Jennifer C.
Yelp
Came here on a Monday around five and there was plenty of space to pick a place to sit and eat. The DIY menu was pretty straightforward and the pictures were helpful. I loved the feel of the place and the interior decor.
Even though we came for ramen, the pictures of the various side dishes looked so good that we ended up also ordering fried potstickers, agedashi tofu, eel skewers and karaage chicken. I ordered the tonkatsu miso ramen, and my partner ordered the beef ramen.
As soon as we sat the staff brought us water, I asked if we could order beer, and they said no, but told us we could order beer at the counter.
The food: all the side dishes were SO good, particularly the eel skewers. The potstickers were deep-fried, not pan fried, which isn't what I would've chosen, but they were still quite tasty. The agedashi tofu had a nice crust on it, and the dipping sauce it was served was absolutely delicious. The karaage was juicy with a salty crispy crust, and the eel skewers were so tender, and had the perfect amount of sauce on them. All of the side dishes also came with a very fresh salad underneath with carrots, radishes, cucumbers, and greens. We ate every last bit of salad.
After how good the side dishes were, the ramen was a bit disappointing. As other reviewers have said, the portions are huge (especially when you've already feasted on so many appetizers!), and they come with a nice amount of toppings, like spinach, bamboo shoots, garlic, ginger, bean sprouts, which I appreciated.
It was the taste and smell of the broth (both the tonkatsu and the beef broth) that I didn't really care for, my best guess is that they boil the bones at too high of a temperature, releasing some undesirable attributes. Also, the chasu was just okay. It had a nice enough flavor, but was by no means tender, and my partner's chasu had a hard piece of edge fat, the kind that can't really be chewed. Not a big deal, just something you'd think they would cut off before cooking it. Additionally, this place uses quail eggs, which normally I wouldn't mind, but they are overcooked to the point that they were chalky and just not something I ever want to eat again.
Also, TMI, but by the time we got home, my partner had to go straight to the bathroom. I felt totally fine, so it must've been his beef ramen that hit him hard. I don't think I've actually ever seen him react to food before, so this was a pretty surprising.
Lastly, this is possibly the least friendly staff at a Portland restaurant that I've encountered in a while. I don't need people tripping all over me trying to make my visit better, but these people didn't even reply to our multiple "Thank you"s when they delivered our beer or any of our food. I noticed the same with other patrons. Not even a nod or a smile, none of the staff. Not sure what the deal is with that, but they do make some really great appetizers!
I would come again for the appetizers and beer, but would not order the any of the ramen.
I was stuck between deciding on a three or four stars, but between the ramen, the food sickness and the staff, I went with the three.