Nathaniel Clark – A&E Editor

nuc5002@psu.edu

Are you looking to explore Asian cuisine outside of what is available at your traditional “Chinese” restaurant? Or are you looking for a fun eating experience? Well, do I have a restaurant for you. Located less than 25 minutes from Penn State Behrend is F&F Poke Bowl, this week’s local eat.

In the Erie area, there are two F&F locations: one at 6831 Peach St. and another at 2501 W 12th St. 

Today, we are highlighting the Peach St. branch due to its proximity to campus. Additionally, this F&F is placed perfectly near the movie theater and just a short distance from the Millcreek Mall. 

As the name suggests, F&F’s specialty is the poke bowl. Originating from Polynesian and Pacific Islander cultures, poke bowls consist of rice with protein, usually seafood, and a variety of toppings. Sauces are also essential to a poke bowl, including spicy mayo and miso dressing. While F&F does allow you to also craft your own poke bowl, I would like to highlight their staple recipes. 

There is the special “Erie Classic Bowl” that includes their house-marinated tuna with cucumber, corn, carrots, and edamame coated in their delicious ponzu sauce. While that bowl is a great starter bowl, my favorite of their house bowls is the “Spicy Volcano.” With a base of sushi rice and mixed greens, the “Spicy Volcano” bowl consists of spicy salmon with avocado, cucumber, sweet corn, and a drizzling of spicy mayo and black sesame seeds. 

If a poke bowl is not your speed, F&F also serves ramen. The restaurant crafts its ramen in the traditional Japanese style, making this not your standard cup of noodles.

You order the ramen by first choosing a style. While they do have seafood and grilled chicken, I recommend the chashu style with three slices of perfectly seasoned pork belly. You then choose your desired broth and noodle variety. No matter what style you choose, all ramen bowls contain shiitake mushrooms, corn, asparagus, broccoli, scallions, and a boiled egg. 

As you can tell from just its description, F&F’s ramen bowls are a lot of food. Luckily, the restaurant can easily pack it up for you if you cannot finish the ramen at their restaurant. 

Along with poke and ramen, F&F has a variety of Asian beverages to choose from. They offer an array of bubble tea flavors. While nothing extraordinary, the restaurant serves standard flavors such as banana, taro, matcha, and strawberry.

F&F also has ramune. For those unfamiliar, ramune is a traditional Japanese soda whose main trait is its obtuse-looking bottle with a marble located in its neck. The purpose of this marble is to hold in the carbonation because there were no other alternatives to keep a drink fizzy when ramune was first created. F&F offers classic flavors such as lemon-lime, melon, strawberry, orange, and blueberry. 

If you desire to move away from the standard General Tso’s and orange chicken and towards traditional Asian cuisine, I believe that F&F Poke Bowl is an excellent choice. If you have any dietary restrictions, the restaurant offers a variety of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options.