Tag: ramen

AFURI Ramen

Rating
9.5/10

Wait
5 Minutes

Value
$14 per dish

Where
Portland

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.

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

Marafuku Ramen

Rating
7/10

Wait
45 Minutes

Value
$12 per dish

Where
SF

Hakata Tonkotsu
Not a huge fan. The flavor of the broth is not very strong/deep – it tastes a bit watered down. You’re only given two/three thin slices of pork and the pork is not very tender or flavorful. I feel the addition of the bean sprouts and mushrooms did not compliment the ramen very well. However, the thin noodles were cooked well and probably the best part of the dish. 

Mentaiko
The sole reason I would come back to Marafuku Ramen is for the Mentaiko. It’s a deceivingly simple dish with lots of flavors. The cod roe is a bit spicy, salty, crunchy from the sesame seeds, and bursting with cod roe goodness. All together, the bowl is extremely light and refreshing. 

Having never tried a Hakata style ramen, I was eager to give Marafuku Ramen a try. Tucked away in the corner of the Japantown mall, it’s easy to spot Marafuku Ramen as there is usually a large crowd of people hovering around the entrance. The wait is about 30-45 minutes, however,  it’s not so bad as there is a lot of shops around to kill the time.

Marafuku Ramen is a sleek and stylish ramen joint. The space is definitely hip with a grey scale tone which accents the interesting uses of darks woods. There is an interesting O shaped communal bench seating in the center of the restaurant, with back lit glass as the seats. There’s a lot of elements going on in such a small place but it’s never too distracting. 

Hakata style is not my preference when it comes ramen. It’s hard to justify the long wait when the ramen just isn’t that good. However, I would come back to Marafuku Ramen just for the Mentaiko.

Website – https://www.marufukuramen.com