Kukai Ramen and Izakaya

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.

Tonkotsu-Shoyu

Garlic version!

Yuzu

Noodles

Perfect Eggs

Gyoza and Takoyaki

Wide Menu Selection