Our
Story
Henri Joly opened Au Poisson-chat in March 2020. He’s a former employee of a smartphone company and has been passionate about cooking for ten years. He had a real shock when tasting a « shoyu ahi’ poke » (poke with soy sauce and tuna) for the first time, some seven years ago. The subtle balance of saltiness, sweetness, acidity and heat from the marinade is something he has always aimed to reproduce in his recipes.
He had big dreams of opening a restaurant one day, and after three years as a marketing guy, he decided to take action and resigned from his job to work full time on his project.
But what is a poke
after all ?
Poke is pronounced “poh-kay”, and means “small piece” in Hawaiian language : like the pieces of fish used to cook the dish.
Today, you can find many versions of poke in Hawaiian supermarkets, sold by weight as a starter salad. Basic ingredients almost always includes fish and shellfish or vegetables, but over time poke has become strongly influenced by Japanese cuisine. Spring onions, soy sauce and sesame oil are used for marinades, creating a deeper taste than the original version and a certain sense of umami.