When it comes to great ramen, Boke Bowl has it down to a science. Touting house-made noodles, rich yet sippable broths, and an array of super scrumptious add-ons, Boke is a true gem amongst the Portland ramen scene. My most recent visit was with some Portland ramen newbies, who didn't know Boke even existed. I was ultra excited to mix-and-match items with these New York noodle connoisseurs and give them a taste of PDX.
In my last post on Boke, I noted how cool it was to see the noodle-making process in action. Given their open kitchen style, it was no surprise to me that they would offer a bit of transparency regarding their methods of putting together such delicious bowls. No canned/packaged stuff here. The dough table is almost a performance piece at Boke Bowl and nearly everyone in the small restaurant seems captivated by the simple, somewhat theatrical, age-old process of making slurpable bread for every one's enjoyment. The experience hearkens back to turn of the century candy shops, delighting anyone who takes a breath between bites. A difficult feat, given Boke's absolutely stunning quality ramen.
Our guests order the duck ramen (reviewed here) and the pork ramen. I decide to add a touch of USA to my bowl and order the pork ramen with egg, and fried chicken to top it all off. My partner in crime orders the seafood miso with a side of fried oysters. We begin the meal with our favorite steamed buns; the brisket, porkbelly, and chickenx2. It's turning out to be a packed table. Within 10 minutes, our hot, steaming bowls are coming out. Without missing a beat, we all begin comparing presentation and aroma of everything to New York spots we have been to in the past. Names like Momofuku, Rai Rai Ken, and Totto are dropped. The intense urge to dig in is defeated momentarily as we gaze into the beautiful round frame of art before us...
I place my side of chicken on top of the buoyant bed of floating noodles and like the "slurp heard round the world", everyone is flung into action!
The pork ramen, which I matched with fried chicken is something of a "down home" type of bowl. Shredded pork, not chashu or shoulder, peaks out like an island in a reddish brown sea of shoyu broth. Personally I would have preferred cuts of pork, in a more traditional manner but the creative element it brought to my bowl was worth while. Also, I expected a tonkotsu broth, but that was my own misunderstanding. As I slurp my noodles, I notice the fried chicken releasing an oily gloss into the soup. I slurp closer to the chicken and the rich taste of buttermilk and peppercorn light up my senses. Taking the morsel out of the bowl, I crunch into a still crispy piece of fried chicken. The batter held up! Overall smokiness amidst the thinner soy broth was something of a treat. Usually, in American cuisine, smoke means HEAVY. The pork ramen breaks out of that mold and offers a light, yet hearty smoke profile that doesn't overwhelm.
Next on my must-try list was the seafood miso, topped with fried oyster. The bits of white fish and whole prawns which swim around this milky broth create such anticipation, it almost felt like I was actually fishing. Some hide near the bottom, some of it is blatant and immediately accessible. The miso is a clever broth, most likely a red, and tastes like it made with a light fish stock, maintaining saltiness over fishyness. I could have used a biiiiit more actual fish in this bowl to balance it out. Adding the fried oysters was an interesting mix of texture which my guests seemed to enjoy both in and out of the soup. The crunch did not yield as well as the chicken did, but they didn't stick around in the broth for long anyway. Overall it was a good bowl of ramen, but I was left wanting a little more.
So, another good night eating at Boke. With two more bowls under the belt, I can conclusively say that I haven't had a bad experience here yet. The mixture of creative extras is something that has become somewhat of a hallmark for Boke Bowl. Their willingness to think outside the box while maintaining traditional staples in quality is something that is hard to find in ramen anywhere. The passion surrounding their love for ramen is obvious and anytime I get to do a review of their soup, I invite as many friends as I can :)
Cheers to Boke!
Rating
Pork Ramen
Broth: 8/10
Pork Ramen
Broth: 8/10
Noodles: 10/10
Meat: 7/10
Meat: 7/10
Veggies: 5/10
Seafood Miso
Broth: 8/10
Noodles: 10/10
Meat: 9/10
Veggies: 5/10
Seafood Miso
Broth: 8/10
Noodles: 10/10
Meat: 9/10
Veggies: 5/10
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