Being back in America has been quite the adjustment. Reverse
culture shock is real, let me tell you. What with having to remember that
people around you can understand EVERYTHING you are saying, realizing you
really don’t have to bow politely to everyone anymore, and falling back into
eating all the crazy junk food you missed, it can be overwhelming. But, there
are also things you didn’t realize you would miss so much. Nice people,
beautiful scenery, and food. Oh, the food. Obviously Ramen tops my list of the
meal I miss the most. Though I would put quality food at the convenience stores
in at a close second.
Like I mentioned in my last post, Portland is chock full of
great places to eat. You can find pretty much anything, and find a quality
version of it as well. I was craving Ramen, yes, even in this 90 degree heat,
so the Husband and I decided to invite his parents out to dinner and show them
what we ate a lot of while living in Japan. They didn’t have the chance to
visit us while we were living over there, so we thought it would be fun to give
them a little taste of our life abroad.
Kukai Ramen and Izakaya is nestled out in the suburb area of
Cedar Hills, tucked into a nice corner spot in a shopping area. The whole place
is clean and modern, with nice touches of Japanese décor. For the size of the
shop there are not as many tables as I would have expected. We were seated
after a short wait and I immediately felt nostalgic since everyone around us
was speaking Japanese. I guess it is a good sign if your Japanese restaurant is
full of Japanese people.
The menu provided the most option for dishes out of all the
Ramen restaurants I have been to in Portland. Besides the usual classic staples
like Shoyu, Shio and Miso, there is also Tonkotsu, a citrusy Yuzu variety, and
even a vegan option. Their signature bowl is an amped up version of their
Tonkotsu Shoyu broth with a lot of garlic added to the broth. They also offer a
wide array of additional toppings to really customize your bowl. Beyond Ramen,
there is a selection of Donburi rice bowls and Izakaya pub fare. This is the
first time I have seen Takoyaki (octopus fritters) since being back.
The parents, being unsure about what kind of Ramen they
would like, opted for the lighter, citrusy Yuzu bowl. It was crisp and delicious,
with a definite hint of tartness. The noodles in their bowls were thin and
straight, and difficult for chopstick novices to maneuver. The Husband went straight
for the Tonkotsu Shoyu bowl, his most missed flavor from Japan, while I chose
to try the specialty garlic-loaded version. Both of our bowls had thicker,
chewy noodles. The Tonkotsu was rich and hearty with a robust pork flavor from
the method of long simmering pork bones to make the broth.
Each of the bowls came with the standard menma, green onion,
and chashu pork. The pork slices had great flavor, but were very thin, almost
like deli cut meat. The Tonkotsu varieties also came with a soft cooked,
seasoned egg that was the perfect level of done-ness. The husband, his mother,
and I all added corn to our bowls for a little extra texture and sweetness.
All in all, this has become my favorite Ramen shop in Portland
that caters to a more authentic atmosphere and menu. I do feel that Ramen shops
in Portland carry a broader menu in order to appease a wider crowd. In Japan,
it is not uncommon to go to a shop that boasts one type of Ramen, their
specialty. American shops can say they have a specialty, but they do not want
to alienate any business due to customers not knowing if they will like what
they have to offer.
This all ties in to something I realized while living
abroad. More often than not, when you go out to eat in Japan you pick your
restaurant knowing exactly what you are in the mood to eat before you even get
there. You go to the Tonkatsu restaurant because you want pork cutlets and
rice, or the Miso Ramen shop because you want a bowl of Miso Ramen. Obviously
you pick the Sushi restaurant because you want Sushi. American restaurants have
a focus, but there is a wider selection so as to have something for everyone.
Don’t even get me started on the Cheesecake Factory and their fifteen page menu…
It is just an interesting observation I made as someone who holds food and
restaurants very dear to my heart.
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| Tonkotsu-Shoyu |
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| Garlic version! |
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| Yuzu |
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| Noodles |
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| Perfect Eggs |
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| Gyoza and Takoyaki |
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| Wide Menu Selection |
