A Hawaiian health food restaurant that uses recycled ocean plastic for seating has opened its first UK location outside of London in Oxfordshire.

Island Poke has brought its traditional Hawaiian dish, the ‘poke bowl’ – diced raw fish or slender cut meats, superfood salads and tonnes of fresh pacific flavours - to Bicester Village.  

The brand has opened a kiosk unit along the main thoroughfare with enough seating for up to 40 people.

Dishes are made fresh to order every time, using sustainable and high-quality ingredients that give diners a range of options.

There are poke bowl options ranging from the Classic Ahi Tuna to the Yuzi Lomi Lomi salmon, as well as vegetarian, vegan and chicken options.

They also offer a ‘build your own bowl’, which allows customers to choose from over a million poke combinations.

Island Poke founder Mr Gould-Porter said: “Opening our first UK Island outside of London is a huge moment for us and we are delighted to be bringing our fresh pacific flavours to Bicester Village and its loyal customers.

“It’s our mission to grow across the UK and beyond, bringing people a great and fresh alternative to the traditional lunch and dine-out offering, and we feel that there is a great match between our loyal customers and those that shop at Bicester Village.”

Mr Gould-Porter first got a taste for poke after spending his childhood summers between the beaches of California and the tropical islands of Hawaii.

He noticed that London’s lunch scene was lacking in fresh, healthy options, and so Mr Gould-Porter quit his job at an art gallery and began selling bowls of his tropical island paradise at a street food market.

After the success of its restaurants in London and France, Island Poke is set to proliferate across the UK, with plans to open 100 locations in the country over the next five years.

The brand already has 18 Islands in London and nine in France.

Island Poke is part of the Hero Brands Group, which also includes German Doner Kebab, Choppaluna, Sides and XIX Vodka within its expanding portfolio.

It is also part of the White Rabbit Projects group, a hospitality development platform that partners with early-stage restaurants and entrepreneurs to support and accelerate growth.

In its restaurants, Island Poke uses sustainable, Oceanic fabric seating. Oceanic came out of the SEAQUAL initiative, a collaborative community that aims to combat marine plastic pollution and achieve a waste-free environment.

The fabric is a recycled polyester and Island Poke is proud to support the mission to clean up both the earth and its oceans.  

 

Read more from this author

This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1

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