Poke Fun, a small eatery at the corner of Thompson Lane and Medical Center Parkway, offers a creative and delicious way to partake in a healthy meal of lean fish, vegetables and rice.
Here, the diner can customize toppings to ensure their meal contains exactly the flavors and ingredients they desire.
The establishment offers “sushi in a bowl,” as Poke Fun co-founder and owner Jian Dong says.
Jian came to the U.S. from China, and his Poke Fun concept combines elements from Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese and American dining to create a fresh fast-food option in Murfreesboro. He launched the restaurant in 2018 and operates Poke Fun along with Katy Zhu.
Diners enter the restaurant and select the ingredients they want in their bowl from among various protein, vegetable, sauce and base options at the counter, all of “exceptional quality,” as patron Stan Carlock commented after a meal.
“The veggies were crisp and fresh . . . so many variations that you’d never run out of options!” he said. “If you are a sushi lover, you need to give Poke a try.”
To begin building a bowl, pick a foundation of white rice, brown rice, zucchini noodles, tortilla chips or a green mix. Then, Subway style, order the toppings, such as yellowtail, white tuna, salmon, spicy tuna, carrots, cucumber, edamame, pineapple, red cabbage and many others.
Vy La says she recommends the tuna and salmon bowl with mixed greens, though she adds that “everything is delicious.”
To simplify the process for the indecisive, choose one of the Poke Fun Signature Bowls, such as the Surfing bowl, with ahi tuna, salmon, white tuna, avocado, cucumber, sweet corn, mango, yummy sauce, wasabi mayo, ginger, wasabi, crispy garlic, roasted seaweed and masago, or the crab and shrimp bowl with crab, shrimp, cucumber, sweet onion, sweet corn, edamame, yummy sauce, ginger, wasabi and crispy garlic.
In addition to raw, sushi-grade varieties of fish, find grilled chicken, fried shrimp and a few other options for those not too enthusiastic about pure sushi.
“The food served here is exceptional. The brown rice is always great, the vegetables are fresh and crispy, and the available meats and toppings are the best,” says Joe LaFerriere, who says he likes a little extra ginger sauce with his Poke Fun creation.
One diner said he liked to kick up the spice a bit, and suggested perhaps using the spicy tuna, along with some sriracha, spicy mayo and mixing in a sufficient, but cautious, amount of the potent wasabi.
Fresh jalapeños are also on the serving table for the heat-inclined.
“The spice level on the fish and scallops was perfect,” another Yelper posted after enjoying his meal from Poke Fun. “Veggie portions to rice was spot-on. It hit the spot.”
The eatery has lots of veggies to choose from, with a selection including corn, avocado, cilantro, mango, cabbage, roasted sesame, onion, carrot, the tasty and crunchy seaweed salad and more.
“Diet-friendly but still delicious!” Brittany Goodwin says.
The serving area brings to mind the nearby (but now closed) Your Pie style, with seafood selections in place of the pork toppings from the former pizza place.
“If you like sushi and you like Chipotle, this is the perfect marriage of the two,” another customer, Madison, posted in an online review of Poke Fun. “Mix it up every time. Pine offers unique flavors.”
For something sweet, mochi, a type of Japanese ice cream something like little dumplings filled with ice creamy goodness, are available in mango, strawberry, green tea and chocolate flavors. These small scoops of ice cream are covered in a rice flour dough, making them easy to pick up with the hands and bite right in, like an ice cream sandwich.
Poke Fun also offers a bubble tea menu with mango, honeydew, banana, strawberry, Thai tea, coconut and other sweet and cool bubble tea varieties.
Thai and honeydew bubble teas
The Poke Fun team serves its bowls in handy to-go containers, so it’s easy to pop on a lid and take the remainder home if one doesn’t finish their meal.
And numerous diners have commented on the cleanliness of the place. Many feel more comfortable about the food preparation and safety of a restaurant if the owners take such care to keep the dining room clean and comfortable.
“It is a calm atmosphere,” a recent customer commented, adding that the meal “leaves you feeling full, but a healthy full, not stuffed to the brim!”
Seaweed salad on the side
However, one of the few criticisms of Poke Fun seems to be the quantity received for the price. Those who are used to a big, calorie-loaded meal may find themselves hungry again just a couple of hours after enjoying a Poke Fun bowl, and may hesitate to shell out the price for a meal that is natural, fresh and diet-compatible but sometimes perceived as “skimpy.”
A large bowl and a bubble tea, a wonderful meal but for most appetites not excessively gluttonous, would run about $20. Plenty of fans of sushi would be quite happy to pay that amount occasionally, though, for an excellent, fresh and tasty dining experience at Poke Fun.
The big bowl of sushi can be a little simpler to eat than some sushi rolls, particularly some of the larger rolls stuffed with ingredients, a slice of which can be nearly impossible to fit in one’s mouth.
Additionally, for those who aim to support the small, independent businesses, Poke Fun is among the minority of unique local restaurants on that side of Murfreesboro along Medical Center Parkway, which contains a wealth of large chain establishments.
So, for a quick and natural take on sushi, or to grab a cool and sweet bubble tea or beverage, give Poke Fun a try.
IF YOU GO:
Poke Fun
577 N. Thompson Ln.
Monday–Thursday: 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sunday: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
629-207-6688
Small build your own bowl: $8.95; Large build your own bowl: $13.95; Seaweed salad: $3.95; Mochi ice cream: $2.50; Veggie bowl: $7.95; Bubble tea: $4.50
pokefuntn.com
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