MOLOKAI – FUSION POKÉ BAR IN EAUX-VIVES
by Chené Koscielny
Need a dose of sun and craving a decent poké bowl? Make your way to Molokai in Eaux-Vives – named after a Hawaiian island – for some seriously fresh and innovative poké bowls and a friendly summer vibe.
The first thing you’ll notice is an impressive surf board-shaped table which dominates the front half of this restaurant and is meant to encourage you to open up and strike a conversation with the person sitting next to you.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD POKÉ BOWL?
These days every corner café will try to sell you a poké bowl (often just jamming salmon and rice together in a bowl) and there are a handful of specialised poké bowl restaurants in Geneva, but finding the real thing is rare.
We have tried them all – and we have very strong opinions about what makes a good one.
Firstly, it’s about the quality and freshness of the ingredients, the right combination of products and most definitely the sauce.
In our opinion, you’ll struggle to find a fresher tasting poké bowl than the Molokai version.
The restaurant was opened in September (2019) by friends, Michaël Weil (Swiss) and Raphaël Tamman (Swiss), who wanted to celebrate the Hawaiian dish they both love.
The two, who met during their hotel school days in Glion, also wanted to add individual touches gained from their respective foodie experiences working in restaurants and hotels in LA, Miami, London and Paris. The work with Isreali chef Aharon Politi who doesn’t believe in classic recipes!
It’s these innovate touches that make them stand out from the rest – they call themselves a ‘fusion’ poke bar.
We love that they don’t only offer white rice as a basis, but also quinoa infused with soya, and mixed with carrot and coriander, as well as cumin-spiced lentils with cucumber. Everything is prepared fresh on the day in the restaurant. No frozen food.
THE TOPPINGS
Choose between marinated or plain Scottish salmon, Indian ocean tuna, sea bream from Greece or cecina (dried meat) from Spain, tofu from Japan and marinated chicken.
We try the tuna on a bed of quinoa and served with granny smith apple, avocado, pomegranate, crispy onion, seaweed and a spicy mayo sauce.
The sauces have an Oriental influence and include a pink tehina, a sesame-yuzu goma and a thai sauce.
The taste is so fresh you can almost smell the ocean and hear the waves crashing on the sand!
CHOOSE YOUR OWN BOWL
Aside from the 6 suggested bowls, you can also choose to combine your own ‘a la carte’ bowl.
For winter the chef will be adding some warming soups to the menu and you’ll have the option of warm rice for your poke bowl.
Prices for poké bowls range from CHF19 for a tofu bowl and CHF23 for the popular Salmon Legend bowl.
We love Molokai – and foresee many trips there for lunch during the grey winter months. A five-star poké experience.
They deliver and you can also order your poké bowl through SMOOD.
WHERE
67 Rue du Rhone
MORE INFO
NOTE : Our meal was sponsored by Molokai. We only work with brands we think would suit our audience and we tell it like it is.
