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.
Ichidai Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar
5714 SE Powell Blvd
The restaurant is easily overlooked when driving down Powell, but has a nice atmosphere, and there were an encouraging number of people speaking Japanese when I was there.
Noodles: Chewy and well-formed, but a little thinner than usual, so they were slightly translucent.
Chicken: Much better than usual. White meat that didn't taste like it had been cooking forever. I'm not sure if it usually comes with chicken, because I didn't look at the menu before ordering.
Broth: Dark, rich, and slightly sweet. It reminded me a little of the broth that you get from Soup a l'onion.
Extras: Green onions and sliced white onions (which probably is why it tasted like French onion soup).
Sides: Cucumber sushi.
Price: $9.75. I ordered "udon with chicken" over the phone. The udon on the menu appears to cost the same.
Conclusion: The noodles weren't quite how I like them, but it was fresh and clearly of high quality ingredients. It was also a little more expensive than usual--about the same price as Mio Sushi--but unlike Mio it came with cucumber sushi on the side. There were two types of udon on the menu, one of which looked like it had more things in it, so next time I think I'll try that. Recommended.
The restaurant is easily overlooked when driving down Powell, but has a nice atmosphere, and there were an encouraging number of people speaking Japanese when I was there.
Noodles: Chewy and well-formed, but a little thinner than usual, so they were slightly translucent.
Chicken: Much better than usual. White meat that didn't taste like it had been cooking forever. I'm not sure if it usually comes with chicken, because I didn't look at the menu before ordering.
Broth: Dark, rich, and slightly sweet. It reminded me a little of the broth that you get from Soup a l'onion.
Extras: Green onions and sliced white onions (which probably is why it tasted like French onion soup).
Sides: Cucumber sushi.
Price: $9.75. I ordered "udon with chicken" over the phone. The udon on the menu appears to cost the same.
Conclusion: The noodles weren't quite how I like them, but it was fresh and clearly of high quality ingredients. It was also a little more expensive than usual--about the same price as Mio Sushi--but unlike Mio it came with cucumber sushi on the side. There were two types of udon on the menu, one of which looked like it had more things in it, so next time I think I'll try that. Recommended.
Blue Fin Sushi
1988 SW Broadway
Blue Fin is one of those conveyor belt sushi places, but everything seems fresh, and the udon is made to order. It's about what I would expect from a place in the PSU area.
Noodles: Fresh, chewy, not slimy (see fresh).
Broth: Maybe a little salty; unoffensive if unimaginable.
Extras: Green onions, a soggy tempura shrimp, and kamaboko whose edges were a positively alarming shade of pink.
Sides: None.
Price: Their online menu doesn't have prices, but I'm pretty sure it's less than $6.
Conclusion: Not ideal, and everything but the noodles were of obviously cheap quality, but the low price and the freshness of the noodles mostly make up for it. I should also note that when I took the notes for this review it was the third time I had ordered it there, so it can't be that bad. Recommended.
Blue Fin is one of those conveyor belt sushi places, but everything seems fresh, and the udon is made to order. It's about what I would expect from a place in the PSU area.
Noodles: Fresh, chewy, not slimy (see fresh).
Broth: Maybe a little salty; unoffensive if unimaginable.
Extras: Green onions, a soggy tempura shrimp, and kamaboko whose edges were a positively alarming shade of pink.
Sides: None.
Price: Their online menu doesn't have prices, but I'm pretty sure it's less than $6.
Conclusion: Not ideal, and everything but the noodles were of obviously cheap quality, but the low price and the freshness of the noodles mostly make up for it. I should also note that when I took the notes for this review it was the third time I had ordered it there, so it can't be that bad. Recommended.
Mio Sushi
3962 Southeast Hawthorne Blvd
This restaurant is part of a chain that has several locations in the Portland area alone, as well as in other cities in Oregon, Washington, and, apparently, one city in China. This place is in the Hawthorne district. I've been there several times because it's pretty close to where I live now.
Noodles: Unoffensive. I ordered it to go the last time I tried it, so it was overcooked by the time I got home, but I seem to remember that it was ok before.
Chicken: I had to specially order it, and it wasn't very good.
Extras: Kamaboko, green onions, and shiitake mushrooms, seaweed, inari, and broccoli. I ordinarily love mushrooms, but I'm pretty sure these were reconstituted ones.
Price: $7.95 plain, $9.95 with meat.
Conclusion: Eat the sushi there, not the udon. It's not bad, but too expensive for what you get. There are better places. Not recommended.
This restaurant is part of a chain that has several locations in the Portland area alone, as well as in other cities in Oregon, Washington, and, apparently, one city in China. This place is in the Hawthorne district. I've been there several times because it's pretty close to where I live now.
Noodles: Unoffensive. I ordered it to go the last time I tried it, so it was overcooked by the time I got home, but I seem to remember that it was ok before.
Chicken: I had to specially order it, and it wasn't very good.
Extras: Kamaboko, green onions, and shiitake mushrooms, seaweed, inari, and broccoli. I ordinarily love mushrooms, but I'm pretty sure these were reconstituted ones.
Price: $7.95 plain, $9.95 with meat.
Conclusion: Eat the sushi there, not the udon. It's not bad, but too expensive for what you get. There are better places. Not recommended.
Biwa
215 SE 9th ave
I've been to Biwa before. They serve really excellent Japanese food in general, but don't serve sushi or tempura (they do sell sashimi). On their late night menu they have shockingly good burgers made with ground beef tartar.
Noodles: Not slimy, and well-formed. Somehow unsatisfying, though. They didn't have enough heft and chewiness to them, which probably means that they weren't kneaded enough.
Chicken: No chicken.
Broth: Pretty good. Not too salty, decent flavor.
Extras: The frothy kind of tofu, sliced thin, kale (or something like it), soft boiled egg cut in half, kamaboko.
Sides: None.
Price: $9
Conclusion: Unoffensive, but boring. I really wish the noodles were better, and that there were chicken. Not recommended.
I've been to Biwa before. They serve really excellent Japanese food in general, but don't serve sushi or tempura (they do sell sashimi). On their late night menu they have shockingly good burgers made with ground beef tartar.
Noodles: Not slimy, and well-formed. Somehow unsatisfying, though. They didn't have enough heft and chewiness to them, which probably means that they weren't kneaded enough.
Chicken: No chicken.
Broth: Pretty good. Not too salty, decent flavor.
Extras: The frothy kind of tofu, sliced thin, kale (or something like it), soft boiled egg cut in half, kamaboko.
Sides: None.
Price: $9
Conclusion: Unoffensive, but boring. I really wish the noodles were better, and that there were chicken. Not recommended.
MoMoYama
4310 Southeast Woodstock Blvd.
Unlike the fairly slick restaurant/bar that is Koji Osakaya, this is a pretty basic operation and appears to be one of those places run by a family of recent immigrants. It is also conveniently located close to Reed.
Noodles: They weren't the worst noodles I've had (the worst ones I've had were from a restaurant in the resort area of Honolulu), but they were a little overcooked.
Chicken: Pretty much the same as at Koji Osakaya, which is to say, overcooked and greasy.
Broth: Too salty for me, but that might just be the type of broth it was.
Extras: A raw egg was poached lightly in the broth, a couple of pieces of kamaboko, spinach, green onions, and two tempura shrimp on top of everything. They got points for weirdness for the tempura (which I now know is not that unusual), but the shrimp and green onions were pretty boring.
Sides: None.
Price: I forgot to note it when I was there and they don't have their menu online.
Conclusion: Lots of stuff in the soup doesn't make up for overcooked noodles, bad chicken, and uninspired broth. Avoid.
Unlike the fairly slick restaurant/bar that is Koji Osakaya, this is a pretty basic operation and appears to be one of those places run by a family of recent immigrants. It is also conveniently located close to Reed.
Noodles: They weren't the worst noodles I've had (the worst ones I've had were from a restaurant in the resort area of Honolulu), but they were a little overcooked.
Chicken: Pretty much the same as at Koji Osakaya, which is to say, overcooked and greasy.
Broth: Too salty for me, but that might just be the type of broth it was.
Extras: A raw egg was poached lightly in the broth, a couple of pieces of kamaboko, spinach, green onions, and two tempura shrimp on top of everything. They got points for weirdness for the tempura (which I now know is not that unusual), but the shrimp and green onions were pretty boring.
Sides: None.
Price: I forgot to note it when I was there and they don't have their menu online.
Conclusion: Lots of stuff in the soup doesn't make up for overcooked noodles, bad chicken, and uninspired broth. Avoid.
Koji Osakaya
10100 Southwest Barbur Blvd.
I went to this place several times because it happened to be very close to where I was living at the time, at the end of Barbur Blvd. just before you reach Tigard. This location is one of several in a small chain of Japanese restaurants.
Noodles: Decently chewy and well-formed when you get them fresh, but I've been there a couple of times when it was not so fresh, and it had started to turn into the slimy worms that you sometimes get.
Chicken: Not good. poor quality and kinda greasy.
Broth: Unremarkable.
Exras: Kamaboko, not much else. It's served with ground red pepper.
Sides: None.
Price: $5.50 plain, $7.50 with chicken.
Conclusion: What with the inconsistent quality of the noodles and the poor quality of the chicken, it is best avoided. Avoid.
And so our journey begins...
I grew up in a town that had not one but two restaurants with excellent udon. Instead of forever pining after it or driving 8 hours one way every time I had a craving for udon, I decided to systematically go to every Japanese restaurant in Portland until I found one equal to that of my increasingly nostalgic and distant memories. I started reviewing them on blogspot as a way of keeping track of where I have been, and so that others might benefit from my scouting efforts. Up to now I've been posting my reviews on my other blog, but I have decided to move them here. Reviewing food is more specific and possibly more interesting than my random ramblings about sleep deprivation and trips to comic-con, so it seems like a good idea to keep them separate. Here follows the epic hunt of the udon.
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