So aside from cheap brews, delicious Banh Mi sandwiches and some on fire Karaoke, Double Dragon on 1235 SE Division has a really good bowl of Coconut Curry Ramen!
The creaminess of this bowl is really unbelievable. As it drops, light spring-onion and cilantro notes linger around a thick curry broth, laced with the uplifting essence of coconut. Upon tasting, the warmth of curry is balanced extremely well with the cool, balmy coconut and as the bowl mixes, the nicely crisped chashu adds a savory pork element that I found really delightful. One thing about this bowl, that is hard to find in a lot of heavier curry broths, is the drinkability of the broth. I found myself really taking time away from my toppings and noodles to sip. It was a nice break from the many salty shoyu broths I have been eating in the past few weeks.
Noticing I was running out of broth (my own fault), I decided to focus more on the noodles and toppings. The noodles here are a good amount of wheatiness and soak up the flavor of the bowl without becoming one giant thick noodle. This is the risk of a thicker broth, clumping the noodles together into a slurpy, vortex tube. A good example of this is Boxer Ramen, who suffers from this a bit with their curry. On the contrary, Double Dragon's noodles remain individually edible and offer a consistent chewiness that doesn't expire. In place of decorative nori, sprigs of coriander lay over a medium boiled egg and some of the better pork belly I have had in the city. Both are dusted with a light, salty blend of spices which add to the mouth watering quality of this bowl. Some sliced snap pea shoots lay at the bottom of the bowl, offering me a palette cleansing freshness at the end of my meal. So good.
I rarely give all positive ratings but I really must say that DD's Coconut Curry Ramen really impressed me. The only problem I have with this bowl of ramen is that there wasn't MORE.
Of the curry bowls I have had in Portland, Double Dragon's is my favorite and I wasn't the only one who thought so... As I look around the restaurant, it seems that every other table is enjoying a bowl! I think ONE person of 20 was just having a beer. That's ramen progress, folks.
Rating
Broth: 10/10
The creaminess of this bowl is really unbelievable. As it drops, light spring-onion and cilantro notes linger around a thick curry broth, laced with the uplifting essence of coconut. Upon tasting, the warmth of curry is balanced extremely well with the cool, balmy coconut and as the bowl mixes, the nicely crisped chashu adds a savory pork element that I found really delightful. One thing about this bowl, that is hard to find in a lot of heavier curry broths, is the drinkability of the broth. I found myself really taking time away from my toppings and noodles to sip. It was a nice break from the many salty shoyu broths I have been eating in the past few weeks.
Noticing I was running out of broth (my own fault), I decided to focus more on the noodles and toppings. The noodles here are a good amount of wheatiness and soak up the flavor of the bowl without becoming one giant thick noodle. This is the risk of a thicker broth, clumping the noodles together into a slurpy, vortex tube. A good example of this is Boxer Ramen, who suffers from this a bit with their curry. On the contrary, Double Dragon's noodles remain individually edible and offer a consistent chewiness that doesn't expire. In place of decorative nori, sprigs of coriander lay over a medium boiled egg and some of the better pork belly I have had in the city. Both are dusted with a light, salty blend of spices which add to the mouth watering quality of this bowl. Some sliced snap pea shoots lay at the bottom of the bowl, offering me a palette cleansing freshness at the end of my meal. So good.
I rarely give all positive ratings but I really must say that DD's Coconut Curry Ramen really impressed me. The only problem I have with this bowl of ramen is that there wasn't MORE.
Of the curry bowls I have had in Portland, Double Dragon's is my favorite and I wasn't the only one who thought so... As I look around the restaurant, it seems that every other table is enjoying a bowl! I think ONE person of 20 was just having a beer. That's ramen progress, folks.
Rating
Broth: 10/10
Noodles: 9/10
Meat: 9/10
(two pieces would be a 10/10)
Veggies: 8/10
Meat: 9/10
(two pieces would be a 10/10)
Veggies: 8/10
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