Out & About #291 | Pokito + Impromptu Downtown Trip

Senseless are those that choose to pile assignments on top of final projects on top of term-end reports within the same week for various courses. Also senseless are those that opt to commence on said workload until only a few days prior: the stressful process is normally met with undue insanity and sheer reluctance to wake early the morning after.

This described my precise situation. I was losing sanity faster than groundwater slipped through to underlying aquifers.
An impromptu downtrip trip was executed, partially for enjoyment and partially to inspect the spots that GOT7 had grazed with their presence while shooting "Hard Carry" for M2 earlier this week.
(Did I mention they were riding the TTC?!?! The Marauder spirit swells from within, but for 12 hours, I had wished to assume the position of a commuting Ryerson student.)

My initial route involved visiting several places and returning home before dusk, though insomnia had other plans in mind and the entire ordeal was shifted by several hours.

The resulting trip included a quick stopover at What A Bagel (to see how their Rainbow Bagels compare against Vancouver's Rosemary Rocksalt), then Pokito for an extremely tardy lunch. 

A fairly recent addition to the Toronto poke scene, Pokito has assumed its commuter-friendly Queen-Spadina spot since the beginning of September. Striding in with hopes that it would (hopefully) exceed the standards that Rolltation had utterly and wholly shattered, I was welcomed with a most warm invitation by the first person to catch sight of me.

​The wood plank-based interior exuded a carefree, tropical vibe, especially when cheery splashes of turquoise provided highlight and contrast. Simply from the arrangement of the ingredient bar and dining area, it was evident that Pokito had taken the correct measures to embrace both hurried takeout and leisurely dine-in customers.
A separated entranceway leads directly to a horizontally displaced, inverted L-shaped ingredient bar and cashier area. Menus line the frontmost part of the bar, along with an amusing fish-shaped cork board.

The Hawaiian shirt-donning staff member first acknowledges my presence, then proceeds to explain their menu options as I relay my first-timer status. During this time, several others walk in. They are clearly more familiar with the selection, though the staff member makes sure to check back with me to answer questions in between taking the orders of those that had arrived later. It was a simple gesture, but well appreciated nonetheless.

​Several friends of mine had recommended the shop's best-seller, the 420 bowl, though white rice is generally not my preferred base. To retain the flavours of the 420, I opted for a salmon-tuna Mix & Match tossed in Ponzu Lime Sauce. As opposed to white sushi rice, I made the daring decision of Mixed Green Salad and Soba Noodles - the latter quite a rare sighting in the poke world.
Toppings and mix-ins included Green Papaya, Cucumber, Hawaiian Guacamole, Crab Salad, Lemongrass Garlic Corn, Crispy Onions, and Avocado Wasabi Cream.

​Many may find menus with fully customizable selections to be slightly overwhelming as a result of its broadness, ultimately assuming loyalty to shops' signature creations for the sake of simplicity. Pokito's menu was remarkably straightforward and easy to comprehend in spite of their grand number of offerings; their effective use of varying font style, text colour, and text style should also be commending in aiding visual scrawling. Needless to say, it was also visually appealing.

The checkout process was swift - so speedy that I barely had the opportunity of watching the ingredients be compiled together. Before I knew it, my colourful customized bowl was placed on a tray and handed over with a smile.

​Within the spacious seating area were bar seats, group tables, as well as smaller spots for parties of two. The spots along the front of the store were well-lit, though the remainder were shrouded in a yellow-tinted dimness. Glare spots were, obviously, unavoidable, though my order itself was tasty enough that these aspects mattered less with each bite.

​The chunks of salmon and tuna had been marinated well, and also paired exceptionally with the provided side of Avocado Wasabi Cream. (They had been extra generous with the wasabi!)
Lemongrass Garlic Corn was chewy, though didn't display any hints of lemongrass nor garlic. Green Papaya slivers provided a slight tang, while Hawaiian Guacamole added a smooth, pineapple-laden finish. Soba Noodles had also been an interesting substitution for my regular Brown Rice: they lacked the same absorption power of hearty grains and also proved to be a bit less substantial. Their slippery texture proved superior for poke, adding a nice change of texture.

A friend that I later met up with took to diverging from his regular order to try SSSScallops, a bowl comprised of baby scallops and pineapple salsa ("Pineapple Chow") tossed in a housemade sweet-sour-spicy sauce.

Password-secured Wi-Fi networks and labelled disposal bins are always appreciated. Washrooms were clean for the most part, but not exactly accessible at the bottom of a flight of short stairs.

On a overall note, Pokito proved positive in my books. While my top pick at this time remains to be Poke Time, Pokito would likely be my preferred spot along Queen West. (And yes, it is lightyears beyond the horror that is Rolltation.) Frankly, their unique selection of ingredients interests me. They house a similar rice-printing machine to Corner, so I may be prompted to try a Sushi Burrito next time.

Unfortunately, Dole Whip wasn't available, else I would have enjoyed the bite of acidity in my system.

Later in the cards was Nohohon - their drinks are forever amazing - as well as a brief UNIQLO trip to take advantage of the final day of their HeatTech sale. I honestly could've done without the depreciating attitude of the cashier though. (I'm aware of what a "final sale" means, Sylvia.)

Fugo was the last stop of the day. Upon receivng the news that their newly-introduced Cheese Tarts would be 25% off for a limited time, there seemed no better opportunity than grab a box on the way back.

​Admittedly, the checkout process was a tad irritating: the staff members were fooling around for majority of the time and the member that had just started his cashier shift appeared relatively unfamiliar with the manner in which the system operated. Adding to this was the painful croak of his voice - likely symptoms of an impending flu. Thankfully, he wasn't the one handling the tarts themselves; I'm not quite sure if I could have handled that much.

I requested a box, only to have the freshly-baked rounds swirl around a  paper container much too large for its contents. Bags weren't available either, which only made the packed return commute more difficult.

It wasn't until later in the evening that these small, delicate items were revealed.
My shopping endeavours had concluded with a box of four golden tarts, each measuring just under two inches in diameter. Lava-like properties they did not exhibit, but they did present a lovely, cheesy filling capable of satisfying even the less cheese-enthusiastic members of the residence.

The tart shell itself is firmer and thicker than the standard egg tart, a treat I would have preferred the Cheese Tarts to derive inspiration from, though I shall make the assumption that a certain consistency is required to prevent tongue-scalding molten cheese from oozing out during baking.
Despite small, the Cheese Tarts are very satisfying. As little as a quarter slice of a tart encompasses the rich, cheesy silkiness and sweet-savoury flavour punch in its entirety.

(I just hope I'll have a chance to revisit before their sale ends!)

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