Poke Stop

I have to mention before going on with this review that Elmer Guzman and his wife, certainly are personable people.  When I walked into the shop, a several weeks ago, Elmer greeted me and asked me if it was my first time there.  When I said that it was, he proceeded to walk me through the layout of the store, explain the menu board, and the lists of specials.  I found this quite impressive.

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Located in the Waipahu Town Center, Poke Stop has been open for about five months now and has been on my "to visit" list since then.  Recommended by Gail and Fran over at Hawaii Diner, and Jupiter over at Nattokun, it was just a matter of time before I made my way to this gourmet plate lunch and seafood shop.

Upon entering the shop, I was greeted by owner, Elmer Guzman.  He asked if I had ever been to the shop before, to which I responded, "No."  He was quick to point out the fresh fish and seafood, on the right side of the shop.

Slightly to the left of the door way was the poke selection.  And in between, were some cold items (sorry no photo).

As I looked around the tiny shop, the locations of the various menus were pointed out.  The regular menu was posted along the left wall, while the daily specials were posted on a white board above the kitchen's stainless steel range.

Here was the specials board on the day I visited.

I was so tempted to order the fried garlic blue crabs, but decided to have the Poke Stop surf and turf with Puna's potato salad (US$9.00) instead.

One scoop of white rice, one scoop of Puna's potato salad, a piece of kalbi and three huge shrimp (prawns) were staring at me in the face when I opened up the styrofoam container.  Chunks of red potato were mixed with some mayonaisse and secret seasonings to make this potato salad an excellent alternative to a plate lunch's usual macaroni salad.  The kalbi was tender, with a sweet shoyu based marinade.

And the shrimp?  Take a look for yourself...

Pan fried and well seasoned, this was so much better than your average peel-and-eat shrimp.  It was more like "peel-eat-suck-the-shells-and-want-more" kind of shrimp.  I don't know what he used in the marinade, but I can tell you that after eating these shrimp, I won't even give Giovanni's scampi another thought.

A friend who came along for the ride (and for lunch), had the Shoreline Chef bento with tossed greens (US$11.00)

This "bento" contained tossed greens, one scoop rice, Casian (Cajun-Asian) island fish, furikake salmon and two pieces of that tasty garlic shrimp.  I didn't get to taste any of this, even though I paid for it, but I was told that everything was expertly prepared.

When asked about the food here, yeah, I could say it was a little pricy.  I could also say that the portions were a little small too.  In the end, only taste matters, right?  Most often times, I feel you get what you pay for.  In this instance, what I paid for was friendly interaction with a chef who knows what it takes to make people happily satisfied, a tasty satisfying meal that made me feel full (not stuffed) and a desire to visit again...hopefully it will be soon.

Poke Stop
Waipahu Town Center
94-050 Farrington Highway Space E-4
Telephone:  808.676.8100

Comments

[Kirk]

Hi Reid - This place is real "high" on my list for my next visit "home". Hope your visit will keep it on my list.

[milgwimper]

WOW This looks so good. I found out my travel plans for going to Hawaii this month is a no go. I am so sad. :( So many dreams of meeting you and eating out like this place! *SIGH*

[Mama BoK]

Hey.. Reid,
They look yummy..!!
A wee bit high in prices.. no..??

[Reid]

Hi Kirk,

If you visit, you really must have the shrimp. It's some of the best shrimp I've had in a while.

BTW...the prices might seem high, but this is a gourmet plate lunch that's made with the best ingredients -- besides, it's always good to splurge a little right? It's like that over $10 burger I had at the Pineapple Room a couple of weeks ago.

Hi Milgwimper,

Oh no... =(

We would have had so much fun eating our way around town. *sigh*

Hi Mama BoK,

Long time no hear! Nice to see you back! =)

The prices here were a little high, but the quality of the food made it worth every bite. =)

[clare eats]

Now that looks GOOD!!!! YUM!!!!

I think it is false economy to scrimp a $1 or $2 for quantity over quality! I bet you were more satisfied (except for the lack of another 3 shrimp) than if the meal was no where as good!

[OsloFoodie]

Hi Reid, I can tell that this is the kind of place that I would love to go to. I love personable service and the food looks and sounds good (I am also the kind of person that might just ignore the higher price if the taste and service justify it). And that kalbi looks so delicious!

[MBS]

Food looks ONO! I agree with some of the other posters--personable service plus superior food makes for good value. =)

[boo_licious]

Those prawns look finger licking good. I always love places with great service as we don't see many around in Malaysia.

[Lajja]

Hi Reid,
Oh my! I am dying for shrimps like those! Thanks and Aloha Friday :)

[Trisha]

I absolutely MUST go here one day. I looooove poke!

[James]

I always wondered what it was like in there everytime I passed by... now I know, and I gotta visit here next time!

[Reid]

Hi Clare,

You are so right. In fact, I wish I had three more shrimp! =) They were that good.

Hi OsloFoodie,

I would visit more often if it weren't so far from where I live. It's not far by most standards, but I hate the 30 minute communte each way.

The kalbi, by the way, was excellent.

Hi MBS,

You definitely must try this place out the next time you're at home. If you didn't hear this already, Elmer used to work at Sam Choy's.

Hi boo_licious,

The prawns were good! In fact, they were so good, that I reallly wanted to go in and buy more!

Hi Lajja,

Long time no hear! =)

Happy Aloha Friday to you too. The more I look at the photos, the more I realize that maybe I need to visit again this weekend.

Hi Trisha,

You really must go there one day. I heard the poke is quite excellent.

Hi James,

You definitely need to pay Poke Stop a visit next time you're in town. If you do, I'd like to hear what you think.

[milgwimper]

Reid,

Ever the optimist I believe one of these year I will get the wonderful chance to meet you and eat around the Island. This is just a temporary set back. :)

[mr_me]

"I didn't get to taste any of this, even though I paid for it"
--

Do I sense some passive aggression here, Reid? :P

All joking aside, there is a lot to be said for paying a premium price for quality and service. I can make a parallel to Macintosh computers vs. Windows based computers. I own and use both, but after several years of owning a Mac, I now see that the added cost associated with them is for a good reason. Quality!

If you want quantity at a cheap price, go to L & L :)

[Reid]

Hi Milgwimper,

I hope so too....I'm kind of sad that you and DH aren't going to be visiting. *sigh*

Hi mr_me,

Long time no hear!

Yes! I didn't even get a bite of it. *sigh* It's OK. Next time, I'm going alone. =)

There is definitely a lot to be said about premium prices IF the food is good, like it is here. If the food is mediocre, then it's time to move on.

L&L? Only when it's the only game around.

[alan]

Poke Stop has been on my "hit list" since it opened, and I *still* haven't made it out. I need to just get over the distance and GO.

[Reid]

Hi Alan,

Like you, I rarely get over to the Leeward side, except to go to Waikel. So Poke Stop was on my list for such a long time, that I finally had to just go already, especially since friends of mine from work have been talking about it.

I'm glad to have finally made it there, although I was sad that I didn't visit sooner.

[Mo]

Reid! This is an UNbelievable website! I will definitely try some of these places! Your reviews made me smile at your quick wit and eloquent style!

[renee]

hi reid! =) ---ending up going here twice this week. the first time around, their daily specials looked too good to pass up (garlic ahi plate and a salmon burger with eggplant fries --- think eggplant tempura with a kick (cajun spices))... this evening, i got to try the shrimp plate - ono, but it's not a first date dish ;P (hard to eat it & stay neat)... their deep-fried calamari special, pansit, and spicy tuna were tasty too. i was tempted to have some of their coffee (they carry tully's) and homemade cheesecake (today they had CREAMSICLE cheesecake!). i actually thought the prices were pretty reasonable for a gourmet/seafood place - it reminded me of the now defunct okazuya section at dhm a couple of years ago & their prices were definitely higher. it's waipahu though, so i don't know if a place like that will thrive there... i hope they do. chef elmer & co. are talented AND really nice. it'll definitely be a stop for me whenever i'm on the west side =)