Hashtag Poke recently opened its doors at 4009 Winder Hwy suite 205 in Flowery Branch.
Owner Nick Zheng worked as a sushi chef for nearly 15 years and opened Hashtag Poke to bring the cuisine to the Hall County community. He said Poke originated in Hawaii but he adds a spin to the dish.
“We changed this to where the Japanese and Hawaiian are fused together. We don't marinate the fish, we use higher-quality fish,” Zheng said. “So we use the better salmon and tuna. So no marinating. We just serve it like that.”
The restaurant serves tuna from Chile and salmon from Scotland, Zheng said. He gave his recommendation for those who have yet to try poke.
“I'd tell them to try the salmon because salmon is the most popular. First, we take it and then we put salt on it to get rid of the fishy flavor. So it doesn't taste as fishy but you still get the texture and everything is the same.”
Hashtag Poke is a casual dining experience with health options.
“Our main concept is to build your own poke bowl. But we have the signature bowl and we also do ramen. We do bubble tea, milk tea and slushies,” Zheng said. “And then the most important is we do healthy. We don't do any fried stuff. We want to be healthy for everybody.”
Zheng added that they prepare their ingredients fresh every day and he takes pride in providing the most high-quality ingredients.
“Our most popular dish is the hashtag signature bowl that comes with salmon, spicy tuna, or crab salad and then you order toppings. We also have the build-your-own menu. You could choose from two proteins or three proteins or you could add more if you want. That's how we charge it by only the protein,” Zheng said. “So the base, the race or the salad, or you could do half and half and then choose the topping. Toppings are unlimited. You can choose as many as you want. And then choose the sauce. We have 15 different sauces The most popular is the house blend sauce, which is yum yum sauce, spicy mayonnaise and unagi (eel) sauce mixed together. Then we add the garnish which makes it look pretty but also adds more flavor.”
Zheng said he was excited to bring a poke restaurant to an area without one.
“I had a customer who told me that they had to drive 30 minutes to Suwanee or Buford,” Zheng said.
The walls of Hashtag Poke feature handpainted art of Zheng's favorite animes like.
“We have a friend who is an artist she lives in New York and she flew all the way down here. She did the painting for us in one month.”
Hashtag Poke is currently open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
