Biwa! It's darn good ramen and THEN some...

For the last few weeks I have made it a point to visit Biwa on Ash+9th, given some of the harsh critique the establishment has endured from Yelpers, mouthy Internet warriors, and the like. In much of my reading, reviewers have called Biwa pretentious, even overly ambitious. Disgruntled fedora-wearers have even gone so far as to label the (literally) underground Korean/Japanese fusion restaurant as slow, scant on portion, and really ripping it up with such zeal that I just HAD to experience for myself. Not just for the ramen, but to see if it was really so bad!
I have been there four times in one month now and I have to say, I still don't know what the hell these people are talking about.



Biwa is that nook in a basement you can't find at first, but for the smell of food a'cookin' downstairs. As soon as I stepped in, my nose is tantalized by smells of kimchi, soy, cooking meats, and balmy spices. Each time I went, I had a group with me, and on all four outings I was able to find seating within 5-10 minutes. Did I mention I ALSO decided to write this place's notes on a Friday night during dinner hour? Right. I may just have the Flying Noodle Gods looking after me here, but the staff seemed quite ready to accommodate my needs, even allow me to choose my own seating (there was a kid at one of the other tables...you know how THAT is...).



So in a month of ordering at Biwa, I have had about 60% of this food menu. Each time, my guests and I have tried to order an array of different small bites, minding our appetites and our price range. Much of this menu is fairly priced for portion, some of it is about $2.00 too expensive. Much of the age mono, as delicious as it all is, may be a tad bit overpriced. Delving further, the sashimi is quite minuscule for topping over $10.00, but very fresh and clean tasting. It may be the American in me speaking for the ribs (not pictured on this menu, oddly), but they are worth every penny. Each person I took to Biwa was not only satisfied with their food but content with paying what they did. Plus drinks, I don't recall paying more than $25-$30 a person. Not an every night price but nothing over the top.

Personally, when reviewing food I try not to focus too heavily on price. In fact, above all I am here to review Biwa's ramen, but the foodie websphere is prompting me to set some things straight about a consistent experience; not a flash-in-the-pan, you payed me to write something dramatic, I visited this place once at 10pm on a Saturday night kind of review. So on to the ramen, right?



Here we are folks, Biwa's shoyu ramen! As the bowl comes in for a landing, I notice a delicate soy broth, light veggie level (just some green onions and seaweed), the noodles looking bouncy yet soaking up the broth very well (Sun Co.), and the well prepared hanjuku egg(a bit cold in the center though). Overall, this bowl seems to be a pretty good fit after letting loose on some small plates. The chashu is very thin cut, much like bacon (my preference being a biiiiit thicker) but the pork shoulder is undeniably stimulating to not only look at but taste. The first time I visited Biwa, I recieved a portion of pork shoulder rivaling the size of my fist. The next few times it was sliced thinner, then the last time it was large again. Not complaining, but I would have liked to be ramen fisted the whole way through... Yeah. The pork is a rich, smokey/savory addition to the soup which compliments and enhances the mild broth in perfect harmony.



The ramen is pretty basic without the add ons. Being that I am not a fan of ground meat, I skipped the sausage but the wakame add on was quite good as well. This bowl doesn't necessarily lack substance, but it DOES require a boost. I wished so much that they would bring in some duck, maybe even venison or something gamey to enhance the overall experience. Shoyu ramen isn't typically a megaload of fat and collagen, but in the end I was simply left feeling like there could have been more. At $14.00 a bowl, Biwa is currently the most expensive stock/soy ramen in Portland. A title which begs for more options regarding their presumably hottest menu item. Maybe a tonkotsu next? Possibly more add ons? Time will tell. Every small complaint I have regarding this ramen didn't stop me from totally chowing down and then drinking the bowl clean. It's good stuff!



So stop reading people sling their own feces on the internet (except for me of course..) and go check them out! Their ambiance is perfect for entertaining guests or dates, the food is elegant enough to entertain someone all alone. You may just see me there on a Friday, eating ramen and scribbling down notes ;)

Rating:
Broth: 8/10
Noodles: 10/10
Meat: 9/10
Veggies: 5/10

Home made phở made easy!

So I recently got an email asking how I make easy phở at home, without going nuts and making my own beef broth. Given that all you really need is beef stock, ginger, cilantro, cinnamon, a touch of anise and clove to make a quickie broth, I figured I would challenge myself even further and try to find the quickest method in making my favorite Vietnamese noodle soup... One without packet garbage, yet not requiring a 5 hour simmer.

So here you have it, the basic indgredients to make a solid phở beef noodle soup at home. I got all of this for about $15.00 at the Asian Food Market "Hong Phat". Aside from the price being right, the noodle selection in a true market like this is staggering. Choose your thickness (thin being the most typical) of rice noodle, then make your way to the canned goods aisle for broth. I tried to find a pretty healthy, no MSG beef broth for phở but Phở Bac was as close as I could get (yes, it contains MSG *sad* but I am in a hurry, right?). Next up I'll need some round steak, some cilantro, a bundle of green onions, and one white onion. Suddenly I feel a knife calling my name...

I was only making for two, so this is just about how much I needed. After all was mixed i had about 1/3 of a small white onion sliced, three sprigs of green onion chopped, a hand full of cilantro leaves uncut, and my round steak sliced VERY THIN. In later judgement, I didn't slice it as thin as I would have liked, but it didn't mess with the overall soup. If you don't cut ultra thin, it takes a while to cook once the broth has been poured over the bowl and can turn people off. Luckily, we at the Noodle Time house are a medium rare kind of group.

See these noodles? They are perfect rice noodles. Just chewy enough, not soggy or overcooked. This is the product of fresh, refrigerated noodles instead of dry, packet varieties. This took a mere 30 seconds in near-boiling water. This is love. Bring your water to a boil, take it off the heat, wait 10 seconds, drop the noodles in for 30. Drain them, rinse them with cold water, voila! You're doing great :)

I tasted the Phở Bac and it was a bit lacking. Not of the sweeter spices, but the more tangy, zippy aromatics that one finds in the veggies. Here i am bringing the canned broth to a boil with some of everything on my cutting board in the mix. I will pour the broth through a strainer to eliminate over-boiled veggies getting into my soup, but if you are into that bitterness leave them in!

I take a large bowl, throw in a single serving of noodles, layer a few slices of raw round on top (I know, scary), then sprinkle my veggies throughout. If I have some extras I want to add (in this case some roast beef, a few bean sprouts and a lime wedge) I throw them in now. Once everything is in place I take my broth from the burner and pour it directly onto the top of my pile. It cooks the round instantly, lightly boils the veggies and brings the noodles back to life. It's Noodle Time!

Not bad for a rush job! The soup itself is really well balanced, everything is cooked properly, and my table-mates are happy. Practicing home recipes is so much fun and even canned broth can turn into some really tasty product. I wouldn't try it for other noodle soups, but phở is a lot more basic than it's cousins in the cuisine world.

Happy cooking!

You know what time it is...

Oh yes.
Went to Biwa tonight for the 2nd time in two weeks! I think I have a good review ready.
Going to the market tomorrow for some noodle ingredients to post some tutorials too!
Oh Ramen...
<3

Instant Ramen gets a spot? Now I've seen everything...

As many of you guys know, I am not a huge fan of instant ramen.

Packet noodles, to me, says impoverished college students and quickie meals that hurt the American opinion of ramen overall. That said, instant noodles DID play an important role in mid-century Japanese wartime and has saved a lot of lives via disaster relief and plain old cheapness... We don't have to like it, it's pretty much FEMA food. We do have to thank it somehow though.
In any case, Thrillist just released their list for "Best Instant Ramen" and I thought I happen to make my cheapy-dress-it-up-and-no-one-will-notice ramen from ONE of these packs! I figured I would post for lols ;)

[Thrillest top 9 instant ramen packs]



-A look at instant noodle relief efforts, Japan-1950's-

The Ramen Burger Review is COMING...

Fear not, Ramenistas... The Ramen Burger review is coming...
Currently I am not aware of anyplace in Portland that serves this greasy delicacy but I am on the hunt!
Slurp Steady.

For my weekly bowl of Phở, the choice of restaurant is a serious Duh. Phở Vinh!

Ah, Vietnamese Noodle Soup... The chewy rice noodles, the elegantly spiced beef broth, the savory green onions floating betwixt thin slices of flank steak, juicy red round, and honeycomb tripe... Is there anything finer? In my experience, not much compares to a hot, aromatic bowl of Phở Noodle Soup and if you ever eat with friends, you will notice everyone has their own "Phở rituals" regarding how they eat it. Phở is a cultural staple here in Portland and of the nearly 100 places to find it, Sandy Avenue's "Phở Vinh" tops our charts.



The last time I went to Phở Vinh, I got the unbelievable chance to take someone to eat their VERY FIRST BOWL of Phở. The experience was perfect for the blog, given that we all had a lot of taste-notes to share as we gobbled down the Northern Vietnamese treat. At first we laughed about each other's Phở rituals. Mine being the very specific placement of my tea, the half gram of sugar I take with it, the specific appetizers I prefer, where I place my veggies, how I lay the whole basil branch into the soup, and how I like my Phở pure, but with a side dish of Sriracha Hot Sauce for dipping the toppings. As the soup came out, it was interesting to watch a first timer IMMEDIATELY explore preference and have all the tools she needed to facilitate her particular tastes.



As most know, the Phở profile is a delicately nuanced, beef broth-centered experience made up of flavors like clove, star anise, cinnemon, cilantro, garlic, and ginger. The broth is 60% of the overall Phở experience, the remaining 40% relies on portion and freshness. Phở Vinh lands these criterion beautifully, offering an extraordinarily balanced broth as it's core quality. At first, I hang my head over my bowl of (P7) and just breathe in the beauty... The hard-earned bone broth carries the almost chai-tea-esque spice mixture upward like a bonfire, licking upward at my face. I see the plentiful, nearly raw round steak slowly changing color from ruby red to pale brown. My bowl is cooking before my senses. I lift some of the beef up to place my bean sprouts beneath it and see the noodles, balled up and cozy, ready for annihilation. This is Phởking awesome.
I look to my guest, who started the meal struggling with chopsticks, and she is full on DIVING INTO her bowl, no assistance needed. The Phở has spoken, she is hooked. I slurp the tender rice noodles in between spoonfulls of broth, a pick or two of beef, and a swirl of my additives (today being just a squeeze of lime and some Thai basil). I have been to MANY Phở places in my time. Some offer too little noodles, a skimpy portion of meat, or even wilted sprouts (which smell like complete ass btw)... Not Phở Vinh. Their quality never ceases to amaze me and their portions are the source of my after-soup "itis" for the walk home. They are small staffed and friendly, the woman who makes this delightful meal BRINGS YOU YOUR BOWL herself, the soup stands on it's own. It will be hard to compete with Phở Vinh for Noodle Time PDX's top slot...
Rating
Broth: 10/10
Noodles: 9/10
Meat: 10/10
Veggies: 10/10

It's time to get serious about eating some ramen...

"How to Eat Ramen properly" from the Japanese film, Tampopo.

"First, caress the surface..."

lol

A VICE look at Ramen in Tokyo!

The second ep. of the Vice series, "Munchies" follows ramen nut and head chef of Tokyo's Bassanova ramen shop,  Keizo Shimamoto. Then, dives into some Tokyo nightlife and the infamous "ramen burger" 

Enjoy!

^_^

Boxer Ramen Revisited...

A few weeks ago, I tried out the Tonkotsu Ramen at Boxer Ramen downtown. It was good but not all I expected, which is fine. This week I went back for lunch and tried both their Vegetarian Curry and Spicy Red Miso Ramen. The truth? I was really blown away. So I pitted the two against each other for a bowl battle :)

We (of course) began with the Okonomiyaki tots. I covered them in my previous post about Boxer, so I will speed right up to what we're all here for, the main event. My bowl of Spicy Miso broth was utterly delicious. At [$10.00] a bowl, they know not to cheapen the experience with light toppings. The Spicy Red comes with moist, savory pork slices, a leafy(ish) green, tart mushroom(?), and a perfectly boiled egg floating in opaque, pepper-oil drizzled broth. A slight taste of grizzle peaks out from the interesting balance of heaviness and bare heat. The noodles are aplenty and are a true testament to the pre-made type. Everything in this bowl was enough for me to be full but I had to press on and steal some analytical bites from my date's bowl…

Second in the ring was the Veg. Curry which I was more curious about than anything. Diced mushrooms, red pepper, and one other unidentifiable veggie swims around in the creamy curry broth and each slurp opens up the nasal passages just a bit. It was a really nicely balanced bowl, but I was wishing for a bit more in the toppings department. Maybe some chinese broccoli, a few whole mushrooms, even some corn would have been a nice mix. At the end of this bowl I was finding myself a bit tired of the creamy noodle consistency. It needed something to break up the monotony. Really superb curry flavors though. I found myself skipping the rest of the noodles and drinking down that creamy broth.

I liked both bowls quite a bit but in this fight, the Spicy Red won this bout. 

The wholeness of the Spicy Red in comparison with the Curry was a close, but there was something about the Miso which made it seem like more of a SOUP, not just broth and noodles. While, I liked the broth a bit more for the Curry, I found myself working through it toward the end because of a lack of variety. In truth, I wish they both had more in the foliage department. Portlanders are known for their plant-eating ways so load them in! 

I'll be back ;)

Rating

Spicy Red Miso:

Broth: 9/10

Noodles: 7/10

Meat: 8/10

Veggies: 5/10

Vegetarian Curry:

Broth: 9/10

Noodles: 6/10

Meat: None

Veggies: 5/10

Hana Japanese Bistro. The worst ramen I've ever had. Aftermath wasn't great either...

Hana Japanese Bistro…

So I realize that this isn't a "Noodle Shop" and typically caters to the sushi crowd. Even though it is technically a "Bistro", which indicates that it is a small restaurant with some choice items, they are very sushi forward. For that, I must first say that the sushi I ate here was great. Started off the whole ramen experience with some "St. Helens roll" and was very pleased with the presentation, freshness, etc. The service here is also great. I can't knock this place down completely because it does have some great items on the menu… Ramen is NOT one of those great items.

Hana is Japanese for "flower" and like that old game we all used to play as kids, I was picking off pedals one at a time, trying to figure out if this Japanese Bistro loved me or loved me not. In checking out the ramen menu, I was hopeful. Hana features many kinds of ramen, all named in English, all for what meat is featured in the soup. This should have been my first red flag but I figured they were sparing casual diners from having to mumble out words like "Tonkotsu", only to need an explanation. To me, that is the fun of international cuisine but I let it slide. I recently tried an EXCELLENT Spicy Miso ramen at *Boxer Ramen* downtown, so I figured I would go for the Spicy Pork option here. I didn't ask about the broth, as I figured it must be a Shoyu or Shio.

The Ramen comes out.

Immediately I notice the odd steel bowl it is in. It's like a kitchen bowl and spins a bit as I am stirring the soup. The broth is red/translucent and smells MAJORLY influenced by cayenne/red pepper and the minor notes are a bit gamey. In stirring it around, the veggies present themselves to be simple, "taco style" boiled white onion and some chives… Really? Really. I lift some pork to my mouth and notice that it is where the gamey smell is coming from. I taste it and it is very obviously pre-boiled pork which sat in a refrigerator until my arrival. Like the kind of pork they use in any dish, pre made for expediency. The egg was pan fried and over easy. I'm hurting.

So I figure that above all the wreckage in my bowl, at LEAST the noodles will be okay. I'll settle for Sun Co. or even some off brand ready-for-broth alkaline noodles. In fact, I'll LIKE them!

But nay, fellow noodle heads… 

What I received in my bowl was nearly unspeakable…

The noodles are dry, PACKET NOODLES!!!

Yes, Top Ramen, broke in college, 50 cents at the gas station, last resort on a drunken 4am cooking fit, PACKET….. NOODLES.

I wanted to die. Subsequently, I nearly did a few hours after eating this bowl of hatred in a bathroom up the road, but that's a different story.

The horror! How could a Japanese "Bistro" put this garbage on their menu??? I realize this is a sushi forward establishment but ramen is as Japanese as Apple Pie is American! This bowl of ramen is like what I used to make for high friends when I had scraps in my freezer. This ramen is like what the Japanese Chef Boyardee would serve in his tent. This ramen is precisely WHY Americans have such a low opinion of this particular soup. If this ramen were running a race against the other bowls of ramen, when the starting gun went off it would be to kill THIS bowl. Ugh… I just couldn't believe what I was slurping.

So yeah… The worst bowl of ramen I have ever had in a restaurant award goes to Hana Japanese Bistro. If you are going to serve great sushi, have a pretty solid appetizer menu, and serve good sake, have the decency to update your ramen from the dark ages. This wasn't a funny, complainy experience, it was a sad one. It wasn't just that the noodles/broth were packet grade either, I have made great things happen with dry noodles! It was the fact that in a RESTAURANT, I was given less-than-drunk-at-home quality ramen the whole way around. Oh, then I got the shits. That sucked, Hana. 

You love me not.

Rating

Broth: 1/10

Noodles: -10/10

Veggies: 0/10

Meat: 1/10

-Our Messiah, Lord Ramen Noodles-

All hail His most high! The Son of our Noodley Lord, the bowl of soup in His manger, King of Kings! Through his strips of charbroiled pork, we are healed! Let the Tonkotsu broth of our Messiah flow over the nations of our God. Our Lord Ramen Noodles, offers you salvation through slurping! A messiah has come!

"And Flying Spaghetti Monster so loved the world, that he gave his only broth, egg, and onion so whosoever slurped Ramen with chopsticks, shall not go hungry but have ever lasting life."
-Narutomaki 3:16

;)

Narutomaki. What the heck is it, anyway??

In outings with friends, it seems everyone has the same questions upon getting their hot bowl of delicious ramen and noticing something they don't quite recognize…

"What's the swirly thing?"

"Is it some kind of root?"

"Can I grow this in my back yard??"

"Can I even eat it???"

That "swirly thing" is called Narutomaki, a fish-paste based Japanese food product similar to a hot dog or processed sausage in the states. Narutomaki is a kind of Kamaboko, a ground, flavored, cured. and shaped white fish/crab product which takes it's signature design from the Naruto whirlpools in Shikoku, Japan. Newer ramen shops in the states don't use it often, as the organic/anti-processed foods movement has had massive influence on the biz, but there are definitely still the traditionalists that will dress up a bowl with Narutomaki out there. This type of Kamaboko is certainly edible, but in my experience it seems to work better as a garnish. There is so much GOOD going on in a given bowl of ramen, that eating a fish-paste mini loaf seems like a silly move. However, to each his/her own! Try it next time you sit down for a bowl, bursting with Umami :)

It's only a problem if I try to quit!

Boxer Ramen: A stylish quickie.

Boxer Ramen, Boxer Ramen...What to say but that this place is a much needed addition to the noodle scene in Portland. Walking in, I was cheerfully greeted by a few employees and ushered to my seat at the bar amidst the chaos of the Friday night dinner rush. The deco is hip and modern, using light sandalwood and deviant art style chalk board design. A bit cutesy yet not removed from the Japanese integrity you would find on St. Marks Place in NY or a true ramen shop in Tokyo. They are going for that young, metropolitan feel and accomplish it.

I ordered a 25oz Kirin from their small-yet-suitable beer list, then ordered the Okonomiyaki tater tots, served with bonito flakes waving in the heat, and finally ordered the Tonkotsu broth ramen. 

The tots were very good to start. Their choice of sauces within the dish were superb. Not overbearingly sweet (which teriaki/bbq can be on starch) and not too goopy. I was left with some dry tots and the option to dip, mix etc. The hallmark of any great "nacho-style" appetizer. Served in a hot, cast-iron mini skillet and sprinkled with bonito fish flakes, the tots were both fun to look at and delicious. Personally I would have liked to see MORE on the small plates list. The choices were pretty narrow. Some edamame, maybe a hip-looking sashimi, maybe even a ramen "board" with smaller bowls for sampling. Boxer had some interesting items but I was left feeling like I wasn't getting what I wanted in that respect. 

THE RAMEN: So anyone who is serious about noodles knows that a good bowl starts with a solid broth AND the noodles for a $10.00 bowl of ramen should be house pulled. Boxer gets at least one of those right. The tonkotsu bone broth was a true treat but the noodles in my bowl were store bought. Folks, you have a RAMEN SHOP, please do yourselves justice and pull those delicious buckwheat noodles yourself. Even the (much famed) ramen shop in the Minneapolis airport pulls their own noodles. I repeat, the airport pulls their own noodles.
Once I got past that though, the soup itself took flight. There aren't many veggies in Boxer's ramen, which is a problem if you consider ramen a "everything but the kitchen sink" dish, which most do. Usually even a Shio Ramen includes SOME Nori (seaweed) and/or some kind of fungus or bamboo. 
Floating in the bowl is also Boxer's choice of pork. Again, Tonkotsu Ramen usually contains MORE chashu (fired pork) than what I got. Typically the pork is also leaner than the think bacon-like slice I received in my bowl. At first I thought it was a "try our vegetarian options" kind of move, given that the ramen was good, but not as good as some of the absolutely wonderful FULL tonkotsu I have had in the past. It was walking the line of simple and empty. 

Above all, Boxer Ramen is a fun, light hearted experience. I wouldn't put it on par with many of the more authentic ramen shops I have visited, but I wouldn't be as scathing as some of other reviewers from Yelp, urban, etc... They have something good here, but it needs to grow for the food's sake. Boxer is the kind of place I would eat at every day if they had a higher quality soup and a few more options for small plates. At the end of the trip, my bill for two beers, an appetizer, and a bowl of ramen was $28.00 but I still ate later on that evening elsewhere. It didn't quite "do the job" that a big hefty bowl of pork ramen is known for doing. That said, I will be back to see how they improve.

Rating
Broth: 8/10
Noodles: 6/10
Veggies: 4/10
Meat: 5/10

Noodle Time PDX

It might be Noodle Time...

--Boke Bowl for lunch--

This week we had the immense pleasure of trying out Boke Bowl, located in the Industrial District of Portland. Walking into Boke is like walking into an Ikea inspired street food festival. The open kitchen emits the aroma of hot, savory meats and spices being prepared with expediency for a seating chart of about 50 people. A gigantic menu to your immediate left offers Tonkotsu, Shio and seasonal options (with slide out panels), along with a wide range of starters and add-ons. Among choices for small plates are Momofuku style pork buns which come with an impressive medley of sub-fillings for a mix-n-match. 

I started out with three steam buns. Korean fried chicken, pork belly, and beef brisket. Each came topped with it's own signature sauce, slaw for the brisket and a few pickles for zip. As I chow down on the goodness, I look to my right and the dough chef is hard at work, pounding out and shaping the next round of delicious, steamy buns. Moments like this make eating the cute basket of slightly sweet morsels even more of a treat. Like reading the back of a cereal box on a macro level, I am all at once entertaining my foodie curiosity, learning more about the cuisine I am consuming, and almost participating in the instant gratification of the person creating it all. A nod or a smile in the chef's direction and all has been said, these are some seriously good buns. The chicken was thick cut surrounded in crumbly buttermilk fry, the pork maintained my need for a classic, and the beef brisket was a wholesome back end to the lighter first two. I think if I could have switched one, I would have gone vegetarian and tried the Miso mushroom. Next time.

About half way through my buns experience, the bowl of ramen that I ordered came to the table. As tempting as it was to order the famed Tonkotsu broth pork ramen, I decided to splurge for the $15.00 bowl of Duck confit with an add-egg. This was a really…REALLY good decision. 

First off, perfect amount of broth here. I am not soaking in it, all of my bowl items are present at the top (aside from the sunken squash), and the whole dish looks extremely appetizing. The noodles are very obviously house prepared and the way they bounce indicates a really well executed recipe. The veggies include collards, squash, green onion, and some very scrumptious soy braised-n-seared brussel sprouts. The duck is likely a mix of leg and breast. It's a hearty portion and leaks savory oils into the already flavor packed broth. My add-egg is cooked just above soft boiled and the yolk dances throughout the incredibly nuanced symbiosis of Northwest and Japanese styles in my bowl. 

For their variety, for their atmosphere and for their obvious mastery of NoodleTimePDX's favorite dish, I will be trying everything on this menu. Not sure if a rating is appropriate here but what I can say is that I will be back many more times. Boke Bowl is a noodle shop which I can see rising to be the standard among creative Portland ramen shops/carts. Their weaving of modern and traditional menu planning is a smart, well executed introduction to the deliciousness of really great ramen.

So go get some!

[Visit Boke Bowl's website]

Sun!

Welcome to NoodleTimePDX!

In every American city I have traveled to, I have always sought out noodle trucks, Ramen shops, Phò nooks, and their fellow fans. Oddly, I have had a lot of luck finding the food, but not a whole lot of writers putting energy into reviewing the nuanced flavors of these wonderful bowls of joy. Tonkotsu, Shio, Vietnamese beef stock, Miso, Shoyu, the list goes on and on! So much to try, so much to share with friends!

NoodleTimePDX is a review blog for anyone who is passionate about the Portland noodle scene and notices a new shop popping up almost every few months. The Ramen Revolution is at hand! Phòwer to the Phòple! There will be dish history, new local specials, DIY stock recipes and reviews of our home-town noodle spots.

Stay tuned, slurp loudly!