I’m officially declaring it South Lake Avenue Appreciation Week on Gastronomy! While not nearly as hip a ‘hood as Old Pasadena, South Lake can hold its own, especially when it comes to casual dining.

Though the street is mostly lined with local and national chains like Lemonade, Panda Express, and Souplantation, there are a handful of one-off concepts like PokeMix, too—there’s a time and place for both kinds of establishments.

Pokē is currently having a moment in L.A., with half a dozen shops opening in the past few months. PokeMix, which offers a “Build Your Own Poke Bowl” experience, comes from the folks behind Flour + Tea.

Ordering here is a multi-step process.  First, diners select a size: small (2 scoops of main toppings), medium (3 scoops of main toppings), or large (4 scoops of main toppings). Second, a “base” of either rice, greens, or half and half needs be chosen. Third comes the seafood— salmon, spicy tuna, albacore, shrimp, scallops, and krab. And finally, a plethora of garnishes and sauces to finish.

The Astronomer and I shared two “bowls” for lunch—a small and a medium. We customized our medium ($9.75) with half greens and half rice, scallops, spicy tuna, and albacore. To garnish, seaweed salad, cucumbers, sesame seeds, nori, Hawaiian sea salt, and tobiko.

While this pokē was quite different from what I experienced in Hawaii, the flavors and ingredients came together quite tastily. The strongest protein on the plate was the albacore.

For our small bowl ($7.75), we went with all rice, salmon, and shrimp. Both proteins were excellent, besting the ones in the medium-sized bowl.

While I appreciated PokeMix’s unique take on pokē, I wished the portions of fish had been more generous. I’m returning to Honolulu next month and cannot wait to reunite with Foodland’s heaping bowls. Mmm, abundance.

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PokeMix by Flour+Tea
99 South Lake Avenue, Suite 102
Pasadena, CA 91101
Phone: 626-345-5585

Eating around the ‘Dena:

• ‘Lette Macarons – Pasadena
• 1886 Bar at The Raymond – Pasadena
• 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria – Pasadena
• Barbara West Catering: A Nerdy Thanksgiving
• Carmela Ice Cream – Pasadena
• Cham Korean Bistro – Pasadena
• Chinese Gourmet Express – Pasadena
• Chocolate Afternoon Tea at The Langham – Pasadena
• ConfeXion Cupcakes – Pasadena
• Copenhagen Pastry – Pasadena
• Cousins Maine Lobster at Live Mixx Lounge – Pasadena
• Daisy Mint – Pasadena
• Dog Haus – Pasadena
• Dots Cupcakes – Pasadena
• Ernie’s Al Fresco – Pasadena
• Euro Pane Bakery – Pasadena
• Private: Happy New Year, Y’all!
• House of Basturma – Pasadena
• Ice Cream Lab – Pasadena
• Ira’s Gourmet – Pasadena
• Jake’s Burgers – Pasadena
• La Grande Orange Cafe – Pasadena
• Lincoln – Pasadena
• Love Thy Neighbor: Making Dosas with Renuka
• Mako Bowl – Pasadena
• Marston’s – Pasadena
• Mezbaan Indian Cuisine – Pasadena
• Naga Naga Ramen – Pasadena
• Old Sasoon Bakery – Pasadena
• Pappa Rich – Pasadena
• Pie ‘n Burger – Pasadena
• Pinkberry – Pasadena
• Pitfire Artisan Pizza – Pasadena
• Polkatots – Pasadena
• Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles – Pasadena
• Smitty’s Grill – Pasadena
• Super Burger – Pasadena
• Sushi Ichi – Pasadena
• Sushi Kimagure – Pasadena
• The Dining Room at The Langham – Pasadena
• The Luggage Room Pizzeria – Pasadena
• The Slaw Dogs – Pasadena
• Top Restaurant – Pasadena
• Tortas Mexico – Pasadena
• Trattoria Neapolis – Pasadena
• Umami Burger – Pasadena
• Union – Pasadena
• Violet’s Cakes – Pasadena
• Zankou Chicken – Pasadena
• {swoon} Lunch Special Chirashi at Sushi Kimagure