poke – Hitting the Sauce

Neither visit was long enough for its own post, but both spots deserve a repeat visit: Pocket Holic and Scozzafava’s Deli. Let’s listen to Pocketful of Sunshine for this post.

Pocket Holic specializes in udon and inari, a Japanese dish of seasoned rice stuffed inside a deep-fried tofu pouch. I accidentally walked in before they opened, but the staff welcomed me anyway and told me not to worry and order whatever I wanted, even though the display case was empty.

I ordered the Pocket Sushi Combo, four pieces with miso soup ($14.99). I picked Scallop Pocket Sushi, Tempura Shrimp Pocket Sushi, Poke Tuna Pocket Sushi and Aburi Salmon Pocket Sushi.

Each pocket begins with a sweet, wet tofu skin wrapper. These babies are loaded with seasoned rice and generously topped with your choice of ingredients. The creamy scallop was so good, I could feel my eyes rolling into the back of my head. The combination of the silky chunks of scallop and the rich mayonnaise was decadent, like a savoury whipped cream.

The tempura offered the best textural contrast. The proportion of ebi to rice was 2:1. Each bite was so sensual: the warm, crunchy shrimp against the cool, juicy tofu pocket. I would order this again.

I was also a fan of the aburi salmon. The top was slightly charred from the torch, and you could taste the smokiness of the salmon. Rich and satisfying.

The poke had the cleanest flavours: soft, pink tuna cubes and firm, chewy rice. I was full after eating four sushi pockets and washing them down with miso soup. I plan on coming again the next time I’m in the neighbourhood.

I recently visited Scozzafava’s Deli. Before they opened their deli, I remember seeing Instagram posts of people lining up at one of their pop-ups. Turns out I’d been sleeping on a gem: the food is worth the wait.

Aesthetically, their hoagies are gorgeous, generously stuffed with colourful fillings and meats, all tucked into a crusty bun. I ordered the Chicken Parmesan ($17) for Chew Steel and me to share. Although there was no line, I still waited for my sandwich, since the cutlet is made fresh for each order. There’s some serious action in the kitchen; I could see at least three cooks working intently. The person at the front was engaging and made sure the guests eating in were happy with their meals.

When I received my foil-wrapped sandwich, I could feel its warmth and weight. A bit smaller than a footlong sub, but heavier than a hefty banh mi, this puppy was loaded with meat. The white chicken cutlets had a fine, tight crumb and were juicy despite being fried. The fresh mozzarella was soft and mild, with a zip of pesto and spicy marinara. The sesame bread was light and crusty, and soaked in that red sauce, it reminded me of pizza. There’s so much chicken that half a sandwich made a satisfying lunch. Delicious and worth every nickel.

Tofu pockets and Italian hoagies: two very different but excellent handhelds, and both worth going back for. Both meals came in well under $30. For more spots like these, visit my Cheap Eats Calgary (Under $30) guide.

On my first day of work, my boss MRP took me out for lunch. He suggested ramen at Goro + Gun, conveniently located minutes from our office. For this post, let’s listen to “Feel So Good” by Mase.

MRP ordered the Tonkatsu Ramen ($18) and the Steamed Buns ($10). I asked our server if she favoured the Tuna Poke ($16) over the Veggie Roll ($13), as I was unsure what to order. MRP encouraged me to get both, which solved my dilemma.

MRP said he always orders the buns whenever he comes to Goro + Gun. These little baos overflow with deliciousness. The warm bun was soft and squishy, soaking up the juicy braised pork filling. My tastebuds danced from the sweet, sour and savoury notes of the BBQ mayonnaise and chilled pickled root vegetables. The steamed baos are worth ordering again.

The flavour combination of Goro + Gun’s poke is better than fast food joints, such as Banzai and Po-ke. What I loved about this dish was the delicate sheet of paper-like rice cracker that tasted like a freshly fried shrimp chip. Along with chunks of ahi tuna, the poke came with crunchy fried onion bits, pea shoots, cucumber, creamy cubes of avocado and chewy pieces of seaweed. The sauce was zingy and bright. I would order this again.

The veggie roll was hefty, as the filling and the amount of rice were generous. The dominant flavour came from the grilled king oyster, which was meaty and satiny. The crunchy cucumber, pickled vegetables and creamy avocado brightened the flavour profile. The sushi rice was a tad sour, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker.

The next day, everyone in our office went ice skating and snacked on churros and hot chocolate. When the office social committee organizer, Miss K, discovered I’m obsessed with banhi mis, she said we could order Vietnamese subs for our next event. I looked at her like she hung the moon and stars, because she can. Hitting the Sauce gives her office two phat thumbs up.

Want more like this? Check out my running list of Calgary’s best restaurants, date nights, and cheap eats.

Category: poke

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