Wow, it has been a while. Hopefully my little Ramen page hasn’t been completely forgotten. In the last 9 months I have moved around, a lot, but now I am finally in a place where I have time to share my foodie adventures with you once again. Husband and I have unfortunately left Japan, and returned to our beloved West Coast and settled back home in Portland, Oregon. For how long, no one can say. The bright side is that Portland is a major food city, and there is lots of Ramen to be had here.
When I was in university studying Japanese there were maybe five or six ramen shops that I frequented to get my fix. Most of them are still around, but now they have maybe ten more competitors moving in on their turf. It is nice to see the various styles and ideas that have emerged, but it really makes me miss all the noodles I had available to me in Japan.
So today, I decided to revive my little blog, and talk about a shop that the Husband and I went to last week.
Kayo’s Ramen Bar is Portland’s newest edition to the ever-growing Ramen scene. Kayo herself is the head chef, hailing from Osaka she has been cooking since she was a child. In her shop, she doesn’t just stick to a traditional bowl of Ramen. Using fresh and local ingredients, Kayo adds her own style to well-known favorites creating unique but comforting meals.
Tucked in a strip of shops on N Williams, Kayo’s Ramen Bar keeps it simple with a sleek, industrial, but cozy and traditional vibe. With a combination of counter and table seating, there is room for groups and solo diners alike. The Husband and I ponied up to the counter that runs along the wall of windows facing out towards the street. Behind us, the busy bar top area and table section was buzzing with happy diners. We were pleased to see the variety of the menu, boasting our favorite Shoyu Ramen, as well as Shio, Miso, Tan Tan Men and Mazemen.
Under the standard Ramen bowls are Kayo’s special twists. Her specials range from a spicy Sichuan Mala Ramen, with chili, miso, and peppercorn, to a Taiwan Pineapple Ginger Ramen that offers fruity but balanced flavors. Her tribute to the Pacific Northwest is a Smoked Salmon Ramen with savory notes offset with lemon and shiso. Even with all these Ramen options, the sides and salads are not to be overlooked. Housemade Gyoza caught our eye, as well as Teppanyaki Garlic Fried Rice.
We decided to order our favorite Shoyu Ramen with a side of Gyoza. When the steaming bowls of deep, brown broth arrived our hopes began to soar. After Husband took his first bite, he turned to me and said, “The broth tastes a lot like yours!” This could possibly be the best compliment you can get from my Husband, especially since I haven’t had time to make my own Ramen in almost a year. So for him to get that excited meant we had something amazing sitting in front of us. The broth had a great richness and depth that comes from the best medley of fresh ingredients; pork, chicken, veggies, kombu, etc. The noodles were soft, but still chewy. The toppings were fairly traditional; slow roasted chashu that fell apart with the easiest coaxing, thin sliced green onions. The special twist that stood out and gave homage to the city of Portland was the addition of kale. Ramen will often have greens as toppings, but I have never seen kale before! It was a nice touch. I added egg to my bowl, as usual, and they were cooked to perfection.
I am so excited to have a new, Japanese, but not completely traditional Ramen shop added to the growing list in Portland. Kayo’s passion for food is certain to keep the menu fresh and interesting, while still tasting like the Japan I so dearly miss.
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