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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Hakatamon - Beaverton - Oregon

Usually when I'm home, I make it a point to save dinnertime for my parents. The only exception, of course, is other family.

Since that evening was the only time cousin T was free, lil' sis and I drove over the river and around the mountains (there's always a mountain in Portland) to the other side of town. If it takes longer than 15 minutes to get to somewhere, by PDX standards, that's "really far."

Day 2.3 HakataMon - Beaverton - Oregon 1

She took us to Hakatamon, a Japanese restaurant next to Uwajimaya. Don't let the fact that it's connected to a supermarket dissuade you. Cousin T said her husband said Hakatamon has really excellent udon.

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Standard salad.

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Spicy tuna roll, eight pieces for $4.25. Standard sushi but nicely priced.

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Lil' sis ordered the hakata ramen for $7.50. The pork was really tender. The noodles were the thinner hakata-style. While the ramen was OK and good by Portland standards, we've been spoiled by Southern California's Daikokuya Original Noodle & Rice-Bowl - Los Angeles (Little Tokyo), Santouka - Costa Mesa, and even Shin-Sen-Gumi Hakata Ramen - Rosemead. The broth was milky, a sign that the bones had been simmered for a long time, but there was just something missing to the overall flavor, a complexity if you will.

Later, when cousin T and her husband were in town, I took them to Daikokuya, and even on a off-night, they still thought it was better than what they've had in the Portland area.

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Cousin T ordered the chicken katsu curry, a breaded and fried chicken cutlet topped with beef curry and rice, for $8.95. It also came with miso soup. The chicken was crispy, not greasy. The serving was so huge that she easily took most of it home as leftovers.

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I ordered the Nabeyaki Udon (Japanese Hot Pot Thick Noodle Soup in a Metal Pot) with chicken, tempura, and poached egg for $8.95. According to Guilty Carnivore, the udon noodles used to be hand-rolled, but the person making them took a break and the restaurant has now focused on perfecting their ramen instead. That's a shame because the udon was easily the best dish of the night. The noodles had a nice chew and tenderness, the broth was comforting, and the tempura and other ingredients were just right.

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Mmm. Just the picture makes me want another bowl.

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Later, cousin T got confused and told her husband I didn't care too much for the udon. He got all upset wondering where I can find better. Hmph!

Haha! No, I quickly reassured her and him. I didn't think the ramen was remarkable, and after they ate at Daikokuya, they then realized why. But I did like the udon. I did! :)

Who else ate at Hakatamon?
Guilty Carnivore said he enjoys the hakata-style ramen here, although it still doesn't compare to what he's had in California.

All Oregon posts can be found in the tag, Series: Oregon. I suggest reading this particular trip in this order:
I-5 From LA to Portland
Mom and Dad's Garden
Burgerville - Portland - Oregon
Hakatamon - Beaverton - Oregon
I Think I'll Go For a Walk Outside Now...
Vista Point - Oregon City
End of Oregon Trail Interpretive Center - Oregon City
Stevens-Crawford Heritage House - Oregon City
Museum of the Oregon Territory - Oregon City
Mom's Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Sizzling Crepes)
Blackberry Cobbler
Bonneville Lock and Dam - Cascade Locks - Oregon
Bonneville Hatchery - Cascade Locks - Oregon
Multnomah Falls - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Horsetail Falls - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Wahkeena Falls - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Bridal Veil Falls - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Historic Columbia River Highway - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Latourell Falls - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Crown Point Vista House - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Banh Cuon Tan Dinh - Portland - Oregon (Closed)
Downtown Portland - Oregon
Lan Su Chinese Garden (Portland Classical Chinese Garden) - Portland - Oregon
Powell's City of Books - Portland - Oregon
Mom's Geoduck, Dynamite-Style and Chao Oc (Vietnamese Rice Porridge with Clams)

How to Prepare Geoduck and Razor Clams
Geoduck, Japanese Dynamite-style
Chao Oc (Vietnamese Rice Porridge with Clams)
Le Bistro Montage - Portland - Oregon
Kenny and Zuke's Delicatessen - Portland - Oregon

Hakatamon
10500 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy
Beaverton, OR 97005-3111
503-430-3106
Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

*****
1 year ago today, Maggi seasoning sauce.
2 years ago today, the Year of the Pig began and I showed off the food I got from my family.

8 comments:

  1. I haven't had udon in quite awhile, but the return of the hot weather makes me not want to eat it now. :P

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  2. love your pic quality. Starting up a new blog so one day, maybe it will be as popular as yours. probably not, but a girl can hope. Toodles

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  3. HAHA its funny that I have to say this but I am a noodle king, I love anything noodles, actually I prefer it over rice. Those udon noodles look great, the ramen looked good as well. Doesn't the texture of udon kind of remind you of Banh Canh?

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  4. hehehe... I think that looks like a lovely find! I miss a good thick ramen- thick meaning the soup must be strong in flavour and that one looks like it could jolly well pass the test.

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  5. Ha! Glad you enjoyed the udon. There's a new ramen place in Beaverton that supposed to be really good. We'll try it next time!

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  6. Weezer Monkey,
    Cold weather will come back soon enough.

    Diligent Delitante,
    Is there a reason for misspelling delittante? These photos were taken with my trusty point-and-shoot Canon SD1000, so nothing special. Just keep taking photos and blogging.

    David,
    Yup. I've always called banh canh VNese udon. :P

    Daphne,
    Having ramen tonight! Can't wait! Been craving it for a while.

    Thao,
    I did! It was the ramen that could use some improvement. ;) We'll have to try the new place when I'm home again then!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's true here in Vancouver as well -- at least for us who are LAZY: anything over 20 minutes is "so far!" ;D

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  8. TS,
    Portland is such a compact city. I realize I can drive from one end of town to the other in 15 minutes. So anything beyond that IS far! :P

    ReplyDelete

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