138 NW 10th Ave.
This is another conveyer belt place, in the Pearl. The selection of sushi was pretty limited when I was there, but it was good.
Noodles: Fresh and chewy.
Broth: Meaty and good, if a little too sweet.
Chicken: None. I had it with beef, which was very thinly sliced and pretty good. You can also order it with tofu or shrimp.
Other stuff: Kale, onions, and seaweed.
Sides: None.
Price: $3 with meat, $2 plain.
Conclusion: I thought I was misreading it when I read how much it cost, but no, that is not a typo. The trade-off is that it is a small serving, but you could have a double order and still be half the price of most udon. I don't love the broth, but it's not bad, and this is still the best and cheapest udon that I've had so far in Portland. Recommended.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Osaka-Ya
7007 SW Macadam
A large restaurant on Macadam, it seems like the kind of place that would have lots of people in business suits on weekday lunch hours. The restaurant gets bonus points for serving exactly the right amount of wasabi instead the two or three times as much as needed that one gets at most restaurants.
Noodles: Fresh and chewy, but a touch overcooked, so they were a little slimy.
Broth: Tasty and chickeny.
Chicken: Ok. Cooked in the broth, which I like, but overcooked.
Other stuff: Green onions, kamaboko.
Sides: None.
Price: $5.50 for plain, $7.50 with chicken.
Conclusion: You get what you pay for. It's not fabulous, but it's decent. Recommended with reservations.
A large restaurant on Macadam, it seems like the kind of place that would have lots of people in business suits on weekday lunch hours. The restaurant gets bonus points for serving exactly the right amount of wasabi instead the two or three times as much as needed that one gets at most restaurants.
Noodles: Fresh and chewy, but a touch overcooked, so they were a little slimy.
Broth: Tasty and chickeny.
Chicken: Ok. Cooked in the broth, which I like, but overcooked.
Other stuff: Green onions, kamaboko.
Sides: None.
Price: $5.50 for plain, $7.50 with chicken.
Conclusion: You get what you pay for. It's not fabulous, but it's decent. Recommended with reservations.
Yoko's Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar
2878 SE Gladstone St.
A smallish place without any token Japanese people in the staff, which was actually kinda refreshing.
Noodles: Too thin, and clearly not kneaded at all.
Broth: Very chickeny, flavorful.
Chicken: That kind of chicken that they flatten, grill, and slice. It was piled on top.
Other stuff: Green onions, sesame seeds.
Sides: None.
Price: $10.50
Conclusion: The broth was good, but it was expensive, and not udon. Not recommended.
A smallish place without any token Japanese people in the staff, which was actually kinda refreshing.
Noodles: Too thin, and clearly not kneaded at all.
Broth: Very chickeny, flavorful.
Chicken: That kind of chicken that they flatten, grill, and slice. It was piled on top.
Other stuff: Green onions, sesame seeds.
Sides: None.
Price: $10.50
Conclusion: The broth was good, but it was expensive, and not udon. Not recommended.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Sushi & Maki Restaurant
10822 SE 82nd Ave.
Surprisingly nice atmosphere given its way SE big box strip mall location. Most of its neighbors are things like Babies "R" Us. They have another location in Hillsboro.
Noodles: A tad overcooked, but pretty good.
Broth: Tasted like the broth you get with cheap wonton soup. Not great, but unoffensive.
Chicken: None
Other stuff: Bright pink kamaboko, crimini mushrooms, chopped nori, green onions.
Sides: Cucumber salad.
Price: Plain udon $8.95. They had two other versions which were more expensive.
Conclusion: I would expect better quality ingredients given its relatively high price. Add to that the restaurant's rather remote location and you needn't bother. Not recommended.
Surprisingly nice atmosphere given its way SE big box strip mall location. Most of its neighbors are things like Babies "R" Us. They have another location in Hillsboro.
Noodles: A tad overcooked, but pretty good.
Broth: Tasted like the broth you get with cheap wonton soup. Not great, but unoffensive.
Chicken: None
Other stuff: Bright pink kamaboko, crimini mushrooms, chopped nori, green onions.
Sides: Cucumber salad.
Price: Plain udon $8.95. They had two other versions which were more expensive.
Conclusion: I would expect better quality ingredients given its relatively high price. Add to that the restaurant's rather remote location and you needn't bother. Not recommended.
Sushi PDX
Food cart at SE 43rd & Belmont
It took a long time for them to make my food, but I took that as a good sign because it meant that they were cooking it right then rather than ladling it out of a pot.
Noodles: Fresh and chewy.
Broth: Slightly sweet, rather uncomplicated.
Chicken: None. I didn't realize until too late that I could have ordered it with chicken. They have four udon dishes on their menu.
Other stuff: Two kinds of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, green onions, kamaboko.
Sides: None.
Price: They don't have prices on their online menu, but apparently everything is $3-$8.
Conclusion: Fairly cheap, good noodles, but the broth isn't good. Recommended with reservations.
It took a long time for them to make my food, but I took that as a good sign because it meant that they were cooking it right then rather than ladling it out of a pot.
Noodles: Fresh and chewy.
Broth: Slightly sweet, rather uncomplicated.
Chicken: None. I didn't realize until too late that I could have ordered it with chicken. They have four udon dishes on their menu.
Other stuff: Two kinds of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, green onions, kamaboko.
Sides: None.
Price: They don't have prices on their online menu, but apparently everything is $3-$8.
Conclusion: Fairly cheap, good noodles, but the broth isn't good. Recommended with reservations.
SushiBen 2-Go
2425 SE 26th St.
A bit difficult to find--the largest sign by the door is for a restaurant that is no longer there. It's in a small corner shopping center. The air conditioner dripped on me as I went through the door.
Noodles: Basically thick spaghetti. At least it was al dente.
Broth: Light and fairly flavorful.
Other stuff: Chopped nori, green onions.
Price: $5.
Conclusion: I really wanted to give this place a good review. The place was decorated with printed photos of cute dogs and cats, and I was the only customer the whole time I was there. Sadly, though, the noodles would pass as udon only to someone who had never eaten or even seen a picture of it. It was, however, very cheap. Avoid.
A bit difficult to find--the largest sign by the door is for a restaurant that is no longer there. It's in a small corner shopping center. The air conditioner dripped on me as I went through the door.
Noodles: Basically thick spaghetti. At least it was al dente.
Broth: Light and fairly flavorful.
Other stuff: Chopped nori, green onions.
Price: $5.
Conclusion: I really wanted to give this place a good review. The place was decorated with printed photos of cute dogs and cats, and I was the only customer the whole time I was there. Sadly, though, the noodles would pass as udon only to someone who had never eaten or even seen a picture of it. It was, however, very cheap. Avoid.
Bluefin Sushi Bar
4138 NE Broadway
As far as I can tell, this is not at all connected to the Blue Fin Sushi that I reviewed in my last post. This location is in the Hollywood district, and there was not a conveyer belt in sight. They have another restaurant somewhere else.
Noodles: Well-formed but under kneaded, it fell apart far too easily and wasn't very chewy.
Broth: Good flavor, a little salty.
Chicken: No meat.
Extras: Broccoli, shredded nori, minced green onions.
Sides: Tempura.
Price: I think it was $10.
Conclusion: On the high end of normal price, but it came with tempura. Actually, the restaurant had four different udon dishes, and I ordered the one with tempura. Tasty and fresh in general, but the noodles were disappointing. Not recommended.
As far as I can tell, this is not at all connected to the Blue Fin Sushi that I reviewed in my last post. This location is in the Hollywood district, and there was not a conveyer belt in sight. They have another restaurant somewhere else.
Noodles: Well-formed but under kneaded, it fell apart far too easily and wasn't very chewy.
Broth: Good flavor, a little salty.
Chicken: No meat.
Extras: Broccoli, shredded nori, minced green onions.
Sides: Tempura.
Price: I think it was $10.
Conclusion: On the high end of normal price, but it came with tempura. Actually, the restaurant had four different udon dishes, and I ordered the one with tempura. Tasty and fresh in general, but the noodles were disappointing. Not recommended.
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