‘Reel’ deal

When it comes to setting Paradise Poke Hawaii apart from other shops, business co-owner Dong Dang boils it down to a formula-like phrase.

“Our whole concept with poke is fresh fish and good rice,” says Dang, who owns the business with his brother-in-law, Chancelor Kim. “You don’t really need much else from there.”

Located in Nuuanu Shopping Plaza, Paradise Poke just celebrated its grand opening on July 10. Dang, who comes from a family of fishermen, says opening the shop was almost like a passion project.

“My father was a fisherman back in the ’90s,” he says. “He’d be out on the longboats anywhere from three to four weeks at a time, then he would come back for a week. Growing up, we always ate poke and fish at home, and having higher-quality fish was something we were blessed with. We wanted to create something we were passionate about.

“Some of our fish comes from the auction; some of it comes directly from the boats,” he adds. “Our fish is delivered daily from Fresh Island Fish.”

Most poke shops’ signature flavor is spicy ahi poke, but here, ahi limu is the star. This poke flavor comes from a family recipe, according to Dang.

“The order in which we mix our ingredients is key,” he says. “You’re only supposed to mix it once. A lot of people will mix, add more ingredients, and mix again. After the second time you mix it, the fish gets smashed up and the texture becomes slimy.”

“We also take great pride in our rice,” Kim adds. “We use a premium Japanese short-grain rice called Tamaki Gold. It won many awards in Japan.”

Paradise Poke currently features anywhere from eight to 12 different poke flavors a day, including shoyu and spicy ahi, ginger scallion and truffle ponzu salmon. Dang says customers can look forward to more unique poke flavors.

“Soon, you’ll see up to 18 flavors in salmon, ahi, nairagi and more,” he confirms.

The business offers more than just poke bowls. Onigiri (musubis) in 10-15 flavors are available when the shop opens at 6 a.m., and Paradise Poke plans to ramp up its current selection as well.

“Our musubis are different because we keep the nori separate from the rice,” Kim says. “This is popular in Japan; it keeps the nori very crispy. Popular onigiri flavors include salmon, Konbu and tuna mayo with crunchy ume. We even have a spicy negi mentaiko that comes from a recipe from my side of the family.”

Customers can also pick from entrées like garlic shrimp, fresh Atlantic salmon, smoked lemongrass kalbi and more. The Hawaiian bowl with kalua pork and chirashi bowl were such popular specials that Paradise Poke now has them available daily. Chirashi bowls include an assortment of maguro, salmon, hamachi, madako, ikura zuke and tamago, while Hawaiian bowls comprise kalua pig, lomi salmon and poke of your choice. For dessert, enjoy the business’s new kulolo ice cream sandwich. Yes, that’s kulolo in a King’s Hawaiian sweet roll topped with vanilla ice cream.

Besides featuring high-quality products, supporting the community is important to Paradise Poke. The biz partners with local vendors features a rotating selection of desserts from local bakeries every week.

“We wanted to do our part in helping to provide a sustainable economy and environment,” Dang states.

“There was the struggle between finding something affordable for our customers and providing something they would appreciate,” he adds. “Hopefully, people will realize it’s not only about the cost. It’s about creating jobs, a better product locally and helping the community.”

Paradise Poke Hawaii

Nuuanu Shopping Plaza
1613 Nuuanu Ave.
808-260-4580
6 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays,9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays
Instagram: @paradisepokehi