Broadview Heights’ Feng Lz adds poke bowl bar to restaurant

by John Benson

The first time Angela Zhang tasted a poke bowl, the owner of Feng Lz Hibachi, Sushi and Bar knew the fresh dish was perfect for her Broadview Heights restaurant, which already provides hungry customers with a variety of Asian cuisine, including appetizers, soup, salad, hibachi, teriyaki, tempuras, specialty sushi rolls and hand rolls.

“Poke bowl is actually a Hawaiian dish that’s really popular in New York City, California and Chicago,” Zhang said. “So now, I’m actually bringing it to Ohio. It’s something new.”

Zhang was so gung-ho about the poke (pronounced poh-kay) bowl that she instantly added it to the Feng Lz menu.

“I started off putting it on our regular menu as a signature bowl,” Zhang said. “People would ask, ‘What is a poke bowl?’ For people who have tried poke bowl, they absolutely loved it. We’ve had it on the menu for a couple of months. It’s really flavorful. The ingredients are really fresh, and it’s something really healthy. There’s plenty of color in it. It’s fun as well. You get a lot of items in the same bowl.”

Reaction to the poke bowl was so positive that Zheng decided to convert a section of the restaurant to the new menu item.

“I have been thinking about it for a while,” Zhang said. “We had to prepare the construction, so it took three to four months. Now it’s ready. In the front, the space used to be a party room. Now we changed that. You know how restaurants have a sushi bar? We have a poke bar that has its own entrance.

“That way, it’s easier for people who are doing takeout. It’s good for the lunch crowd. And, if people prefer to dine in, they’ll eat at Feng Lz. Poke bowl is something you can make your own way. It’s fast and fresh ingredients with different flavors and different tastes.”

The poke bowl is described as a build-your-own adventure. It begins with a base, which varies from white rice to brown rice or salad.

Next comes the protein (salmon, ahi tuna, shrimp, tofu or chicken) followed by toppings (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, carrots, jalapeños, edamame, mango, masago, scallions, pickled ginger, pineapple and cilantro). For an extra cost, customers can add octopus salad, kani salad, seaweed salad or avocado.

There’s also dressing (poke shoyu, sriracha aioli, ponzu, house classic, sweet chili, eel sauce, creamy sesame, citrus vinaigrette, yum-yum sauce and honey wasabi).

Finally, crunchy options include crispy onions, sesame seeds, crushed almonds, wonton chips, tempura flakes, shredded nori, crushed pecans and wasabi peas.

“It’s something new, something healthy,” said Zhang. “As the owner, I promise all of our ingredients are of the highest quality.”

For more information, visit fenglzinc.com or call 440-457-2380. The restaurant is located at 1100 W. Royalton Rd.

 

Featured image photo caption: Angela Zhang shows some options for poke bowls. Photo by J. Kananian