Poke Bunny made its Downtown debut a little over a year ago. The debut was perhaps easy to overlook, as its name closely resembles that of the prior occupant of the same business space. That is to say, Poke Bunny opened inside the space that formerly held Poke Bros. So it went from Bros to Bunnies which is a subtle shift, if ever there was one.
Similar to its predecessor, poke is on the menu at Poke Bunny. The food genre was rapidly expanding prior to the pandemic, and while expansion efforts seem to have slowed down, the sushi-in-a-bowl offerings have held down a solid place in the market. That said, Poke Bunny is more than just poke. Its menu expands into offerings that include Bento Boxes and Ramen dishes that are also worthy of stomach space.
We’ll get to those other options, but let’s start with the poke. You can build your own starting with a classic rice base, or there are alternative bases such as greens and noodles. Add to that base some protein options (such as shrimp, eel, chicken or tuna), vegetables (on the lines of cucumber, cabbage and broccoli), then there are sauces, toppings and crunchies. Yes, a lot of choices to be made.
So thank heavens there are also Signature Bowls. The house bowls free guests from the agony of choosing between yum yum and sesame sauce. Consider the house namesake, Poke Bunny Special Poke Bowl ($14.99). It’s a mix of nicely clumpy sushi rice with soft greens, firm shrimp, cucumber, peppers, a little crab salad, seaweed salad, sesame, eel sauce and an aioli with a sriracha kick. While crab salad is never going to be a favorite, the joys of all the other elements (most especially the pleasantly perky seaweed salad) define the overall experience. The end result feels a little like brightness in a bowl that perks up our cloudy winter days.
But let’s hit a Bento Box too. You don’t find those too often Downtown, and Poke Bunny offers them in several relentlessly tidy variations including General Tso’s ($13.99), which delivers a tidy passel of the namesake chicken in its signature sweet and salty sauce. You’ll likely want more chicken, that’s the nature of the Bento: mini-portions. As consolation, there’s a whole world of other items to explore in the combo. Corn and broccoli (seem pretty straightforward, but entertaining in this context). A golden-centered boiled egg. One respectable rangoon, one spring roll, one dumpling. And a delightfully busy miso soup.
And there are noodle soups too! Impossibly light, but still offering the comfort-food warmth that defines a good soup. The Chashu (Pork) Noodle Soup ($13.99) showcases slices of lightly smoked pork belly in a brothy jumble of corn, scallions, boiled egg halves, and a swirly striped fish cake slice that vaguely visually resembles cheerful peppermint candies. An order permits some customization – and choosing miso broth with ramen noodles worked well with the mix.
For snacking, there’s a bubble and fruit tea scene. There’s also appetizer options that include spring rolls, salads and tempura.
Poke Bunny can be found at 100 E. Gay St. Downtown. It’s open Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Saturday from 3 – 9 p.m.
For more information, visit pokebunnyllc.com.
All photos by Susan Post
