KIZUKI RAMEN & IZAKAYA OPENED NEW RESTAURANT IN Uptown Shopping Center Features “Most Authentic Ramen Experience”

The restaurant is located in Uptown Shopping center at (233 NW 23rd place Portland Oregon 97210).

Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya, called Kukai in Tokyo, has been frequently featured and published in Japanese magazines, television and guidebooks in Japan. They opened their first store in the US 2012 in Bellevue, WA, and now has nearly 20 locations in the U.S. across the Pacific Northwest, Illinois, and Indiana.

Recognized by the media (see index) as the Best Ramen in Seattle, Chicago, and Portland, and also the top 10 Ramen in the US, Kizuki lives up to its reputation by bringing Japanese Ramen to its customers just like how it is in Japan.

SIGNATURE BROTH PRODUCTION PROCESS TAKES MORE THAN 10 HOURS

Kizuki’s signature ramen broth comes from its unique method of roasting bones before boiling. Similar to the French style of making consommé, Kizuki was the first in the history of the ramen industry to employ this method, which results in clear, yet rich-tasting soup. Roasting the bones first also imparts an aromatic roasted flavor to the stock while removing gamey animal scents. Kizuki maintains the high quality and consistency of their soup by measuring the concentration with a refractometer every day. Just the process of making the broth takes more than 10 hours.

VARIETY OF NOODLES FOR THE PERFECT PAIRING

In order to present the most authentic Japanese Ramen, Kizuki insists their noodles be the same as those used in Japan. The composition, taste, length, width, and firmness must meet the Japanese standards, so the wavy noodles are able to absorb the rich broth. Kizuki has five different types of noodles for perfect the pairing, including vegan kale noodles and gluten-free yam noodles.

THE SECRET TO JUICY, AROMATIC CHASHU

Kizuki also goes to great lengths in the process of making their “chashu”, the roasted pork. Kizuki features two types of chashu. The standard chashu, a thin moderate lean meat, is quite cumbersome and laborious. Other ordinary ramen shops marinate pork after boiling in water. Kizuki has a whole different 3 step process: searing the pork first, then marinating, and finally roasting. In the first step, they sear pork with high heat which seals in the juice. Then, they marinate and roast the pork for several hours. This way, the pork will be not only flavorful, but also maintains very juicy. Lastly, the chashu is grilled once again before it is served to the customers to increase the aroma. The second type of chashu, the fatty one, uses pork belly to create a very soft texture which melts in your mouth. 

SOFT BOILED EGG – SIMPLE BUT DIFFICULT AT THE SAME TIME

The Kizuki egg has a flavorful runny yolk. It must go through 6 different inspections before serving to ensure the best quality, the boiling time has to be perfected down to the last second in order to produce a perfectly soft, runny egg yolk. The process often is described as trying to shoot a running target; every second mattes. Then marinated overnight in a house-made sauce that best compliments the ramen broth.

AUTHENTIC FROM CULTURE TO INTERIOR DESIGN

Kizuki does not only serve authentic Japanese ramen but aims to provide the whole Japanese ramen experience. As you walk into the restaurant, you’re greeted with enthusiastic “Irrashaimase”, Welcome in Japaness; staff wears the familiar bandana seen in most ramen shops in Japan and most importantly, you can directly look into the kitchen to see the huge pots of soup cooking. The design of the restaurant is modern, trendy and yet typically Japanese with warm undertones of wood and Japanese art on the walls. The kitchen is fully open and customers are free to interact with the cooks and watch them make ramen in the kitchen. Kizuki flew a top designer from Asia just to look at the space and carefully design everything from the seating, lighting to the chairs and tables. Kizuki wanted to bring not just high quality, authentic Japanese food from Japan but also, a level of restaurant environment that has never been seen before in Texas.

Pictures shown are from other existing locations

KIZUKI OFFERS A WIDE RANGE OF AUTHENTIC JAPANESE RAMEN & IZAKAYA ITEMS

Known for its authentic Ramen dishes, Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya meticulously prepares the ingredients for its fresh-made entrees daily. Every dish served is made to order and customized with your choice of 15 different toppings – everything from Chicken Chashu, Bamboo Shoots, Fish Cake, Flavored Broth and Fatty Pork Belly Chashu to Woodear Mushrooms, Roasted Seaweed, Beansprouts, Tofu, Scallions and more.

Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya offers many different Signature Ramen dishes, including:

Garlic Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen – Extra-rich specialty, with Yamaguchi Soy Sauce Pork broth with fresh garlic and black garlic oil.
Yuzu Shio Ramen – featuring French Sea Salt, Kelp and made with a Japanese Citrus Base.
Chicken Rich Ramen – an all-chicken entrée with a hearty broth topped with Chicken Chashu.
Miso Ramen – consisting of a rich Pork Broth blended with Hokkaido Miso and a garlic paste.

As the perfect complement to its Ramen, Kizuki’s Izakaya menu offers a myriad of flavorful selections, including:

Chicken Karaage (No.1 popular item)
Takoyaki Octopus Dumplings
Geso Karaage (squid tentacles)
Gyoza (pan-fried dumplings)
Japanese Pork Bun (Tender Pork Belly)
Potato Croquette
Prawn Cutlet
Spinach Goma-Ae (boiled spinach)
Vegetable Tempura

Rounding out its menu is a selection of rice dishes, including Chicken Chasu Don (poached chicken), Karaage Don (chicken Karaage with salad greens), Pork Chashu Don (grilled Chashuwith seaweed) and Ten Don (assortment of tempura vegetables and shrimp).

Kizuki Ramen’s Katy location will start its official grand opening on Wednesday, Apr 27th, for an entire month, if your name starts with “K, A, T, Y”, you will be eligible to receive free appetizers on selected weeks (please follow @KizukiRamenUSA for event information). We are serving Kid’s Meal for free for children 8 years old & under on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during Grand Opening month.

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