A Poke Theory is now Singapore’s first halal-certified poke eatery

Lovers of poke would have noticed that within the first two years of their existence, sibling-run establishment A Poke Theory, which made its home in Telok Ayer in 2016, has expanded quickly with three more outlets in Duo Galleria, One@KentRidge and Marina One within a short period of time. But what you probably haven’t realized is that they’ve changed some of their recipes—only because they’re looking to reach out to more people—to become the first and only halal-certified poke store in Singapore.

They’ve reworked their now-famed marinades to meet the guidelines for a halal certification set out by Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS). But that doesn’t mean that there’ll be a change in menu or taste. Joey Lee, one of the founders and mastermind behind the recipes, said that months of tweaking and re-engineering were made to get that same taste of their original marinades. And in doing so, they felt that they’ve “actually improved the marinade in the process”. They’ve even made their own version of togarashi (a condiment consisting of chili peppers blended with other ingredients).

Another welcome change you can look forward to is a new bowl size that’s going for $9.90 nett, for anyone who’s always looking for lunch options under $10. They’ve also rejigged their menu prices back to net instead of GST-exclusive ones, and lowered their salmon poke bowls to match their tuna poke bowls, which were previously $1 more for regular-sized bowls, and $1.50 for the large ones.

It seems that while poke bowls may have entered the fray about two years back, A Poke Theory is adamant about making it a staple rather than a fad in Singapore.