Ah yes……as we flip the pages of the calendar and the weather turns warmer, it's time for poke again here. I just checked and noticed I hadn't been to HFS at Centerpark Labs in over a year! How the heck can that be? Well, I think that two trips "home" got me my poke fixes. Though my recent visit to Makai Sushi had me wondering how HFS at Centerpark was doing. So, it was time to head on over……old habits kicked in and I arrived 5 minutes before opening, time enough to beat the lines.
By five minutes of opening; there were already a dozen people in line.
As per my usual habit; I ordered a Medium Bowl with brown rice, which is still priced at $19 with the "Kilauea" and the Wasabi Ahi; mainly for the Missus, while I got a half pound of Shoyu Poke ($26.99/lb). Since I'd be taking this home, I asked that the poke and rice be separate. The nice young ladies working separated things and even put the fish on ice! Such great service. And of course, taking this home meant that the Missus needed Her "typical" poke set-up. Luckily, I had gone shopping earlier in the day and was prepared.
Man, that brown rice was nicely cooked, firm and so nutty-earthy in flavor!
The Shoyu Poke was good; the fish of decent quality….like I tell folks here….HFS is about Foodland quality; while not top of the line "back home"; it's about as good as it gets here in San Diego. We really didn't need the shoyu sauce, which is provided on the side.
As for the other poke…the Missus really enjoyed the Wasabi version this time….I also thought the quality of fish in the wasabi was better. While it was a mildly "sinus clearing", the pungency did not overpower the poke. The Kilauea was mildly spicy and the fish of decent quality as well.
I detected a bit of a different flavor profile in the Kilauea….I'm wondering if they've started using a chili crisp in it?
Anyway, this hit the spot. And as the weather turns warmer, I'll probably be going more often. I know that HFS has opened a new location in Poway; but after my experience with the Liberty Station location, I'll probably just stick with the Centerpark Labs location. So, apologies in advance if you start seeing more HFS posts as things heat up!
HFS at Centerpark Labs
6835 Flanders Dr.
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Daily 10am – 8pm