Poke Lab finds huge following with fresh and fast format.

The Hawaiian concept of raw sashimi-grade fish salad – called poke (pronounced po-kay) – is migrating east, getting bigger and bigger in urban centers like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Now lines of patiently waiting customers, mostly millennials, are often overflowing from the recently opened Poke Lab on Alvarado Street, all looking like they’ve been there before and know the drill.

Carmel resident and owner/operator Joey Nguyen is the man behind the plan, having partnered on a similar format in San Jose called Poki Bowl. The Lab opened in January.

I often stroll around downtown Monterey at lunch looking for good grub and letting my cravings tell me where to go. I’m open to new places with wholesome food and affordable prices. Poke fits the bill. But it seemed to always have big lines around lunch time and I have an intense aversion to them. So whenever I got to Poke Lab I kept on walking.

Also, this looked like one of those build-your-own-type deals. So another fear I had was that ordering might be like solving an algebraic equation. And I like to switch off and not think too much at lunch time.

But one day I decided to face my fears and give Poke Lab a try. I was in the mood for something light and healthful, feeling a bit more patient than usual and wanting to satisfy my curiosity. Plus I thought it was worth checking out for a possible review.

When I got in line I counted 12 in front of me. It seemed like a lot but forward movement was steady. Fifteen minutes passed from the time I got in line till I paid up and was eagerly hopping over to a sunny Griffin Plaza with my bowl of goodies. As I walked over, chopsticks and plastic bowl in hand, I thought: the whole process took about the same amount of time as it would to get served in a full service restaurant. Even so, Nguyen says he’s still working on efficiency and wants it to be even quicker. He’s also planning and developing a streamlined call in/carry out service.

In line I read the neat, hand-drawn ordering instructions and list of ingredients on blackboards behind the counter while I listened, looked and learned. Behind the counter was a friendly, smiling staff who seemed to gleam with pride about working there, taking orders, answering questions and dishing up prominently displayed, colorful, pre-prepped ingredients.

Ordering turned out to be easy after all. There are two basic ways to go: choose one of Chef James Anderson’s pre-designed signature bowls or build your own. Either way you get a choice of sushi white rice, brown rice or mixed greens as a base; then toppings like cucumbers, onions, bean sprouts, daikon radish, ginger, edamame, masago fish eggs, green onions, wasabi and furikake mix (seaweed and sesame). Spicy mayo and/or sriracha sauces add the finishing touch. For avocado or extra crab add $1.50.

My first visit I ordered the signature poke lab bowl ($11) – spicy tuna, salmon, ahi tuna and avocado. I chose a base of white rice, then asked them to load my bowl with every topping. They do it with pleasure. The combination of tastes and textures was explosive.

The second time in I went with the citrus salmon bowl ($11), with salmon, edamame and avocado. It was one-dimensional in the protein department (salmon only) but equally explosive thanks to the full array of toppings once again. I chose the brown rice as a base this time over the white, which I believe is the way to go because of the extra layer of nutty flavor.

Another choice in the signature bowl section is the vegetarian bowl ($11) with tofu, shiitake mushrooms, edamame and avocado. Then there’s the market bowl (market price), which varies according to season and availability. On my first visit, Monterey halibut ($15) was the current catch, which included organic walnut, sweet onion and Meyer lemon.

Building your own bowl means that you choose from a combination of regular items like salmon, ahi tuna, crab meat, shrimp, spicy tuna, octopus, tofu and shiitake mushrooms ($9.50 for three scoops; $1.50 per extra scoop). All the aforementioned toppings are part of the deal.

Freshness, quality and sustainability are the focus, according to Nguyen, so he and Anderson are building relationships with local fisherman and suppliers like Robbie’s Ocean Fresh Seafood, using local products as much as possible. They also rely heavily on Royal Hawaiian Seafood from South San Francisco, who also adheres to sustainable fishing practices and Seafood Watch guidelines. Nguyen says freshness and quality are further ensured by the fact that food is prepped several times each day as business volume is closely monitored.

So in the end, the food was tasty, satisfying and nutritious, ordering was a cinch and the somewhat long line turned out to be no big deal at all. With all the improvements, construction on blighted areas, and new eating establishments, life is good on Alvarado Street. Poke Lab makes it even better.

THE POKE LAB 475 Alvarado St., Monterey. •11:30am-8pm Thur-Tues; closed Wed. •200-3474, www.thepokelab.com