Bored with burritos? Sick and tired of sushi? The next big thing on the London lunch scene is poke (pronounced pokay), a Hawaiian concoction of raw fish and fresh pineapple or mango with rice, pulses and an array of seeds and seasonings.
Its latest proponent, Island Poke in Soho, attracted long queues when it opened its doors last month. It has an all-day menu, starting with coffee, acai and yoghurt and holding back the raw fish until lunchtime.
But that's what had people waiting in the street: glistening cubes of tuna or salmon paired virtuously with fresh fruit salsa and avocado. You can build your own combination, but a good place to start is the "classic ahi" - tuna on sushi rice with pineapple salsa, crispy shallots, spring onions and sesame seeds.
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At £8 or so a bowl, it's at the premium end of the lunch market, but far better value than the sad slivers of seafood in supermarket sushi. And at this time of the year, it serves up what money can't usually buy - a shot of Hawaiian sunshine.
Island Poke, 8 Kingly Street, London, W1B 5PQ; islandpoke.co.uk
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