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Tonkotsu Shio
Creamy and decadent are just some of the words that can describe this dish – imagine Shin Ramen Black but x1,000,000. The pork broth has a richness and depth which makes every sip sinful. The noodles are think and cooked to have the “QQ” texture. The Chasu is thinly sliced so that it will melt in your mouth. The soft boiled tea egg is cooked perfectly with the yolk slightly runny. I can go on and on about each component of the dish, but it’s better if you just order it. 

Buta Gyoza
I’m a huge proponent of thin skin dumplings and Afuri has some of the thinnest skins. Not only are the skins thin, Afuri is still able to get that nice crunchy layer. The most interesting thing about the dish is probably the presentation as it’s is served in a pin wheel fashion, bottom side up.

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What I’ve learned from my brief stay is Portland is that the city does beer, coffee, and Asian food very well. Being a cold and rainy day, ramen definitely came to our mind. Afuri being close by, we decided to try it out. Straightaway, Afuri is not a esoteric ramen joint where there is only Japanese staff, this is more of the millennial hipster place with full sleeve tattoos, Scandanavaian-esque interior, and Western staff. Albeit Afuri checks all the marks for being trendy, the food is amazing. 

Afuri space is minimal and stark. It follows the adaptive reuse design trend which combines exposing the old structure of the building and contrasts it with clean minimal wood furniture. In this case, the wood furniture are the large communal wood tables. It’s notable that the seating arrangements at Afuri are either counter/bar seating or “beer hall” style tables. A great feature of the space are the large windows, absence of walls (open kitchen), and high ceilings which make the space feel much larger than it is. 

When it comes to ramen, I’m all about the broth and noodles. Afuri has some of the most interesting and flavorful broths and the most “QQ” noodles. Reading the “About” section of Afuri, they pride there selection to open in Portland due to the “soft water” and the ecosystem being similar to that of the Afuri mountain in Japan. I usually take these self written theses with a grain of salt, but if “soft water” makes Ramen taste this good, I’m on the “soft water” band wagon.

Afuri is some of the best ramen I have ever had. My consensus is the “Portlanders” who rate this place low just tells me that this city must have some of the highest expectations when it comes to food. This tempts me to come back and visit Portland to explore more of the scene.

Website – https://afuri.us