When most people think of a poke destination, their minds immediately go to fresh fish and vibrant vegetables. However, to truly experience the best poke restaurant in Montreal, you have to look beyond the main bowl.
A gourmet meal is about the balance of temperatures and textures. At Olu Olu Poké, we have developed a curated menu of hot appetizers and steaming soups designed to complement the cool, fresh nature of our poké.
The appetizers at Olu Olu Poke are engineered to elevate your dining experience from a quick lunch to a full Hawaiian-style feast.
The Golden Crunch: Signature Katsu and Takoyaki
There is something deeply satisfying about the contrast between a chilled poké bowl and a hot, crispy appetizer. Our katsu series is designed for those who crave that specific panko-breaded texture. The Shrimp Katsu features succulent, crispy breaded shrimp served with a traditional katsu sauce that adds a tangy, savory depth. If you prefer poultry, our Chicken Katsu offers a hearty, breaded chicken breast that provides a satisfying, meaty crunch to begin your meal.
For those wondering where to eat takoyaki that actually tastes authentic, our version is a must-try street food classic. These four pieces of fried octopus balls are a symphony of flavors, served with a combination of katsu sauce and unagi sauce. The exterior is crisp, the interior is creamy and tender, and the sweet-savory glaze makes them one of the most addictive items on our menu. They are the perfect shareable plate for friends who want a true taste of Osaka in the heart of Montreal.
The Umami Starters: Edamame and Wakame
If you want to start your meal with something lighter but still packed with flavor, our plant-based sides are the professional choice. Our Furikake Edamame takes the standard steamed soybean and elevates it with a complex Japanese seasoning blend of nori and sesame. This adds a layer of dry umami that plain salt simply cannot provide.
For a refreshing palate cleanser, the Salade Wakame is essential. This seaweed salad is tossed in a sesame-soy dressing that provides a bright, acidic hit. It is an excellent way to prepare your taste buds for the rich sauces in your poké bowl, and it offers a wealth of trace minerals and vitamins that make your meal even more nutritionally complete.
The Best Soups at Olu Olu Poké: A Deep Dive into Miso
A bowl of miso soup is the ultimate comfort food, but we believe in offering more than just the basic version. While our classic Miso Soup with seaweed and green onion is a perfect, light starter, we have expanded our selection to include premium seafood versions that are essentially meals in themselves.
The Seafood Miso is the crown jewel of our soup menu, featuring a generous combination of salmon, shrimp, and crab sticks. For those who want a specific seafood profile, we also offer Shrimp Miso, Shrimp & Crab Stick Miso, and a simple but delicious Crab Stick Miso. These soups provide a warm, probiotic-rich base that aids in digestion and provides a comforting temperature contrast to the cold fish in your bowl. When looking for the best soups at Olu Olu Poke, these seafood-rich broths are consistently at the top of the list for their depth of flavor and high protein content.
Why Complete Your Meal with these Sides?
Ordering an appetizer or soup isn’t just about adding more food; it is about creating a balanced sensory experience. The warmth of a Takoyaki or a Miso Soup helps to stimulate the appetite and soothe the stomach, while the crispness of the Shrimp Katsu provides a physical contrast to the soft yields of raw tuna or salmon.
Here, we apply the same rigorous standards of freshness to our hot kitchen as we do to our raw bar. This commitment to quality across the entire menu is why we are recognized as the best poke restaurant in Montreal. We don’t view our sides as afterthoughts; we view them as the essential components that turn a simple bowl of fish and rice into a memorable Japanese-fusion dinner.
Conclusion
The next time you visit us, we challenge you to move beyond the bowl. Start with a steaming Seafood Miso to warm up your palate, share a plate of Takoyaki with a friend, and then dive into your favorite poké. This combination of hot and cold, crispy and soft, is what creates a truly gourmet dining experience.
Experience the full menu at the best poke restaurant in Montreal and see why our appetizers and soups are just as famous as our bowls!
Key Takeaways
- By pairing chilled poke bowls with steaming miso soups and hot appetizers, you create a multi-dimensional dining experience that stimulates the palate through temperature variety.
- The inclusion of traditional items like takoyaki (octopus balls) brings a genuine taste of Japanese street food culture to Montreal, offering a savory, sauce-rich counterpoint to fresh fish.
- Moving beyond simple broth, the addition of salmon, shrimp, and crab to miso soup transforms a standard starter into a high-protein, umami-rich component of the meal.
- Fried appetizers like Chicken or Shrimp Katsu provide a necessary “crunch” factor, balancing the soft and tender textures inherent in raw poké ingredients.
- The blog highlights that the best poke experience isn’t just about the bowl itself, but about the holistic combination of starters and sides that turn a quick bite into a gourmet feast.
