Iconic Bamboo Sushi Announces New Restaurant: QuickFish Poke Bar

In case you’re new to the city, Bamboo Sushi is the world’s first certified sustainable sushi restaurant and, with multiple locations, one of the biggest players in the Portland sushi-scape. In July, it hopped on the poke trend, opening the hole-in-the-wall counter-service spot, The Annex, and now Bamboo Sushi tells Eater it’s replacing it with a new poke-dedicated restaurant, QuickFish Poke Bar. QuickFish will officially open at 1122 SW Stark Street on December 12, and the Bamboo team is already looking toward Denver and Seattle to expand.

Speaking with Eater, Bamboo Sushi’s Cory Schisler says, “We see restaurants offering pretty mediocre fish in the form of poke and making a lot of money. We wanted to do it better.” QuickFish Poke Bar will use the same sourcing techniques and mostly work with the same fishermen as Bamboo Sushi.

QuickFish also hopes to standout from the crowded poke arena with something it calls “Medicine Rice,” developed by Bamboo Sushi executive chef Jin Soo Yang. Schisler says it’s all about the grains, all sourced through Bamboo’s Japanese food distributors, but it has the texture of sticky rice.

Don’t expect the QuickFish menu to greatly verge from what we’ve seen at The Annex. QuickFish will continue to serve the same signature poke bowls and build-your-own poke bowls for the most part — along with a chef’s bowl that rotates weekly. QuickFish will bring a new look, though, with new uniforms, menu boards, and music.

QuickFish will officially launch December 12, and on December 13, it’ll add dinner to the mix, operating daily, from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. It’ll be a grab-and-go affair, offering counter service without seating.

• QuickFish [Official Site]
• All Previous Bamboo Sushi Coverage [EPDX]