Since opening his first Poke Stop shop, Elmer Guzman has certainly earned his place in the pantheon of Hawaii poke masters. But, as with any other career, do one thing too long and the heart and spirit do start to wander. It’s human nature to wonder what lies beyond the next hill.

For Guzman, that has entailed looking beyond poke to see what more he could bring to the table. Best known for neighborhood shops in Mililani, Waipahu and Kapahulu, he’s recently moved into the Luana Waikiki, where he aims to lure diners to look beyond his raw specialties to see what else he can do. Considering his history working at the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia, for Alan Wong at the Mauna Lani Bay Resort and Bungalows and as sous-chef at Emeril’s Restaurant in New Orleans, the potential is clear.

Fish Hook opened about six weeks ago, with breakfast and lunch to start. An upstairs pau hana tapas lounge is in the works, as well as dinner, after kitchen renovations are completed next summer.

The intimate, casual Fish Hook Cafe only has room for 16, but the same number can be accommodated in the lobby’s Fish Bowl and surrounding areas, where Guzman offers a simple breakfast buffet for hotel guests and whoever else might be hungry for basics of scrambled eggs, breakfast meat, fried rice, fresh fruit and pastries. The buffet is $14.95 for adults and $8.95 for children.

While use of the physical spaces might be considered works in progress, there are no such quandaries with the menu. Guzman’s a consummate pro with a good idea of what people — kamaaina and malahini — like to eat. The menu is concise, and gets straight to the point of delivering deliciousness.

He visits familiar territory in a three-poke sampler ($15.95) as a starter. The tourist crowd might recognize the dish that drew national attention when it was featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” in 2010, perhaps helping to kick-start the now coast-to-coast poke craze. A recent sampling included Guzman’s hamachi, salmon and spicy ahi poke.

For another fish fix, there’s the chef’s Smoking Gun Nori-Charred Hamachi ($18.95), presented under glass with smoke from applewood chips. The hamachi is accompanied by toasted bagel slices, honey whole-grain mustard, sesame cream cheese and pickles.

Departing from the usual oyster shooter, Guzman has come up with an egg shooter ($3.95), cooked sous vide to give it the slippery texture of an oyster, and meant to be devoured in a single gulp. The astringency of a calamansi-soy-lime sauce makes slurping it down with the help of a spoon and two or three bites a wiser option.

Those who appreciate the anchovies in a fresh Caesar dressing will enjoy a Filipino take on the classic salad ($9.95) that uses shrimp paste as a stand-in for the fish in the dressing. It hits all the right notes, smoothing out some of the saltiness and fishiness associated with anchovies.

Guzman’s original take on breakfast includes salmon ($15.95) with wasabi and a crust of crushed cinnamon toast for a light, crisp exterior and flavor sure to bring back warm and toasty childhood memories.

There’s also avocado toast ($10.95) of bacon fat-rubbed toast topped with Mari’s Garden micro greens, but if you can afford the splurge, get the upgraded Avocado Toast 2.0 ($18.95), which includes slices of buttered lobster and a wonderful tarragon aioli.

Also on the menu are a fish of the day (market price) and a loose smoked-meat hash ($13.95) that is not your typical pressed griddle hash patty. Here, a large dice of smoked pork is tossed with Kunia vegetables, including minced zucchini that helps carnivores get a small dose of greens in a palatable, noninvasive way.

Another category is devoted to rice bowls topped with such selections as braised pork belly ($13.95), torched salmon with kim chee aioli ($14.95), creamy ahi with avocado ($14.95), or the Hawaiian, with kalua pork, lomi salmon, pickled onions and limu ahi ($14.95).

The menu tops out price-wise with sous vide rib-eye ($24.95) with alii mushrooms and tri-colored potatoes, plus finadene sauce on the side. The latter is a Guamanian dipping sauce, a combination of soy and onions, spiked with peppers.

Waffles complete the menu, with offerings savory and sweet, sometimes both rolled into one, as with shrimp and waffle selections starring sesame crispy shrimp and maple syrup ($14.95), with the addition of bacon and kabayaki sauce for a deluxe version ($18.95). Oozing with the kaba­yaki sauce and syrup, it was more candylike than I prefer, but my friends loved it, as would anyone with a sweet tooth.

I’m looking forward to seeing what more Guzman will show us in months to come.

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.