It was a relatively light month out for us in November. With the Thanksgiving holiday and us having various study requirements, we actually stayed home a lot.
Maki - buta kaku (braised pork belly), gyoza, Philadelphia roll, ten don donburi: This little izakaya in Tigard is a neat little find. Very clean, modern lines inside and the service was very good. The braised pork belly was nicely tender with not too much fat and the Philadelphia roll - which they claim to hold close to their heart - was quite tasty. The gyoza was a new flavor for me, filled with shrimp and nira. Nira is like green onion but different, if that makes sense. A Japanese-English dictionary will tell you it's green onion; a native Japanese person will tell you it's different. Either way this was yummy. The ten don donburi had all sorts of items: onion, shrimp, carrot, potato, kabocha (squash), lotus root...and a hot pepper. That was unexpected. There should be some kind of warning... We'd absolutely go back, they have a very extensive menu.
Little Big Burger - cheeseburger with cheddar, cheeseburger with bleu cheese, fries: LBB, as the foodies in the know refer to it, serves up a pretty good burger. It's a good size, perfect for a meal on the go without filling you up. The fries were excellent, the service was quick, the burger cooked and seasoned well, the toppings fresh, and the bun perfect. Now, all of that said...I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to head to the Pearl District just to hit up LBB, like I might other places. If I was down there and wanted a quick bite, this would make me happy. If the rumors are true and Micah Camden does open one out in Beaverton, we'll probably hit it up every so often, since Beaverton is a culinary wasteland. Camden's ketchup, which will be available in stores in early spring, was interesting. At first I didn't like it all that much with the sweetness and alternating spicy kick, but it grows on you fast. They sell it at the shop, and if it's in stores the next time I need ketchup I might get it instead of Heinz. I can't believe I'm saying that.
Ate-Oh-Ate - Korean chicken: Went back to Ate Oh Ate with my dad and sister for lunch. This time I opted for the Korean fried chicken, which is deep-fried hot wings slathered with a spicy sauce. It actually was excellent, better than I thought it would be. Unfortunately I ate the entire plate and that probably wasn't the best of choices. By the way, this dish is quite messy - plan accordingly if you want to order it. Sister got the teriyaki steak which she thought was salty; after a taste I had to agree. Dad had no complaints about his teriyaki chicken, and both really liked the macaroni salad. While I liked what I ate, I don't necessarily think Ate-Oh-Ate is a place I'll be going to back to super often...though I do still want the loco moco.
Bunk Bar - meatball parmigiano hero, fries: Wifey and I were in the area, hungry, and wanted fries. We had heard they had fantastic fries, so we popped in and got them and the hero to go. Now, the fries were fantastic - I'd put them ahead of LBB - but if you eat in you get gravy and cheese on them (poutine! but not called that). To go we didn't get that - sad. Still, excellent fries, the meatball hero was awesome as always, and we will be going back - and eating in - very soon.
Public Domain Coffee - mocha, Kona "Cloud Forest" pourover: Wifey and I had some time to kill downtown last weekend so we stopped by here. I've been wanting to check it out for awhile. It's a very clean, bright, modern space, but not necessarily comfortable. This is a coffee shop that doesn't really seem to encourage you to linger. The mocha wasn't anything to write home about, but the Kona was good. Might have to go back and buy a bag of these beans, but probably won't get any more drinks there.
Blue Kangaroo Coffee - mocha: This little shop in Sellwood, by contrast, begs to be lingered in. Not that I did, but it seems like the kind of place I could sit down and do some writing. Unfortunately the mocha was not pleasing at all. It had cinnamon in it - or, as Wifey said, something that tasted more like Red Hots - which simply isn't acceptable to me at all. Mochas with that flavor in them better come with a warning, so I know not to get them. Honestly, it's a little nauseating when you are expecting chocolatey goodness.
Jade Tea House and Patisserie - raspberry and white chocolate/sea salt macaroons, Vietnamese wedding cake, barbecue pork bahn mi: I stopped here after a haircut to get the cake, which thankfully they had. If you have never had this cake, you need to head over there and get some. Now. The green pandan cake is light and fluffy with wonderfully crunchy layers mixed in. The macaroons were pretty good, but not as good as ones we've had from Pix Patisserie here in Portland or Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle. Then again, at $1.25 each compared to $2 at Pix, maybe it's a good tradeoff. The bahn mi was fantastic. Most of the ones I've had around town the content of the sandwich is pretty weak, but this one had think cuts of tender, juicy barbecue pork and fresh veggies. At $7 it's the most expensive bahn mi I've had, but well worth the price. The bread, which I believe Jade bakes themselves, was much better than many of the others I've had.
Coffeehouse Northwest - egg nog latte: Yes, this is still my favorite coffee place in Portland, and no, nothing has changed. Well, not really. Since it's the holiday season Coffeehouse NW has their egg nog lattes which are just plain awesome. Others try to make them, but once you've had this one nothing else will ever be good enough again. Get it. Thank me later.
Way late update...
After looking at the blog posts for November, it wasn't that light at all. We actually ate out a few more times... Here are some places that merited their own single posts:
Japanese food at Shigezo Izakaya.
Japanese curry at Kale, which I can't recommend highly enough.
Must have been Japanese food month, because we also hit Biwa's late-night menu.
And we tried a highly anticipated Hawaiian place, Ate-Oh-Ate.
Any food goes well with a 2010 Goose Island Bourbon County Stout.
Showing posts with label izakaya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label izakaya. Show all posts
12/02/2010
11/11/2010
Dinner at Shigezo Izakaya
You know there is much love here on the blog for Japanese izakayas - just have to click back to our reviews on Syun, Yuzu, and Biwa (and Biwa again, and finally again) to see that.
So when a new one opened in the city you knew we were going to hit it up. Shigezo opened just a couple weeks ago in downtown Portland. It's a chain, actually, but this is the first location for them on the U.S. mainland; there is one in Honolulu and over 60 locations in Japan.
We walked in on a Friday night with no reservations - actually not sure if they take reservations - and were given a booth right away. It was busy, but there were still a few other tables.
You actually have a few different seating options. There is a bar area, with stools; there are regular American restaurant-style booths; there are tatami rooms with floor seating around a table; and then there is where we sat. It was a booth, but we were sitting on the floor of the booth, which was a step up from the restaurant floor. You must take off your shoes, to get in the booth, and Shigezo provides some slippers in case you need to run to the bathroom (which, I have to say, is damn tiny). Inside the booth there is a microfiber covered beanbag-type chair. It takes a little maneuvering to get comfy enough so you don't think you will fall over, but it's okay. Personally I prefer a chair with a back. The booths have backs, but if you lean back you probably can't reach the table. Well, at least, I wouldn't be able to.
So what to order? Wifey and I came for ramen for sure, which we heard was supposed to be very good, but decided to start off with a stick of grilled ribeye.
I'm not sure the picture does it justice - this was fantastic. It was topped with a daikon mixture that perfectly complemented the nicely cooked beef. At $6.95 for the one stick it wasn't cheap, but it was melt-in-your-mouth goodness.
The next item we ordered was thetonkatsu tonkotsu ramen. (Just an aside, but they spell it "tonkotsu" on the menu and so of course the American servers who don't know Japanese pronounce it that way. Why do they spell it wrong? Is there a reason? Is this really something different and not tonkatsu, like everywhere else in the world writes it? Drives me insane.) (See comments below for perfectly reasonable explanation. Lesson, as always, I'm an idiot.) This comes in two sizes and we opted for the small because we ordered other items as well.
Well. Apparently this is small. It was more than enough for two people to split. Heck, if you aren't very hungry two people could split a small and likely be satisfied. As you can see in the picture the meaty broth - which was pure salty porky goodness - was topped with green onions, kikurage mushrooms, and a generous piece of pork. I'd go back just for this, it was that good.
Shigezo also provides smaller bowls so the big dish can be shared. Here's a look at a small amount I dished out for Wifey.
The noodles, which I believe they make themselves, were very good. Solid, but not overly so, and not so weak they are overpowered by the other flavors. Every item in the bowl brought a distinct flavor and was only enhanced by the broth.
The next item was okonomiyaki, which came stuffed with a little squid and pork. I also swear ours had some octopus tidbits in it, though the menu doesn't cop to that. Just look at the presentation here - don't you want to dive right in?
I'll admit to being a bit of an okonomiyaki snob. We make it at home kind of often and we ate some in Hiroshima during our trip to Japan - and this was pretty dang good. Ideally for me it comes with some noodles and an over easy fried egg (one of many traditional styles, that's just MY favorite - this is another), but that wasn't an option. The squid/octopus pieces were a tad chewy, but not any more and actually perhaps less than I'm used to. Solid flavors, but would have liked just a tad more crunch on the "pancake."
Our final dish was gyoza. Shigezo, apparently, doesn't adhere to tradition when it comes to gyoza. Typically this Japanese pot stickers are made from a round wrap, filled with a pork and onion mixture, crimped shut, and fried to a nice crispiness. Shigezo does it differently by using larger, square wrappers. The filling and cooking style is the same - and flavor generally is too - but just be prepared to have to explain this if you eat there with a traditionalist or an actual Japanese person. Trust me on that.
They look great, actually. And they were good, though I think the pork to onion ratio was a bit off - too oniony in my mind.
Overall this was a good meal and we would go back. Heck, they gave us a coupon for 10% off our next visit, so there is no reason not to. Also, despite the cost of the ribeye skewer, the total cost for the meal was only $34 including tip - not bad at all.
I read on the PortlandFood.org posting for Shigezo it was referred to as a "Japanese Red Robin." After going there I can see it. Lots of families there, large menu with all sorts of things - something for everyone, and the food may be a little mainstreamed rather than traditional. That's not a negative, it's just on observation I can agree with.
Like I said, we'll go back and would recommend it to others as well.
So when a new one opened in the city you knew we were going to hit it up. Shigezo opened just a couple weeks ago in downtown Portland. It's a chain, actually, but this is the first location for them on the U.S. mainland; there is one in Honolulu and over 60 locations in Japan.
We walked in on a Friday night with no reservations - actually not sure if they take reservations - and were given a booth right away. It was busy, but there were still a few other tables.
You actually have a few different seating options. There is a bar area, with stools; there are regular American restaurant-style booths; there are tatami rooms with floor seating around a table; and then there is where we sat. It was a booth, but we were sitting on the floor of the booth, which was a step up from the restaurant floor. You must take off your shoes, to get in the booth, and Shigezo provides some slippers in case you need to run to the bathroom (which, I have to say, is damn tiny). Inside the booth there is a microfiber covered beanbag-type chair. It takes a little maneuvering to get comfy enough so you don't think you will fall over, but it's okay. Personally I prefer a chair with a back. The booths have backs, but if you lean back you probably can't reach the table. Well, at least, I wouldn't be able to.
So what to order? Wifey and I came for ramen for sure, which we heard was supposed to be very good, but decided to start off with a stick of grilled ribeye.
I'm not sure the picture does it justice - this was fantastic. It was topped with a daikon mixture that perfectly complemented the nicely cooked beef. At $6.95 for the one stick it wasn't cheap, but it was melt-in-your-mouth goodness.
The next item we ordered was the
Well. Apparently this is small. It was more than enough for two people to split. Heck, if you aren't very hungry two people could split a small and likely be satisfied. As you can see in the picture the meaty broth - which was pure salty porky goodness - was topped with green onions, kikurage mushrooms, and a generous piece of pork. I'd go back just for this, it was that good.
Shigezo also provides smaller bowls so the big dish can be shared. Here's a look at a small amount I dished out for Wifey.
The noodles, which I believe they make themselves, were very good. Solid, but not overly so, and not so weak they are overpowered by the other flavors. Every item in the bowl brought a distinct flavor and was only enhanced by the broth.
The next item was okonomiyaki, which came stuffed with a little squid and pork. I also swear ours had some octopus tidbits in it, though the menu doesn't cop to that. Just look at the presentation here - don't you want to dive right in?
I'll admit to being a bit of an okonomiyaki snob. We make it at home kind of often and we ate some in Hiroshima during our trip to Japan - and this was pretty dang good. Ideally for me it comes with some noodles and an over easy fried egg (one of many traditional styles, that's just MY favorite - this is another), but that wasn't an option. The squid/octopus pieces were a tad chewy, but not any more and actually perhaps less than I'm used to. Solid flavors, but would have liked just a tad more crunch on the "pancake."
Our final dish was gyoza. Shigezo, apparently, doesn't adhere to tradition when it comes to gyoza. Typically this Japanese pot stickers are made from a round wrap, filled with a pork and onion mixture, crimped shut, and fried to a nice crispiness. Shigezo does it differently by using larger, square wrappers. The filling and cooking style is the same - and flavor generally is too - but just be prepared to have to explain this if you eat there with a traditionalist or an actual Japanese person. Trust me on that.
They look great, actually. And they were good, though I think the pork to onion ratio was a bit off - too oniony in my mind.
Overall this was a good meal and we would go back. Heck, they gave us a coupon for 10% off our next visit, so there is no reason not to. Also, despite the cost of the ribeye skewer, the total cost for the meal was only $34 including tip - not bad at all.
I read on the PortlandFood.org posting for Shigezo it was referred to as a "Japanese Red Robin." After going there I can see it. Lots of families there, large menu with all sorts of things - something for everyone, and the food may be a little mainstreamed rather than traditional. That's not a negative, it's just on observation I can agree with.
Like I said, we'll go back and would recommend it to others as well.
11/08/2010
Biwa's Late Night Menu
Last time Wifey and I went to Biwa for another great meal I promised we'd be back to check out the late night menu. Last week, that's exactly what we did.
Ostensibly the visit was to check out the burger, the one Nick Zukin (of Kenny & Zuke's) rated fifth in Portland in his epic Burger Quest earlier this year. The burger, though, is only available on Biwa's late night menu, which means between 10pm and midnight Sunday-Thursday and 11pm and midnight Friday and Saturday.
Normally I make a point not to eat after 9pm any day of the week, but sometimes you have to make a sacrifice.
Our server started us off with a seaweed salad, which included daikon. We've received this on each of our three visits but never taken a picture before. It's really quite pretty to look at, and not too salty despite the soy-based marinade.
We also ordered a cocktail, which if I recall correctly was called "apple tasting." It was sparking white wine with apple jack (apple cider liquor) and a berry-infused sugar cube. The cube kept the bubbles coming for the entire length of dinner. We weren't sure the picture would turn out, but it actually did pretty well. It was a good drink, though I don't think it was good enough to order again.
We were planning to order the gyoza because it's just so damn good, but apparently that's not something they are guaranteed to have - Biwa was out by the time we got there. Sad.
Instead, our only other dish besides the burger was the curry rice. It comes with half an egg, pickled vegetables (carrots and shiitake mushrooms), and also very generous chunks of chicken breast in the curry (and veggies). Also, as you can see, more green onion than any normal person would know what to do with.
To be honest, the pickled vegetables were a little odd when combined with the curry, which was a nice medium on the hotness scale. The roux of the curry itself was very flavorful and nicely balanced, but the pickled veggies just stuck out too much. I liked the addition of the egg - wasn't anything I'd had on my curry before - but Wifey wasn't all that thrilled with it. Overall it was a solid dish, just be warned about the pickled vegetables.
The star of the night, predictably, was the Biwa burger. What makes it unique is a kim chee-infused mayo along with a layer of chashu pork (their menu spelles it "chasyu") - pork belly seasoned and grilled to a nice crunch. It comes on a very substantial bun, which is good because the medium-cooked burger (note, they suggest medium-rare but we opted for medium instead) was still very juicy. It also came with sides of pickled vegetables and a potato salad. Both were fine, though the potato salad tasted a bit of mustard and something else I just couldn't quite place - not something I'd order on its own.
Would you look at this bundle of deliciousness? Wifey really liked it for the simplicity, and the mayo was infused just enough to add flavor without being overbearing. To me the pork wasn't substantial enough - I barely got that flavor over the beefiness of the burger. I'll also say, though, that I'm being really picky here, because it was very good. I mean, doesn't it look fantastic?
One other very minor negative tidbit: Wifey and I each ate a half of the burger and I believe one half was pinker than the other (of course, that ended up being Wifey's since she likes it cooked a little more than I do), so it didn't seem to be cooked evenly.
Still, very good, and definitely worth breaking the normal rules of feeding times for every once in a while. We'll be back for sure, and hopefully next time they'll have some gyoza left.
Ostensibly the visit was to check out the burger, the one Nick Zukin (of Kenny & Zuke's) rated fifth in Portland in his epic Burger Quest earlier this year. The burger, though, is only available on Biwa's late night menu, which means between 10pm and midnight Sunday-Thursday and 11pm and midnight Friday and Saturday.
Normally I make a point not to eat after 9pm any day of the week, but sometimes you have to make a sacrifice.
Our server started us off with a seaweed salad, which included daikon. We've received this on each of our three visits but never taken a picture before. It's really quite pretty to look at, and not too salty despite the soy-based marinade.
We also ordered a cocktail, which if I recall correctly was called "apple tasting." It was sparking white wine with apple jack (apple cider liquor) and a berry-infused sugar cube. The cube kept the bubbles coming for the entire length of dinner. We weren't sure the picture would turn out, but it actually did pretty well. It was a good drink, though I don't think it was good enough to order again.
We were planning to order the gyoza because it's just so damn good, but apparently that's not something they are guaranteed to have - Biwa was out by the time we got there. Sad.
Instead, our only other dish besides the burger was the curry rice. It comes with half an egg, pickled vegetables (carrots and shiitake mushrooms), and also very generous chunks of chicken breast in the curry (and veggies). Also, as you can see, more green onion than any normal person would know what to do with.
To be honest, the pickled vegetables were a little odd when combined with the curry, which was a nice medium on the hotness scale. The roux of the curry itself was very flavorful and nicely balanced, but the pickled veggies just stuck out too much. I liked the addition of the egg - wasn't anything I'd had on my curry before - but Wifey wasn't all that thrilled with it. Overall it was a solid dish, just be warned about the pickled vegetables.
The star of the night, predictably, was the Biwa burger. What makes it unique is a kim chee-infused mayo along with a layer of chashu pork (their menu spelles it "chasyu") - pork belly seasoned and grilled to a nice crunch. It comes on a very substantial bun, which is good because the medium-cooked burger (note, they suggest medium-rare but we opted for medium instead) was still very juicy. It also came with sides of pickled vegetables and a potato salad. Both were fine, though the potato salad tasted a bit of mustard and something else I just couldn't quite place - not something I'd order on its own.
Would you look at this bundle of deliciousness? Wifey really liked it for the simplicity, and the mayo was infused just enough to add flavor without being overbearing. To me the pork wasn't substantial enough - I barely got that flavor over the beefiness of the burger. I'll also say, though, that I'm being really picky here, because it was very good. I mean, doesn't it look fantastic?
One other very minor negative tidbit: Wifey and I each ate a half of the burger and I believe one half was pinker than the other (of course, that ended up being Wifey's since she likes it cooked a little more than I do), so it didn't seem to be cooked evenly.
Still, very good, and definitely worth breaking the normal rules of feeding times for every once in a while. We'll be back for sure, and hopefully next time they'll have some gyoza left.
8/25/2009
Syun: Izakaya Showdown #3
There are three izakayas in Portland commonly considered the best and most authentic: Biwa, Yuzu, and Syun. We have now been to all of them, but we wanted to hit up Syun again closely on our visits to Biwa and Yuzu to get a true comparison.
Syun has no website, so you'll have to get your info from Yelp. It's a ways from the masses in Hillsboro, about a 15-20 minute drive from downtown Portland, so that right there puts it a step behind. It seems like if a place isn't in the city or in a new trendy area, the foodies look down on it just a tad. Syun, though, seems to have managed to get around that by just being pretty damn good.
There is a legend - not sure how true it is - that Syun was financed by some Intel bigwigs from Japan who wanted good Japanese food near where they worked and lived. Supposedly they put up the money to bring over an experienced izakaya chef from Japan and Syun was born. The restaurant itself is housed in the basement of the old public library in the "downtown" area of Hillsboro, near the city hall and everything else important.
When you walk down the steps from the sidewalk level into the izakaya, it's like being transported to Japan just a little bit. It's pretty well-lit to be traditional, but you get the feeling this place isn't entirely germane to someplace like Hillsboro, Oregon - and it's not, in a good way.
Another thing you notice right away is the sushi counter. Traditionally izakayas don't do sushi, but this might also be part of the Intel legend that the bigwigs wanted good sushi as well. And really, you can't blame them - it's not exactly plentiful in the area.
I'm of two minds about this. I typically prefer a place to do less but do it well, but on the other hand I think having a sushi counter in an izakaya gives them more flexibility on their clientelle to be sure. If they are going to do it, they better do it well, right?
The menu is huge - about 25 times bigger than Biwa's (you think that's a joke, but I assure its not) and probably double even that of Yuzu, so you have plenty of options. And that's before the sushi.
We decided to order things similar to what we had eaten at the other two places, give it a real comparison, so we went with the gyoza, pork belly, tori karaage (fried chicken), okonomiyaki, yakionigiri (grilled rice ball), and then also ordered the sushi special of the day, a spicy crab roll called something like "Crab Dynamite." Oh, and I ordered a Black Butte Porter from the tap - after all, this IS an izakaya.
One thing that I love about Syun - and Yuzu did this as well - was bringing out some steamed edamame to nibble on while we waited for our food. Syun does something a little bit different than Yuzu to give the steamed veggies a little bit more flavor, making them a delight.
The sushi came out first. It was tightly rolled with a generous filling of crab and cucumber, with sesame seeds on the outside of the roll and drizzled with a hot, creamy sauce. Normally I'm not big on the hot - especially when it comes from wasabi - but mixed with the sweetness of the fresh crab it worked. In fact, it worked incredibly well.
Remember my comment about having to do it well? Syun does sushi well. If that makes some people discount them as not a true izakaya, that's their own loss and incredibly short-sighted. If that makes them not try the sushi if they do come, again, their own loss. It wasn't the best sushi I've ever had, but it was pretty dang good, and it's another option worth ordering.
The gyoza had the best tasting filling of all three places. The pork mixture was not only a generous serving but had a nice blend of flavors. I liked the wrappers from Biwa the best because they were a little crunchy, but overall Syun may have the edge.
The yakionigiri was okay. Syun puts smoked salmon in the middle, which sounds better than it is in my opinion. It was a tad dry after the grilling and while overall it wasn't bad, it was probably my least favorite item we had.
Then there was the pork belly. It was soft and sweet, very well done. The sauce was the best of the three we tried, but the chunks of meat (generously sized) seemed to have more fat than the other two places. Now, ordering pork belly you can't be afraid of a little of the white stuff, but at the same time if it's too much it really overpowers the rest of the taste. This was borderline. Good taste, but needed more pork to go with the belly. (Perhaps this depends on which piece you get out of the order - Wifey's piece had almost no fat.)
The tori karaage was excellent. The crispiness of the frying was very light and not oily, while the meat underneath was perfectly done. I still would have liked a tad more flavor, but I'm just about positive it's not the dish, it's me. Maybe it's just not what I'm looking for.
Finally, the okonomiyaki. Syun makes it with shrimp in the Osaka style where everything is mixed together. After cooking it's topped with fish flakes. In a certain respect it's a tad creepy because they bring this dish out and all of the flakes are waving and crinkling due to the heat of the okonomiyaki underneat them, almost giving you the sense it's still alive. Freakiness aside, the dish was excellent. Is it as good as Japan, or even as good as my own kitchen? No, it's not - but so few places actually make it and it's kind of a lot of work to do it at home, so why not? It's a staple for us, something we get every time.
So what's the determination? Who wins for best izakaya in Portland?
Syun, hands down, has the best ambience. Biwa's stylings are a little too modern and Western, and while that appeals to my sense of style it just doesn't fit for some reason. Yuzu is a little plain. Ambience, though, is a bit overrated in my book - the food is the star.
Syun gets extra points for good sushi and variety as well, but - to us - the best food overall was at Biwa. Syun is second place and Yuzu is third. Which, of course, doesn't necessarily mean a ton, since they all have things they do well, all are good destinations for Japanese food, and all of them we'll be going back to.
Still, this doesn't mean the quest is over. There are still some smaller, less popular places to explore - places like Tanuki - who don't necessarily fit the traditional definition of an izakaya. But then again, why does it matter? If the food is good, for me, that's the main thing. Enjoy.
Syun has no website, so you'll have to get your info from Yelp. It's a ways from the masses in Hillsboro, about a 15-20 minute drive from downtown Portland, so that right there puts it a step behind. It seems like if a place isn't in the city or in a new trendy area, the foodies look down on it just a tad. Syun, though, seems to have managed to get around that by just being pretty damn good.
There is a legend - not sure how true it is - that Syun was financed by some Intel bigwigs from Japan who wanted good Japanese food near where they worked and lived. Supposedly they put up the money to bring over an experienced izakaya chef from Japan and Syun was born. The restaurant itself is housed in the basement of the old public library in the "downtown" area of Hillsboro, near the city hall and everything else important.
When you walk down the steps from the sidewalk level into the izakaya, it's like being transported to Japan just a little bit. It's pretty well-lit to be traditional, but you get the feeling this place isn't entirely germane to someplace like Hillsboro, Oregon - and it's not, in a good way.
Another thing you notice right away is the sushi counter. Traditionally izakayas don't do sushi, but this might also be part of the Intel legend that the bigwigs wanted good sushi as well. And really, you can't blame them - it's not exactly plentiful in the area.
I'm of two minds about this. I typically prefer a place to do less but do it well, but on the other hand I think having a sushi counter in an izakaya gives them more flexibility on their clientelle to be sure. If they are going to do it, they better do it well, right?
The menu is huge - about 25 times bigger than Biwa's (you think that's a joke, but I assure its not) and probably double even that of Yuzu, so you have plenty of options. And that's before the sushi.
We decided to order things similar to what we had eaten at the other two places, give it a real comparison, so we went with the gyoza, pork belly, tori karaage (fried chicken), okonomiyaki, yakionigiri (grilled rice ball), and then also ordered the sushi special of the day, a spicy crab roll called something like "Crab Dynamite." Oh, and I ordered a Black Butte Porter from the tap - after all, this IS an izakaya.
One thing that I love about Syun - and Yuzu did this as well - was bringing out some steamed edamame to nibble on while we waited for our food. Syun does something a little bit different than Yuzu to give the steamed veggies a little bit more flavor, making them a delight.
The sushi came out first. It was tightly rolled with a generous filling of crab and cucumber, with sesame seeds on the outside of the roll and drizzled with a hot, creamy sauce. Normally I'm not big on the hot - especially when it comes from wasabi - but mixed with the sweetness of the fresh crab it worked. In fact, it worked incredibly well.
Remember my comment about having to do it well? Syun does sushi well. If that makes some people discount them as not a true izakaya, that's their own loss and incredibly short-sighted. If that makes them not try the sushi if they do come, again, their own loss. It wasn't the best sushi I've ever had, but it was pretty dang good, and it's another option worth ordering.
The gyoza had the best tasting filling of all three places. The pork mixture was not only a generous serving but had a nice blend of flavors. I liked the wrappers from Biwa the best because they were a little crunchy, but overall Syun may have the edge.
The yakionigiri was okay. Syun puts smoked salmon in the middle, which sounds better than it is in my opinion. It was a tad dry after the grilling and while overall it wasn't bad, it was probably my least favorite item we had.
Then there was the pork belly. It was soft and sweet, very well done. The sauce was the best of the three we tried, but the chunks of meat (generously sized) seemed to have more fat than the other two places. Now, ordering pork belly you can't be afraid of a little of the white stuff, but at the same time if it's too much it really overpowers the rest of the taste. This was borderline. Good taste, but needed more pork to go with the belly. (Perhaps this depends on which piece you get out of the order - Wifey's piece had almost no fat.)
The tori karaage was excellent. The crispiness of the frying was very light and not oily, while the meat underneath was perfectly done. I still would have liked a tad more flavor, but I'm just about positive it's not the dish, it's me. Maybe it's just not what I'm looking for.
Finally, the okonomiyaki. Syun makes it with shrimp in the Osaka style where everything is mixed together. After cooking it's topped with fish flakes. In a certain respect it's a tad creepy because they bring this dish out and all of the flakes are waving and crinkling due to the heat of the okonomiyaki underneat them, almost giving you the sense it's still alive. Freakiness aside, the dish was excellent. Is it as good as Japan, or even as good as my own kitchen? No, it's not - but so few places actually make it and it's kind of a lot of work to do it at home, so why not? It's a staple for us, something we get every time.
So what's the determination? Who wins for best izakaya in Portland?
Syun, hands down, has the best ambience. Biwa's stylings are a little too modern and Western, and while that appeals to my sense of style it just doesn't fit for some reason. Yuzu is a little plain. Ambience, though, is a bit overrated in my book - the food is the star.
Syun gets extra points for good sushi and variety as well, but - to us - the best food overall was at Biwa. Syun is second place and Yuzu is third. Which, of course, doesn't necessarily mean a ton, since they all have things they do well, all are good destinations for Japanese food, and all of them we'll be going back to.
Still, this doesn't mean the quest is over. There are still some smaller, less popular places to explore - places like Tanuki - who don't necessarily fit the traditional definition of an izakaya. But then again, why does it matter? If the food is good, for me, that's the main thing. Enjoy.
8/13/2009
Yuzu - Pretty Dang Good
As I mentioned last week in my review of Biwa (or whatever it is - I don't feel comfortable with the word "review"...maybe "experience" would be better?) Portland has a couple other izakayas around that are also supposed to be excellent. Of those, Yuzu in Beaverton is the one most commonly mentioned in the same breath, so we decided to check it out and see for ourselves.
Yuzu also comes with a little bit of intrigue around it. It sits in a small strip mall (actually the former home of Hakatamon, which moved into Uwajimaya a mile away) with simple decorations and nothing to indicate it exists except small lettering "YUZU" on the door and a sign indicating whether or not it is open or closed - their hours are posted in tiny letters and numbers. They don't have a website, so the menu is a surprise when you get there. If you call them, the message is in Japanese.
For what it's worth, they will take reservations, and they open at 6pm. Only for dinner and later (til midnight), and they are closed on Sunday.
Reviewers on Yelp said this place filled up fast and it was recommended to get there early, so we showed up a tad before 6 and waited a couple minutes for the sign to flip to Open. We were the first ones there - the next customers didn't arrive until after 6:30. Good thing we were so antsy. Who knows why it didn't seem too busy - maybe it's because it was Wednesday, maybe it was just and off day, I have no idea.
The long and narrow restaurant has a decent number of tables for the size and some spots along a bar where customers can look into the kitchen a bit. Our hostess/waitress was Japanese as were the cooks as best as I could tell (good sign, right?). The menu is about six pages long, plus another 3-4 pages of drinks, various sakes and other things. She gave us plenty of time to peruse the menu, but not too long - to me, the mark of a good waitress.
Just a point I want to make here - many who don't speak or read Japanese have noticed the wooden art pieces on the wall and that they depict the names of various dishes, and they have openly wondered if there is a special menu for those who speak Japanese. Perhaps, but from what I could tell (and I don't profess to being able to read a ton of Kanji, just some), I don't think so. Those pieces seemed representative of what was on the pages of the menu. For what it's worth.
Wifey's mom joined us for this meal, so we decided to get a few different things (or, seven as it turned out) and share them all. We also opted not to get ramen this time, even though it's supposedly fantastic.
At Biwa each item came out one at a time and we were able to concentrate on enjoying just the one dish, but at Yuzu the rate of dishes coming out of the kitchen was much faster, probably because we were the first ones ordering any food. They didn't come out all at once, but still a very steady pace. While I liked the way the food came out at Biwa, I can't say faster is a bad thing either. It's nice to be switch back and forth and let different flavors swirl around your mouth.
I can't remember the Japanese words for everything we ordered (if there was a menu online I could reference that, but...) so I'll do the best I can here. Nor can I remember exactly what came first, but it probably really doesn't matter.
1 - One dish was a konnyaku, which is made from what is called "Japanese mountain potato" - what exactly that is I don't know. Whatever it starts from it ends up as something slightly gelatinous and a little chewy, which probably doesn't sound that appetizing but wasn't bad at all. If you want to try something completely different from everyday American fare, this would qualify.
2 - Gyoza - Japanese pot stickers stuffed with ground pork - are a stable for us whever we eat Japanese food out. Yuzu's gyoza weren't as crispy as Biwa's, but they were just as tasty. Slightly smaller, but we got six instead of five.
3 - Tori karaage - a deep-fried garlic chicken dish. The chicken was very most and soft, fried perfectly, with a light flavoring of garlic - not strong at all. The outside of the chicken tidbits were almost dry, not oily at all, which is good for me since I'm not a huge fan of oily deep frying.
4 - A salmon dish, lightly salted with a side of shredded daikon. Personally I'm not a big fan of daikon at all, but rest assured it didn't go to waste. The salmon was good, but to me it was nothing special. Nicely cooked, but I think it was the fish itself that held the dish back, not how it was cooked or prepared.
5 - Gyu negima - Thin strips of ribe-eye steak wrapped around green onion and grilled. This was the best dish of the night, with a teriyaki sauce that matched the beef perfectly. The grilling was perfect, the onion actually was a nice complementary flavor (and I'm not a green onion fan). I would go back to Yuzu just to eat this.
6 - Pork belly! Oh yes, I'm a convert to this fatty piece of lusciousness. I don't know if it was as good as Biwa's, but it was still excellent (I'm fully cognizant that - as I talked about in my Whiffies discussion - it's quite possible no piece or pork belly will ever match up to Biwa's from last week). The fatty layers practically melted in your mouth and the meaty layers may actually have been more plentiful. Either way, fantastic.
7 - Yakionigiri - grilled rice balls. We picked two orders of these - two yakionigiri in each order - so everyone was able to eat at least one. Comparatively with the ones from Biwa and Chef Naoko's, these were the smallest, but here an order was for two while the other two restaurants you only received one per order. The grilling was good, but it didn't seem quite as flavorful as the other two.
Interestingly enough, after the meal is when we were served our green tea (which was very good genmai cha - brewed with brown rice) instead of before as I've been used to. Not a good thing or a bad thing, just different - and the tea was excellent.
So here's the deal - would I go back? Absolutely. I want to go back just to try out the ramen - which is supposed to be the best around - and that beef dish was literally one of the best I have ever had. Next time I might take a stab at trying a sake too. Besides, the menu is quite extensive - easily three times the size of Biwa's - meaning there were things I didn't get a chance to try that I need to check out.
Would I recommend it? Most definitely. Some of the dishes we had, like the konnyaku, are pretty unique, dishes you don't find every day. Plus, nothing we had was bad, most of it was good, and some of it was excellent.
But where does it rank on Portland's izakaya scene? Forced to choose, I'd take Biwa over Yuzu, even though it's 15 miles further from home. Perhaps next week we'll check out Syun in Hillsboro, so we can truly decide what's best!
Yuzu also comes with a little bit of intrigue around it. It sits in a small strip mall (actually the former home of Hakatamon, which moved into Uwajimaya a mile away) with simple decorations and nothing to indicate it exists except small lettering "YUZU" on the door and a sign indicating whether or not it is open or closed - their hours are posted in tiny letters and numbers. They don't have a website, so the menu is a surprise when you get there. If you call them, the message is in Japanese.
For what it's worth, they will take reservations, and they open at 6pm. Only for dinner and later (til midnight), and they are closed on Sunday.
Reviewers on Yelp said this place filled up fast and it was recommended to get there early, so we showed up a tad before 6 and waited a couple minutes for the sign to flip to Open. We were the first ones there - the next customers didn't arrive until after 6:30. Good thing we were so antsy. Who knows why it didn't seem too busy - maybe it's because it was Wednesday, maybe it was just and off day, I have no idea.
The long and narrow restaurant has a decent number of tables for the size and some spots along a bar where customers can look into the kitchen a bit. Our hostess/waitress was Japanese as were the cooks as best as I could tell (good sign, right?). The menu is about six pages long, plus another 3-4 pages of drinks, various sakes and other things. She gave us plenty of time to peruse the menu, but not too long - to me, the mark of a good waitress.
Just a point I want to make here - many who don't speak or read Japanese have noticed the wooden art pieces on the wall and that they depict the names of various dishes, and they have openly wondered if there is a special menu for those who speak Japanese. Perhaps, but from what I could tell (and I don't profess to being able to read a ton of Kanji, just some), I don't think so. Those pieces seemed representative of what was on the pages of the menu. For what it's worth.
Wifey's mom joined us for this meal, so we decided to get a few different things (or, seven as it turned out) and share them all. We also opted not to get ramen this time, even though it's supposedly fantastic.
At Biwa each item came out one at a time and we were able to concentrate on enjoying just the one dish, but at Yuzu the rate of dishes coming out of the kitchen was much faster, probably because we were the first ones ordering any food. They didn't come out all at once, but still a very steady pace. While I liked the way the food came out at Biwa, I can't say faster is a bad thing either. It's nice to be switch back and forth and let different flavors swirl around your mouth.
I can't remember the Japanese words for everything we ordered (if there was a menu online I could reference that, but...) so I'll do the best I can here. Nor can I remember exactly what came first, but it probably really doesn't matter.
1 - One dish was a konnyaku, which is made from what is called "Japanese mountain potato" - what exactly that is I don't know. Whatever it starts from it ends up as something slightly gelatinous and a little chewy, which probably doesn't sound that appetizing but wasn't bad at all. If you want to try something completely different from everyday American fare, this would qualify.
2 - Gyoza - Japanese pot stickers stuffed with ground pork - are a stable for us whever we eat Japanese food out. Yuzu's gyoza weren't as crispy as Biwa's, but they were just as tasty. Slightly smaller, but we got six instead of five.
3 - Tori karaage - a deep-fried garlic chicken dish. The chicken was very most and soft, fried perfectly, with a light flavoring of garlic - not strong at all. The outside of the chicken tidbits were almost dry, not oily at all, which is good for me since I'm not a huge fan of oily deep frying.
4 - A salmon dish, lightly salted with a side of shredded daikon. Personally I'm not a big fan of daikon at all, but rest assured it didn't go to waste. The salmon was good, but to me it was nothing special. Nicely cooked, but I think it was the fish itself that held the dish back, not how it was cooked or prepared.
5 - Gyu negima - Thin strips of ribe-eye steak wrapped around green onion and grilled. This was the best dish of the night, with a teriyaki sauce that matched the beef perfectly. The grilling was perfect, the onion actually was a nice complementary flavor (and I'm not a green onion fan). I would go back to Yuzu just to eat this.
6 - Pork belly! Oh yes, I'm a convert to this fatty piece of lusciousness. I don't know if it was as good as Biwa's, but it was still excellent (I'm fully cognizant that - as I talked about in my Whiffies discussion - it's quite possible no piece or pork belly will ever match up to Biwa's from last week). The fatty layers practically melted in your mouth and the meaty layers may actually have been more plentiful. Either way, fantastic.
7 - Yakionigiri - grilled rice balls. We picked two orders of these - two yakionigiri in each order - so everyone was able to eat at least one. Comparatively with the ones from Biwa and Chef Naoko's, these were the smallest, but here an order was for two while the other two restaurants you only received one per order. The grilling was good, but it didn't seem quite as flavorful as the other two.
Interestingly enough, after the meal is when we were served our green tea (which was very good genmai cha - brewed with brown rice) instead of before as I've been used to. Not a good thing or a bad thing, just different - and the tea was excellent.
So here's the deal - would I go back? Absolutely. I want to go back just to try out the ramen - which is supposed to be the best around - and that beef dish was literally one of the best I have ever had. Next time I might take a stab at trying a sake too. Besides, the menu is quite extensive - easily three times the size of Biwa's - meaning there were things I didn't get a chance to try that I need to check out.
Would I recommend it? Most definitely. Some of the dishes we had, like the konnyaku, are pretty unique, dishes you don't find every day. Plus, nothing we had was bad, most of it was good, and some of it was excellent.
But where does it rank on Portland's izakaya scene? Forced to choose, I'd take Biwa over Yuzu, even though it's 15 miles further from home. Perhaps next week we'll check out Syun in Hillsboro, so we can truly decide what's best!
8/06/2009
Biwa - Amazing
I like to think I have a pretty good idea of what's good and what's not when it comes to Japanese food. I majored in the language in college, Wifey is Japanese, her mom is a great cook, we've learned to create some using family recipes, we check out all the Japanese food places in the area which has a decent Japanese population, and two years ago we spent a couple weeks in Japan with family.
I've eaten the entire scale, from the decidedly American, overly-sweet teriyaki to the essence of street food in Hiroshima one of the greatest meals I've ever had at Kani Doraku in Osaka. I've made my own Japanese food, sampled some sushis, eaten sashimi, and enjoyed some very, very, very good homemade food, both here and in Japan. In Portland I've eaten all over, from Bush Garden to Toshi's to Hakatamon and more places I probably never knew the name of in the first place.
That is to say, I have some credentials when it comes to Japanese food. I'm not going to claim I'm an expert, I'm not going to claim I am the be-all and end-all authority on what's good or bad, what's true to the culture and what's not - but I do have some experience here.
So when I tell you Biwa Izakaya in Southeast Portland (in the same building that houses Simpatica) is one of the best Japanese meals I've had in my city, it should carry just the slightest bit more weight than your typical food review off the street.
To fully understand Biwa's food there has to be a definition of what an izakaya is and what makes it different than a restaurant. An izakaya is bascially a bar with bar food - small plates. In Japan this is the kind of place an officeworker stops after work with his coworkers before heading home. That's in contrast to what most of us think of as a Japanese restaurant, which focuses on entrees and sushi.
There is no sushi at Biwa and not really any entrees (that's always up to interpretation). It's a clean, slightly industrial looking place with high wooden seats and an open grill behind a bar you can sit at if you like, though there is also a decent amount of indoor and outdoor seating.
Wifey and I got there at 7:30 pm on a Wednesday. We seemed to catch the tail end of a dinner type rush, but were given a seat. Well, actually, we stood at the top of the stairs looking silly until the waitress pointed out we could pretty much pick our own seat. I think we could pick our own seat anwyay; perhaps we were just supposed to go down the stairs and look silly while waiting for someone to seat us - that much wasn't clear. After we were seated the restaurant slowly started to clear out and roughly by 8 or 8:15 it was mostly empty. By the time we left closer to 9, it was packed again - for the drinking crowd. So, apparently that time was good for Wednesday evening...not sure if that was an anomaly or a recommendation, but that's probably the time we'll target the next time we go.
After perusing the menu (after a free treat of pickled daikon and seaweed - which eating with chopsticks made difficult but was yummy) we made our plan of attack - five items, and we'd share them all. I also ordered a drink called a Ginza, with Knob Creek whiskey and plum wine (strong, but smooth - spendy at $10 though).
(Really, one of these times I'll bring a camera - seriously.) One of the things we both enjoyed was that even though we ordered all five things at once the items were brought out one at a time, as they were finished. We had plenty of time to enjoy each dish, but it was also fast enough that we never wonting.
The first item was a yakionigiri - grilled rice ball. It was your typical rice ball, only grilled and splashed with a very nice soy sauce. Sound odd? It did to me the first time I had one too (at Chef Naoko's), but at the same time intriguing. Burned rice doesn't necessarily grab me...but this was excellent. I never would have thought this was a good idea, but you can bet I'm going to make some rice balls and throw them on the grill this summer. At $2, two thumbs up.
The next item on our list was a simple skewer of grilled chicken breast with a side of a hot mustard paste. To be honest, it didn't look like anything special, but it was very moist inside. The outside was nicely grilled and had a slight saltiness to it that was nice. I'm not a fan of hot mustard at all so stayed away, but Wifey thought it added a nice bite with the chicken - maybe next time I'll give it a whirl. It was good for all that it was and at $3 not bad, but it was probably last of the five items we ordered if I had to rank them.
Our next course was buta no kakuni - pork belly which was first braised and then grilled. This came with a sweet soy-based sauce, a side of mustard greens, and Chinese hot mustard. I had been waiting for this one. Pork belly is something I had never tried but watching TV shows like No Reservations and various others, it seemed like I was missing out. And oh-my-lord I was - this was excellent. Fatty goodness grilled - how can you top that?! The belly literally melted in your mouth and was so soft it was almost difficult to handle with the chopsticks (or I just suck with them - I'm open to that answer too). I'm a convert - this is a food of the gods! $8 was a steal for three pieces.
Gyoza was up next. The American term for them is Japanese pot stickers, which is sort of correct. They are little dumplings filled with pork, then fried. Biwa makes their own wrappers for them by hand, which is a rarity. This comes with it's own dipping sauce as well. We've made these at home and they were excellent, but never made our own wrappers - these were amazing. At $7 they were spendier than most places will charge for gyoza, but then most places don't have handmade wrappers. Thumbs up.
Our final selection was the Biwa ramen (dark and porky soy base) with miso pork loin added to it. For those who haven't had real ramen - and by real, I mean fresh noodles, not that crap they have at the grocery store for 4/$1 - this would be a revelation. (Sidebar: One of the things we wanted to have in Japan was real ramen, and despite the fact our hosts tended to think of this kind of meal like we do about McDonald's here, they finally relented when were in Nara. This was close to a tourist spot so it probably wasn't the best ever, but it was so good compared to anything we had ever eaten. Next time we go to Japan we aren't going to tell anyone so we can sample all the food we want!) This ramen was fantastic. The pork was a bit skimpy - four small slices for the added $4 - but it was cooked perfectly. The ramen was the perfect consistency and the soup base was something I could literally just drink. Yum!
It's interesting - when you go to Japanese places on the West side they tend to be dominated by Japanese and other Asian customers. At Biwa, at least while we were there, there were none. Granted it's a different part of town, so I have no idea if it's worth noting, but there it is.
Our total bill came to $34 for the five dishes, which wasn't too bad, especially when you consider the ramen was $13 of that by itself. I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone.
Is this the best izakaya in Portland? With Tanuki, Yuzu in Beaverton, and Syun in Hillsboro, I don't know yet - have to sample them all (went to Syun once a couple years ago and loved it). For those other three, at least for me, they have some stiff competition to measure up to.
I'm going to have fun finding out the answer!
I've eaten the entire scale, from the decidedly American, overly-sweet teriyaki to the essence of street food in Hiroshima one of the greatest meals I've ever had at Kani Doraku in Osaka. I've made my own Japanese food, sampled some sushis, eaten sashimi, and enjoyed some very, very, very good homemade food, both here and in Japan. In Portland I've eaten all over, from Bush Garden to Toshi's to Hakatamon and more places I probably never knew the name of in the first place.
That is to say, I have some credentials when it comes to Japanese food. I'm not going to claim I'm an expert, I'm not going to claim I am the be-all and end-all authority on what's good or bad, what's true to the culture and what's not - but I do have some experience here.
So when I tell you Biwa Izakaya in Southeast Portland (in the same building that houses Simpatica) is one of the best Japanese meals I've had in my city, it should carry just the slightest bit more weight than your typical food review off the street.
To fully understand Biwa's food there has to be a definition of what an izakaya is and what makes it different than a restaurant. An izakaya is bascially a bar with bar food - small plates. In Japan this is the kind of place an officeworker stops after work with his coworkers before heading home. That's in contrast to what most of us think of as a Japanese restaurant, which focuses on entrees and sushi.
There is no sushi at Biwa and not really any entrees (that's always up to interpretation). It's a clean, slightly industrial looking place with high wooden seats and an open grill behind a bar you can sit at if you like, though there is also a decent amount of indoor and outdoor seating.
Wifey and I got there at 7:30 pm on a Wednesday. We seemed to catch the tail end of a dinner type rush, but were given a seat. Well, actually, we stood at the top of the stairs looking silly until the waitress pointed out we could pretty much pick our own seat. I think we could pick our own seat anwyay; perhaps we were just supposed to go down the stairs and look silly while waiting for someone to seat us - that much wasn't clear. After we were seated the restaurant slowly started to clear out and roughly by 8 or 8:15 it was mostly empty. By the time we left closer to 9, it was packed again - for the drinking crowd. So, apparently that time was good for Wednesday evening...not sure if that was an anomaly or a recommendation, but that's probably the time we'll target the next time we go.
After perusing the menu (after a free treat of pickled daikon and seaweed - which eating with chopsticks made difficult but was yummy) we made our plan of attack - five items, and we'd share them all. I also ordered a drink called a Ginza, with Knob Creek whiskey and plum wine (strong, but smooth - spendy at $10 though).
(Really, one of these times I'll bring a camera - seriously.) One of the things we both enjoyed was that even though we ordered all five things at once the items were brought out one at a time, as they were finished. We had plenty of time to enjoy each dish, but it was also fast enough that we never wonting.
The first item was a yakionigiri - grilled rice ball. It was your typical rice ball, only grilled and splashed with a very nice soy sauce. Sound odd? It did to me the first time I had one too (at Chef Naoko's), but at the same time intriguing. Burned rice doesn't necessarily grab me...but this was excellent. I never would have thought this was a good idea, but you can bet I'm going to make some rice balls and throw them on the grill this summer. At $2, two thumbs up.
The next item on our list was a simple skewer of grilled chicken breast with a side of a hot mustard paste. To be honest, it didn't look like anything special, but it was very moist inside. The outside was nicely grilled and had a slight saltiness to it that was nice. I'm not a fan of hot mustard at all so stayed away, but Wifey thought it added a nice bite with the chicken - maybe next time I'll give it a whirl. It was good for all that it was and at $3 not bad, but it was probably last of the five items we ordered if I had to rank them.
Our next course was buta no kakuni - pork belly which was first braised and then grilled. This came with a sweet soy-based sauce, a side of mustard greens, and Chinese hot mustard. I had been waiting for this one. Pork belly is something I had never tried but watching TV shows like No Reservations and various others, it seemed like I was missing out. And oh-my-lord I was - this was excellent. Fatty goodness grilled - how can you top that?! The belly literally melted in your mouth and was so soft it was almost difficult to handle with the chopsticks (or I just suck with them - I'm open to that answer too). I'm a convert - this is a food of the gods! $8 was a steal for three pieces.
Gyoza was up next. The American term for them is Japanese pot stickers, which is sort of correct. They are little dumplings filled with pork, then fried. Biwa makes their own wrappers for them by hand, which is a rarity. This comes with it's own dipping sauce as well. We've made these at home and they were excellent, but never made our own wrappers - these were amazing. At $7 they were spendier than most places will charge for gyoza, but then most places don't have handmade wrappers. Thumbs up.
Our final selection was the Biwa ramen (dark and porky soy base) with miso pork loin added to it. For those who haven't had real ramen - and by real, I mean fresh noodles, not that crap they have at the grocery store for 4/$1 - this would be a revelation. (Sidebar: One of the things we wanted to have in Japan was real ramen, and despite the fact our hosts tended to think of this kind of meal like we do about McDonald's here, they finally relented when were in Nara. This was close to a tourist spot so it probably wasn't the best ever, but it was so good compared to anything we had ever eaten. Next time we go to Japan we aren't going to tell anyone so we can sample all the food we want!) This ramen was fantastic. The pork was a bit skimpy - four small slices for the added $4 - but it was cooked perfectly. The ramen was the perfect consistency and the soup base was something I could literally just drink. Yum!
It's interesting - when you go to Japanese places on the West side they tend to be dominated by Japanese and other Asian customers. At Biwa, at least while we were there, there were none. Granted it's a different part of town, so I have no idea if it's worth noting, but there it is.
Our total bill came to $34 for the five dishes, which wasn't too bad, especially when you consider the ramen was $13 of that by itself. I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone.
Is this the best izakaya in Portland? With Tanuki, Yuzu in Beaverton, and Syun in Hillsboro, I don't know yet - have to sample them all (went to Syun once a couple years ago and loved it). For those other three, at least for me, they have some stiff competition to measure up to.
I'm going to have fun finding out the answer!
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