Hakatamon

Last time I was there I got the sashimi platter at dinner. I commonly like ordering sashimi with a side of steamed rice when I want to gorge myself at sushi restaurants in one shot. At $13, it was a fairly rocking deal, and the fish - maguro, hamachi, salmon - was fine, and there was a lot of it. However, the sashimi was cut nearly an inch thick, and it made it hard to eat. I presume this is not usually standard? I eat the sashimi for lunch at this place in Wilsonville, and I've also had it at Murata, and it's not nearly as thick.

The last bowl of the standard ramen I had there, which was a couple months ago. I like their broth. That pork melts.

At $5.95, they do a pretty good job with their poke.

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Postby SauceSupreme on Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:37 pm

It's standard at Hakatamon. That was always the upside of their nigiri, that the cuts of fish were huge.

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Postby polloelastico on Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:50 pm
I've had the hamachi nigiri before, and the hugeness tended more towards length than girth as in the the fish draped over the rice would extend almost an inch on either side. I will go on record that it's cut too thick. Maybe I'll ask for a sushi knife next time.

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Postby Flynn on Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:55 pm
It varies pretty wildly, or at least it did. In the beginning of last summer, it was like I was up there trying to cut pieces of sashimi. Not good. Things seemed to get better late summer and the pieces coming out were of a much more suitable width.

I was there yesterday and pulled the trigger on the ramen (couldn't help myself)...and it was one of the best bowls of ramen I've had in town. Broth was appropriately funky, noodles were toothsome and cooked to perfection. All the salt and fat was balanced by the pork flavor. They're still a little skimpy on the accompaniments, but that's ok. I ordered a couple sides of things and was fine.

I've flipped over to the dark side about Yuzu's noodles after this last run at Hakatamon. Since they're not handmade, Jesus H Jones, can Yuzu please buy whatever noodles Hakatamon is using?

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Postby concreteoatmeal on Sun Jan 11, 2009 7:13 pm
Yeah, I thought the same thing about Yuzu's noodles from my first bowl. But the more I think about it, and the more I understand the dynamic of Yuzu, I cant help but think that their REGULAR customer base must like those noodles. Maybe its just us being gijin noodle snobs!? That being said, they still suck to me.

Ill have to try the ramen @Hakatamon soon......maybe lunch today?

http://guiltycarnivore.com/2009/06/03/hakatamon/

I wanted to point out this comment left on PolloElastico's blog:

To answer some mysteries, our ramen is a pork bone based soup, which consists of vegetables, pork parts and bone (tonkotsu) ; which is reduced for 3 days, until bone marrow and veggies are completely broken down. This type of ramen we specialize in is famous in southern Japan, where the city of Hakata is located. The noodles are also different from regular ramen. Biggest difference is the thickness. Since hakata style ramen egg noodles are extremely difficult to produce and perfect, we carefully chose a small noodle shop located in California; and have their fresh (not frozen), handcrafted noodles sent right to our kitchen. To insure the very best tonkotsu ramen, our soup is created weekly; a tedious process in which Hakatamon takes pride in. Come taste the difference.
–James (store manager)

The sashimi seems to be the way to go regarding the fish. The salmon, yellowtail and snapper were all delicious, but the rice was pretty awful. Dry and flavorless, it actually acted as a detriment to the fish on the sushi.

The broth on the tonkotsu ramen was a lot earthier than I remembered in the past. There was a definite flavor of mushroom to go along with the rich pork broth (optionally bolstered by the thin-sliced but still-flavorful and generously-portioned chunks of chashu pork). A dosage of gari pickled ginger goes a long way toward providing some acidity to help cut the richness of the broth.

We now know that the ramen is brought in from another noodle house. What about Hakatamon's former specialty, the udon noodle? I sprung for the nabeyaki udon special, combining tempura shrimp and soft-shelled crab which are in the photo below. What you can't see are hunks of salmon as well as chicken, which are hidden deeper below in the clay pot.

The broth itself was a delicious kimchi broth, and the whole thing kind of registers as one of those kitchen-sink bowls that manage to combine tons of different flavors all at once. Hell, there was even a poached egg floating below the surface underneath the fishcake and the seaweed. Subtlety is certainly not the key here, but it was hearty and delicious. As I scooping the unfinished portion to take home, I even noticed bits of bay scallop that had settled to the bottom.

I also wanted to mention the karaage fried chicken. It's one of the lightest level of breading in town, but it still had a nice ginger flavor. This was a dish that had the table split, ranging from didn't like it, to meh, to this isn't bad. I was in the "this isn't bad" camp.

so how are those noodles you elude to?

The udon is really toothsome. The ramen had a great texture and flavor.

Gotta say, though, (with my limited experience with both) that I prefer Yuzu.

I thought both noodles were pretty good. I've only had the udon here once before, way back before they did ramen, so I can't really remember any details of the old udon, but the current udon is really nice. But I'll echo Angelhair's sentiments exactly. Nice flavor on the Hakatamon ramen noodles, nice texture on the udon.

Hakatamon isn't all about the noodles. Like any homestyle Japanese place, the curries are also top notch. For lunch I had the chicken katsu curry: and it's quite the portion for the price. (The photo doesn't do it any real justice, but trust me, it's quite the large plate of food.) It's served as a lunch special, so you get a bowl of miso soup and a small salad as well.

I finished up all the panko-breaded chicken, but the curry was incredibly meaty, which surprised me actually. Chunks of shredded beef could be found throughout the curry, and so even though I finished all the chicken, the leftovers will still have plenty of protein.

If that wasn't enough, then the app certainly did its share in filling me up for lunch. I got an order of the buta kakuni stewed pork belly. They were out of the spicy mustard, sadly, so there wasn't much to cut the belly's inherent richness. Plenty delicious, regardless.

Hakatamon is definitely one of the better Japanese options available at lunch, and is an incredible value all around. While the noodles and sushi get most of the attention, their selection of rice dishes are also noteworthy.