Author: amywes5_wp

Food Review: The Battle of the Pokés, Little Rock Addition

By now, I’m sure you have heard that Little Rock went from having 0 poké restaurants a month ago to now having TWO. So, which one should  you try first? Which one will be your go-to? I have visited both restaurants, thoroughly enjoyed both of them, and have tried to compare them here, as matter-of-factly as possible. Here’s the very specific breakdown:

  Poké Hula Ohia Poké
Environment Closer to the Rivermarket (3rd St.), but much smaller. Has two bars you may sit at, so only about 15 seats. Located on 6th St., this is a larger building with many tables and plenty of seating. More appropriate for sit-down meals.
Price There is one bowl size. However, if you create your own, you can get a regular (2 scoops protein) for $9.50 or a large (3 scoops protein) for $11.50.
Also, there are signature bowls that range from $9.50-$12.50
These bowls are about the same size as the medium bowls at Ohia.		 There are three bowl sizes here. A small bowl comes with 2 scoops protein for $7, a medium bowl comes with 3 scoops for $8.25, and a large bowl comes with 5 scoops for $12.25.
Hands down, Ohia has a win for pricing here. It is fair to compare the build-your-own at Hula to the medium bowl here. $1.25 cheaper here with one extra scoop of protein.
Base The only option Hula has that Ohia does not is a kale chips base. Similar to Hula, here has white or brown rice, or mixed greens.
Proteins There are 3 types of tuna here: plain, marinated, or spicy. There are 2 types of salmon: plain or spicy. There is also octopus salad, shrimp, chicken, or tofu.
The spicy tuna is my favorite here. Though the shrimp is nice as well. The tuna is so fresh, not fishy, and very flavorful.		 There is plain tuna, plain salmon, shrimp, crab, scallops, organic chicken, and organic tofu.
I missed the extra heat from spicy tuna, such as Hula has. However, the shrimp was cooked well and cut in half for better bite sizes, and they did not skimp on the crab!
Mix-Ins The mix-ins are pretty much the same for both of these restaurants. However, here they charge an extra $1 each for avocado, seaweed salad and crab salad. The mix-ins are almost the same here, minus the crab salad. Instead, there is just “crab” to mix in. (Both use imitation crab).  Also, you can mix in mixed greens. Finally, the avocado and seaweed salad mix-ins cost nothing extra!
Sauces Ponzu, Wasabi Creamy, Sweet Sesame Soy, Gochujiang, and Sriracha Spicy Mayo.

The sauces are very similar at both places. However, the wasabi creamy (the only sauce I got) is much more likened to wasabi and spicier than Ohia’s wasabi miso. Also, there is sriracha sauce and soy sauce to add at your bowls on your own. So, making a bowl spicy here is NOT an issue.

 Ponzu, Wasabi Miso, Aloha Classic, Gonchu, and Spicy Mayo.
I got to try samples of all the sauces, and ended up using ponzu, aloha classic, and spicy mayo. These together were not very spicy, even after adding wasabi as a topping. I wish there were some sriracha on the tables along with soy sauce to help kick the heat up a bit when necessary.

 
Toppings The toppings at both places are about the same. The only thing Hula has that Ohia does not is Furikake, a dry Japanese seasoning. The only thing that Ohia has that Hula does not is fried garlic. And it is GOOD.
Sides No sides available, not that you need any! House-made miso soup is available. For now, they will give you a cup for free if you check in on Facebook!
Drinks There is a drink cooler with bottles of sodas and what-not. There is no free water here at the time. So, I had to buy a bottle of water. There are no drinks visible except for some free water- with cucumber and lime! However, I believe there are canned sodas for purchase.
Service Very friendly, helpful staff! They asked for feedback, and made sure everything was exactly the way we wanted it. Even friendlier staff, if possible! We happened to be the only people in there on a Friday night, while when we went to Hula, it was packed for lunch. So, the owners gave us all their attention, let us try all the sauces, and asked for any feedback.


PHOTOS:

Poké Hula

 

Ohia Poké 

 

OVERALL:

I am overjoyed to have two such delicious poké options here in Little Rock. I would gladly go to either of them daily. Both are fresh, healthy, and FLAVORFUL!
While I definitely enjoy the cheaper prices at Ohia Poké,  Hula Poké is by no means expensive. Both are very good deals. You get SO much fresh fish (or chicken or tofu) for a great price. Think of a good sushi roll. You will easily pay around $12.50 for 8-10 bites of fresh sushi around here. For this price at either restaurant, you get much more fresh fish and ingredients than you would in that sushi roll. Plus, you can customize it and add as many mix-ins and toppings and sauces you want! Oh, and you can skip the rice and have a low-carb salad/meal instead. One more thing- poké bowls are perfect take-out meals, while sushi just isn’t.  You just can’t lose eating poké!
While the spicy tuna at Hula Poké beats the plain tuna at Ohia Poké, the free water and miso soup at Ohia tips the scales right back to equal.  Plus, unlimited mix-ins and sauces make any protein choice exceptionally flavorful. So, either choice you make, you are going to be happy with your poké.
Now let’s keep these awesome new restaurants open! Poké for lunch, anyone?

Food Review: Linhs Vietnamese Cuisine in Russellville

I first heard of Linhs Vietnamese Cuisine from a fellow food blogger who said they had wonderful banh mi sandwiches, so I made a pit stop there on my way out of town and got a couple of the “original” banh mis to go. Honestly, I was not impressed. The original includes sliced steam pork roll, Chinese bbq pork, and pork ear ham (whatever that is) and it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Granted, I ate it about an hour and a half after picking it up.

While I had never planned on going back, we were in the area, starving, and this was the only place that had some options that sounded good. Even a so-so banh mi is better than fast food.  So, I gave it another shot and I am so glad I did! Here’s the breakdown.

ENVIRONMENT

Like many unexpected gems, there’s no glitz nor glam to this place. It is a large, open old restaurant building with clutter pretty much everywhere. There’s even a small grocery section where you can buy some Asian products.

MENU

https://www.facebook.com/LinhsCuisine/menu/

Their menu can be found above, on their Facebook page. It is full of 3 appetizers (2 of which I talk about below), many varieties of pho, many rice dishes, many vermicelli dishes, and a few “specialty” dishes including a hot pot, a couple varieties of fried chicken, and the banh xeo I got. Finally, there are a few options for boba tea and other unique items like fresh lemonade, Thai tea, and Vietnamese coffee.

FOOD

FREE Egg Drop Soup

I was starving when we arrived, so I was very happy to see a small cup of egg drop soup dropped off as a starter after we ordered our meals. It wasn’t amazing. It was a little bland and very thick. The green onion was the star of this show. But nevertheless, I ate it very quickly.

Spring Rolls with Pork Patty, $3.50
Description: Handmade fresh everyday with cermicelli, cabbage, and mint.

This was the most unexpected spring roll I’ve ever tried, or heard of, and it was delicious! It had a cut and seared hot-dog like “pork patty” in it as well as a very crispy fried dough. So, each bite was crunchy and porky and divine! I’d eat this every day if I could.

Banh Xeo, $10.95
Description: Traditional Vietnamese rice battered crepe stuffed with shrimp, pork, onions, and beansprouts, served with fish sauce.

I had never had this dish before, and it sounded like nothing I’d ever tried. The waiter suggested it, so I gave it a shot. The texture of this “rice crepe” was very different from anything I’ve tried before. It was crispy on the outside, but soft in the middle and full of bean sprouts and onions. There were only two shrimp, but plenty of pork bites. I loved it! The side salad that came with it was a nice addition as well, and all of it together, dipped in the side sauce, was very tasty! Also, it was HUGE.

Banh Mi with Grilled Pork, $4.50
Description: 6″ oven baked white hoagie with choice of meat and chicken liver patte, picked carrots, cilantro, and jalapeño.

Side note: even though this is listed as an appetizer, it is a full meal, especially after that huge spring roll.
The main reason I didn’t like the original banh mi I tried before was because of the meat in it. So, since it was so cheap and I can’t say no to a banh mi, I gave them another shot. Though, this time I just got the grilled pork. And we got a winner! This time it was perfection. The bread was perfectly toasted and soft in the middle. The pork was so juicy and tender. There was a lot more sauce on this sandwich than there was on the previous one, so it was not dry in the least. In fact, it dripped juices and sauces and was a little messy, but oh so darn good! Looks like I’ll be dropping by here again for this sandwich.

 

OVERALL

While one bad take-out experience did occur, they shined when we dined in. Maybe the key is to eat your food immediately rather than waiting an hour and a half?  Also, pretty much everyone else in the restaurant ordered pho and when I saw a bowl of it, I regretted my menu choices immediately. These were the biggest bowls of pho I have ever seen, with deep colored broths and tempting aromas. I HAVE to get pho (and a banh mi) next time we go!