Zumapoke & Lush Ice — Restaurant in Davis

Missed out on the Yelp Elite Event held here a few weeks back, but finally got a chance to stop in for lunch!

Let me preface by saying that in terms of local poke, I've tried Fish Face in Sac and Banzai in Davis so far, both were just okay for me. Next on my list are Hokee Poke, Make Fish (formerly known as Wrap 'n Roll? I've had the sushi burrito but not the poke), and those who also swear by Oto's or Costco poke...

Doors open inward so be careful not to hit people ahead of you in line as you enter! Paper menus while you wait. The line sort of has nowhere to go, at least it wasn't out the door when I got there. Seating follows the indoor perimeter space along the windows (tall stools), and there is patio seating outside immediately in front of the entrance. Restrooms located around the corner from the fountain drinks area.

While in line the Sunh Fish truck pulled up, talk about sourcing the good stuff right there, yum! So fresh! I approve.

I know I'm short, but the barrier between the people assembling your bowl and customers is so tall! You kinda have to yell over the sound of the A/C and point at what you want. The odd smell others have mentioned in their reviews wasn't a problem, the air circulation system seems to be working now. One person is in charge of your base (rice and/or cucumber salad) and proteins, and another person does the sides and toppings, and another person rings you up. They have the iPad with chip card reader up and running fine. Chopsticks or forks also by the register, whichever you fancy. They have the daily marinated Hawaiian-style poke which you can order by the pound with or without rice, or build-your-own-bowl.

Finally, my order: they did not have the bamboo rice so I didn't get to try that, but a size small (3 scoops for $10.95) with 1/2 and 1/2 base of white rice (sticky, sushi kind) and cucumber salad. For protein I went with one scoop of salmon, one scoop of ahi tuna, and one scoop of spicy tuna. They did have yellowtail, octopus, shrimp, and tofu available today too. For the side I got seaweed salad, masago, and edamame. Not a fan of raw white/green onions, jalapenos, cucumber already came with my base, and kimchi doesn't go with Hawaiian/Japanese flavors in my opinion. Avocado costs $1 extra so I skipped it. The spicy mayo is probably sriracha, so I chose the ponzu (citrus soy sauce). Crab salad is supposedly free but it might have run out; I did get sesame seeds and the black lava sea salt was intense! They didn't offer furikake this time. Wasabi and ginger if you like too.

The scoops might seem small, but it was definitely filling! The sauce is served on the side so you can dip or mix it in yourself. All the fish was fresh, spicy tuna on point, the rice and edamame were warm, the seaweed salad seasoned well, not slimy texture. The generous masago scoop was so much it almost looked like another whole scoop of fish! Overall, pretty balanced. The cucumber salad was still crunchy (not soggy from sitting in the vinegar), slices on the thicker sid, but the vinegar was strong and could use something to sweeten it/offset. The rice was sticking to the container but wasn't under or overcooked at all. As an alternative to the bamboo rice, maybe season the white rice a little bit?

They do have the alcoholic "Lush" drinks (soju-based), otherwise bottled beers, or the fancy Coca-Cola fountain machine which I've also spotted at Krush Burger and Dos Coyotes (South).

A little over 20 minutes from getting in (the LONG) line until sitting down to eat, but forgivable since they're still new, and the staff was super friendly, thankful for the business. So many students on such a beautiful day craving poke! I...

It was my first time visiting Davis, and compared to Seattle, everything was relatively cheaper in Davis (from groceries to restaurants). I was surprised, then, when I saw this poke place to be so expensive (like Seattle expensive). Small bowls of poke cost $13 and regular sized cost $14 (plus tax). I'm not sure what drove prices so high (I'm guessing the quality of ingredients - more on that below) but it was surprising.

I ordered a "truffle shuffle", which consists of salmon, crab meat, truffle-garlic aioli, edamame, seaweed, fish roe, ginger, and lightly pickled cucumbers on a bed of sushi-grade white rice (so slightly vinegared white rice). I was told the salmon comes frozen from Maui and I'm pretty sure the crab meat was real crab meat. The edamame was perfectly firm and fresh-tasting and everything else actually tasted really fresh by themselves. Perhaps the main attraction to this dish was the aioli, which did taste of truffles, but was not overpowering.

I'm a bit disappointed there weren't options in terms of rice like you would find in other places, but a feature of this eatery seems that substitutions are a bit restricted, allowing the chef who designed the special sets (like the one I got) or the poke in general, to have a bit of control or say in how the poke is made and should be experienced. So the rice was sushi-grade white rice, and really complemented all of the other ingredients. I would say given the sauces and options available, the impression this poke store left is that it is a "deconstructed sushi" restaurant, which might justify the price if you want fresh, high-quality sushi without breaking the bank.

Overall, I was impressed with this place and on food alone, I would give it 5 stars. However, as this review is just my personal opinion, I wouldn't pay such a price for the quantity of food and poke in general, so I must rate it lower. If these factors don't bother you, then I do recommend this place if you're craving a smaller, quieter place for...

Zumapoke was recommended to me by an aide at my Physical Therapist's office. I had never tried Poke before, but since I like Sashimi he thought that, I would like it. I loved it! Had recently tried a place in San Diego, and all of their Poke was in a sauce with lots of onions. So I wasn't fully on board after that experience, as I dislike raw onion. At Zumapoke I was able to get a bowl the way I wanted. I went for half rice/half salad, 3 scoops of plain raw Salmon, Ponzu & Sriracha mayo sauces, my sides were seaweed salad, crab salad, edaname, pineapple, crispy onions, pickled cucumbers and ginger. The fish was fresh & plentiful. I'm not sure what the fuss was with the rice previously, but it was fluffy and well done, and not sour or vinegary. I loved the freshness of the greens and was very very satisfied. I am now fully on board...