AFURI Slabtown

Afuri’s New Ramen Factory Restaurant Opens in Slabtown | Eater Portland

"I found Afuri's new Slabtown outpost to be a commissary-meets-restaurant and culinary theater — a deliberate 'ramenery' conceived by Taichi Ishizuki, who chose Portland in part for its Bull Run water that resembles Mt. Afuri's spring. Inside, an open-format kitchen sunken below the dining room lets diners watch chefs extrude fresh noodles (rather than using frozen imports), feed high-protein dough through a noodle extruder, and stir colossal bowls of pork dumpling filling in a glass room while customers ask questions and learn the process. Toward the back, 110-gallon kettles simmer at 90 degrees Celsius to keep broths clear and flavorful: pork backs and spines bubble for six to eight hours for the tonkotsu, while chicken carcasses and necks form the chintan base, with aromatics added at precise times to build layered flavors. Afuri has grown since its first U.S. location in 2016, and diners here still flock for yuzu shio bowls with thin noodles and curls of endive; the Slabtown menu also highlights items like soft shell crab buns and braised pork gohan. Slabtown opens Wednesday, May 18, at 1650 NW 21st Avenue." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden