
Next up was another iconic creation, The Omega Poke Bowl, made up of salmon, surimi crab, tomatoes, red onion and toasted multigrain with Japanese citrus and honey sesame aioli. Tucking into the bowl, I realised the ingredients used were quite similar, with the salmon and surimi crab done perfectly – soft and moist in a creamy sweet honey sesame aioli flavouring. Whether having my lunch at the balcony or my mood was excellent, this poke was excellent. I finished the whole bowl to the last drop!
I am generally not a big fan of rice, and I was rather hesitant to try the Tori Karaage Curry; not a poke bowl, but I must say it is good. The dish however does come in a bowl with golden chicken cutlets over a bed of rice, topped with carrots, potatoes, and onions in Japanese curry. It’s all that you would expect in a Tori Karaage Curry dish. No regrets!
Saving the best for the last – since I am a huge sushi fan – the Yo Adrian Sushi Maki was the final dish to be tasted. Unfortunately, the dish doesn’t live up to the hype created by the other dishes.
While it might cater to other pallettes, it was definitely a little too bland for me. Perhaps with a little bit more flavouring on the sushi rice, it could entice me for another round of tasting.
While the poke bowl trend was picking up in recent years, the Tail & Fin is a poke joint which begs to differ. Not short on quality or quantity, Tail & Fin is the one of the rare ones that encompasses together so many luxurious flavours into one bowl. Aside from the Chef’s Signature Creations, the ‘Build Your Own’ menu will allow adventurous patrons to personalise their own dishes from the wide selection of ingredients.
Be sure to check them out, I am pretty sure you will be tantalisingly surprised.
