Vegan Friendly: Sweetfin Poke in UTC La Jolla

The Vibe

Olive leaves rustle over the blue and white wire stools dotting the patio of Sweetfin Poke.  Perched on the ridge of UTC Mall’s The Pointe—the newly constructed indoor/outdoor dining wing—soft hedges close in on groups finding respite from shopping or work in a nearby office building. Clicking chopsticks dart through clear plastic bowls filled with a customized curio of Hawaii-influenced poke.

Popularized through innovative contests run by Sam Choy, the “Grandfather of Hawaiian cuisine”, in 1990s, poke has now become ubiquitous on the islands and coastal United States.

Traditionally built up with a selection of marinated raw fish served over rice of salad, Sweetfin stands out from the pack with not one but two excellent vegan options.

The Food

Acid hits the tongue first. The boldness of salty shoyu and vinegar push forward the sweetness of the vegetables.

Fingertip sized cuts (“poke” means “to cut crosswise into pieces” in Hawaii) of tender sweet potato, rich avocado, crisp carrots, marinated cucumber, and plump edamame come slick in the sweet citrus of Ponzu Lime or the nutty umami of Miso Sesame Shoyu.

Delicate cubes of tofu crumble in a classic sauce of shoyu and sesame oil trembling over a base of pale green bamboo rice or the raven hues of forbidden grains.

Founding chef/partner Dakota Weiss developed a menagerie of toppings (the allergen menu is available at the register, and almost all of them are vegan).The offering covers the expected chopped serranos, shaved red onion, and furikake (a seasoned seaweed confetti), but then run on into unexpected terrain.

Here, juicy cuts of fragrant mango are an almost mandatory add-on, along with miso cured Japanese eggplant, pickled caps of shitake mushrooms, and blistered shishito peppers.

While all bowls are finished with scallions, sesame seeds, and salt, items from the crunchy add-ons, like the vivid green dust of crushed wasabi peas or little crisp flakes of fried garlic, offer a textural balance to the base.

With the extended list of bases and add-on, Sweetfin is one of the few poke restaurants that provides a breath of combinations up and down the flavor spectrum removing the boundaries most vegans run into at poke shops.