Last Saturday, upon opening Instagram, I was greeted with a post from Villanova Dining that read, “Poke Bowls Coming Soon.” I couldn’t believe my eyes. Just a few months after sushi being introduced on campus, Villanova students were being blessed with yet another delicious dining option. Was I in heaven? Did I reach nirvana? Could pigs finally fly? I couldn’t wait until Monday afternoon when I could try them. So, after trying all three versions of the bowls, I must ask: was all my excitement worth it?
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is yes, but I should’ve tapered my expectations a little. Let’s start with the positives. The bowl tastes really good. The fish, rice, avocado, seaweed, edamame, cucumbers and poke sauce all combine really well, and in my opinion, make for one of the most flavorful options at Café Nova. Everything tastes very fresh, and by Dining Services using the same vendor as the sushi, I am confident in the quality of the raw fish. Like with the sushi, I am certain that most college campuses do not have poke bowls in their dining halls. I applaud Villanova for making the effort to give students unique dining options, and I hope this effort will continue in the future.
I only have two real complaints about the poke bowls: the portion sizes and customizability. Upon getting my first bowl, I immediately noticed how small the portions were. At Café Nova, how does it make sense that one meal can get me a giant burrito bowl but also the tiniest poke bowl I’ve ever seen? I understand that fish is expensive, but there are other ways to beef up the portion sizes. For example, adding more rice and more add-ins would help with this issue. (Side note: why does every bowl only come with two slices of cucumber? I mean, really?)
This brings me to customizability. In my opinion, there should be more ingredients available to put in the poke bowls, and students should be able to choose what they want to add. The current add-ins are great, but a few more couldn’t hurt as well. Mango, pickled ginger, carrots and sesame seeds are just a few other common ingredients in poke bowls, and these would make great additions for customizability. I also think having a few more sauces available, such as spicy mayo and mango aioli, would help diversify the bowls. Students could potentially mix two sauces together to create an even more flavorful meal.
Many Villanova students agree that the poke bowls need bigger portion sizes and more variation.
“It was really good. I’d order it a lot,” sophomore Maggie Coia said. “They would be better if they were customizable and had bigger portions.”
“The portions are too small,” sophomore Archer Yang said.
“The portions should be bigger, and they need more add-ins.” sophomore Ava Felice said. “I would like more than two cucumber slices. The tofu would be more flavorful if it was seared.”
When thinking about meal swipe value, I would understand why less fish would be included because fish is often very expensive. However, with tofu typically being significantly less expensive than fish, the vegetarian option should certainly have more tofu in it. Furthermore, if the tofu were seared, it would add some more life to it.
“A chicken option would be nice,” sophomore Luke Fabietti said. “It’s a cheaper way to add more protein.”
By adding cheaper protein options, such as chicken, the portion sizes would certainly increase. Though chicken is not necessarily a traditional poke bowl add-in, I’ve been to many places that offer it as an option nonetheless. Furthermore, adding more variation in the poke bowl proteins will allow students to repeatedly order them without getting bored.
Despite the few issues I have, I think the poke bowls are a great addition to Villanova Dining. They are certainly one of the best, most flavorful meals one can get at Café Nova, and I can’t wait to brag about them to my friends who go to other schools. If Villanova takes the opportunity to make the portions larger and allow more variety in the bowls, they will be even better than they currently are.
