Meet the newest celebrated japanese ramen shop to open in Portland - OregonLive.com

Kizuki came first, though that chain already had outposts in Seattle. Then, previous this year, Marukin opened two stores, one in Southeast Portland, one downtown.

This week, Afuri turns into the latest japanese ramen chain to launch its first u.s. place in Portland, bringing a most advantageous hits menu to a space next door to The Commons Brewery.

"We had so many decisions of cities, however we basically appreciate what Portland has already with water, beer, espresso, tea, wine and ingredients," talked about grasp sake sommelier Taichi Ishisuki. "This concept would not exist devoid of Portland."

Wait, did he say water?

Let's returned up. Hiroto Nakamura opened Afuri's first store in Tokyo's Ebisu nearby in 2005. more than 10 years later, the chain has elevated to 6 locations throughout Tokyo.

After a nationwide search that took the Afuri crew from manhattan city to San Francisco, the group settled on Portland. Ishisuki says they chose the metropolis for an easy cause: The fine of its Bull Run water.

"I need our jap and Portland stores to have the identical fine of products," "We want that water and exquisite constituents."

An advance seem on the menu shows five bowls of ramen -- Afuri's signature yuzu-shio (salt broth), torigara shoyu (soy broth), spicy torigara shoyu, vegan truffle miso and tori-paitan, a kind of tonkotsu made with chook.

past ramen, Afuri will serve sushi, rice bowls, robata and genshiyaki, a method of cooking skewers round a tower of coals set right into a sunken hearth (irori). The restaurant has tapped Hiroto's brother, ramen master Shigetoshi Nakamura of manhattan city's Nakamura, and Yoji Harada, the former government chef of Michael Mina's Pabu, to support run the kitchen alongside Afuri Japan's company chef Takeshi Kumazawa.

at the back of the bar, Afuri will pour a different yuzu-scented farmhouse beer made in collaboration with The Commons, sakes hand-picked via Ishizuki, a white- and rosé-heavy wine checklist, cocktails from ChefStable's Ryan Magarian and a huge preference of eastern whiskey.

although Afuri has been quietly open for the previous two weeks, Tuesday's grand opening brings steadier hours, plus guarantees of upcoming lunch and weekend brunch service.

923 S.E. seventh Ave., 503-468-5001; afuri.us

-- Samantha Bakall

sbakall@oregonian.com