Ramen Happiness: Ramen Ryoma - Beaverton, Oregon

I have been going to Uwajimaya grocery store since middle school while in my first Japanese class. Every year we would take a field trip to Portland to do something cultural relating to Japan, and then stop at Uwajimaya for a shopping experience we couldn't wait to tell our non-Japanese class friends about. When I was 13, I didn't pay much attention to the small restaurant that is attached to the massive shopping area. Over the years it changed forms a few times, but this last spring I heard that a new Ramen great was set to move in.

Fast forward a few months to the day I decided it was time to make my own made-from-scratch Ramen and a visit to Uwajimaya was in order. When we pulled into the parking lot I casually glanced over towards the restaurant entrance, if only to see the flags that hung across the door for nostalgia. But, to my happy surprise, the sign now read "ラーメン竜馬" (Ramen Ryoma). Now, most normal people won't head straight for the restaurant that serves the food they were planning to make that evening, but I am not normal when it comes to Ramen.

The inside of the shop is much larger than I remember, and cleanly decorated with banners and a few posters that boast about their handmade noodles and slow braised pork belly chashu. The menu offers a great selection of styles and a choice of three broths; shoyu, shio, and miso. Not wanting to miss out, combined with the fact that I was clearly in a Ramen mood, I went for the deluxe bowl with shoyu broth. The regular bowl comes with a slice of chashu, a sheet of nori, bean sprouts, and negi. The deluxe edition adds more pork, a couple extra sheets of nori, and a seasoned egg.

When our lunch arrived, it was immediately clear that these noodles were going to be amazing. It was such a relief to see something besides the thin, straight noodles that are so prevalent in the shops I have visited in Portland thus far. The Husband was ecstatic because wavy, chewy noodles are his favorite and he has been pining for them since we left Japan. While the portion was perfect, I still did not feel like there was enough. That is how great they were.

The posters on the walls did not disappoint about the noodles, or the toppings. Tender, succulent, and falling apart, the braised chashu pork slices were almost too good. While I could go on about toppings and noodles for days, let me not forget to talk about the broth. The clear, deep brown broth had depth and wonderful flavor. It was a perfect compliment to the pork and clung to the noodles making each bite just as tasty as the one before. All in all, the whole bowl was good to the last drop, and I can not wait to go back and sample the other two soups.

So I am interested to know what your favorite type of Ramen is. I clearly tend to go for shoyu, but would love to hear what you crave. Shoyu, shio, miso, tan-tan? Where does your heart lead you?