Poké The Bear pushes ahead with expansion as Richard Galli joins as executive chef

The Hawaiian-focused brand, which was founded back in the summer by TV personality Calum Best and hospitality mogul Fraser Carruthers, has launched a second London location in Clapham, with a third site set to open in Manchester at the beginning of December.

Galli, who will be working with Poké The Bear alongside his role at The Goring, has brought 'a whole new level of flavour' to the menu by adding Brazilian influences into the dishes, which traditionally feature diced raw fish, rice and a selection of vegetables and grains.

“Over the past 15 years I have dedicated my life to fine dining," says the chef, who joined The Goring back in 2017.

"I’ve now got the opportunity to bring the knowledge and standards that I’ve learnt into this exciting fast food casual concept.

"Poké The Bear is the perfect place for me to explore new concepts."

Signature dishes to feature on the new menu include braised octopus served with new potatoes, cherry tomatoes, paprika and crispy onions; a vegan mushroom Bowl of soy-glazed shimeji and king oyster mushrooms, green vegetables, carrots, pickled daikon, sesame seeds, edamame and courgettes; and a marinated sea bass ceviche bowl served with mango, dashi sweet potatoes, pickled daikon, granny smith apple, green vegetables and honey chilli dressing.

“I’ve known Richard for many years and have always admired his cooking," says Carruthers.

"His skills go far beyond the kitchen, from sourcing the finest ingredients to implementing a team of chefs that work together like a well-oiled machine.

"We can’t wait to see the business continue to grow across the UK and show people poké as they’ve never seen before.”

Poké The Bear opened its first site in the heart of Chelsea in August and claims to be embarking on an 'aggressive expansion plan' to open further kitchen across major UK cities including Liverpool, Dublin and Bristol.