Poke’m

We happened to walk by and I couldn’t resist. I knew that this place would get decent reviews and I had to try it for myself.
What was the twist, I was curious. I soon found out by trying out the chicken balls with Caribean sauce. Spicy, juicy chicken balls. I really «Likey and my names not Mikey!

3.5 stars
With the popularity of food carts everywhere, I couldn’t miss an opportunity to try Poke’m, which is on the corner of Robson and Hornby.
We passed by Poke’m’ s colorful green cart on the way to Gelarmony. They had a handwritten sign that said «Forget sausages… go for the balls!» Balls instead of sausages? I’ll try it.
I got the chicken balls with Japanese sauce (terimayo, wasabi mayo, nori and sesame seeds). The chicken balls were actually bigger than I expected and the texture was similar to fish balls. I did find it slighly bland but I think that’s why they had the terimayo and wasabi mayo. They’re are good in itself but I think it should be either/​or, because there was a little too much mayo going on, at least for me.
For $ 3.75, it’s a good snack for those who are shopping on Robson and need some protein throughout the day.

You pick your meat balls, and your sauce:
Fish balls and Curry sauce were good, like curry «oden». Even without soupiness, it made me warm.
Chicken balls with Japanese sauce were another story. The sauce was creative and good, but I was not impressed with the chicken ball itself. It wasn’t a proper meat ball. The texture was close to the fish ball, but a bit rougher. I couldn’t find its own taste.
For $ 3.75, the quantity of balls depend on what you get, since the sizes are different. You can get two sets for $ 7.00, but I wouldn’t recommend it for one person. You can only enjoy a certain amount of similar texture protein/​starch. It’s better to get just one portion as a between-​meals snack.
The bus stop it’s next to currently has no buses stopping there (due to Robson Square construction), so it’s a good place to eat.

* They’ve got balls! *
This place sure has balls. All different types of balls. Fish balls, beef balls, chicken balls, etc.
You pick the type of balls you would like, and then how you would like them finished off.
I chose beef, and got two varieties:
Caribbean: Cumin and paprika with a spicy jerk sauce and sauteed onions. This had a bit of a kick to it, and was a pleasant spice combination.
Vietnamese: Vietnamese sauce (same as you would get on salad rolls), with crushed cashews (instead of peanuts), crispy fried onions, and fresh green onions. Nice sauce and toppings.
So I liked the sauce and toppings, and you may ask why 2 stars?
Well, to say the balls were overcooked would be an understatement. I’m simply not a fan of rubbery chewy balls.
I think this may be a problem with the health department rules about raw food at street vendors as all the balls seemed to be in boiling water, and then when you order they take it out of the water and put it on the grill.
Those poor little balls. They never stood a chance.

Updated review: I’m upgrading my review from four stars to five. IMO, Poke’m is the best of the new food carts. I’m hooked on all the different varieties of fish balls, and haven’t even bothered to try the chicken or beef balls.
Original review: Great Asian street food. Poke’m is one of the new street carts in the City’s pilot program. They’re serving up balls of fish, chicken, beef and tofu with a choice of several different sauces. I had the fish balls with Japanese sauce (flavourful, smooth and relatively mild) and the fish fritters with Korean sauce (crispy and spicy). I will be back as soon as possible!