Chef Naoko’s Shizuku

Recently, Chef Naoko‘s Bento Cafe remodeled the space next to it on SW 12th and Jefferson. That space recently opened as Shizuku, an expansion to a larger space and a more zen tranquility of a dining space. They still include meals in a lacquered box but also a handful of small plates or a six course kaiseki option. Here’s my closer look at Chef Naoko’s Shizuku.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of visiting Chef Naoko’s Bento Cafe before, it’s been consistently operating as a tiny hole in the wall cafe serving bento box Japanese meals since 2008. Everything is made to order so definitely not made for anyone on a tight schedule, but your patience is rewarded with healthy food freshly made with the care that you would find right at home from a hometown restaurant in Japan. The natural organic ingredients are seasonal and she purchases directly from local farmers.

Generally, you order a bento box or a rice bowl with one of a small selection of proteins available, including vegetarian and vegan friendly options. A bento box meal is served in a lacquered tray with multiple small compartments inside that include a side salad, four small side items, steamed rice (choice of white or brown, we both got brown rice) and organic miso soup. Proteins vary from Teriyaki Organic Chicken to Carlton Pork Tonkatsu to Grilled Wild Salmon or Ota Tofu.

Below, you see the lunch bento of Tonkatsu Bento with Panko Fried Carlton Pork Loin. Here’s a look at the entire box, and a closer look at the four sides.

This is my favorite tonkatsu I’ve found in Portland in that it is what I would get in Japan in that although it’s fried it isn’t greasy, and while the outside is crispy and light with its own flavoring (and not just oil and breading), while the inside is juicy flavorful good quality pork.

This is the vegan lunch bento box with Ota Tofu and seasonal farm vegetables with house teriyaki sauce

Here’s a look at what a dinner bento looks like at Shizuku, where it’s called Shokado. They describe Shokado as an abbreviated kaiseki meal in a square lacquered box with various dishes inside, and again you also get a choice of protein for the main. This one is Ota Tofu Steak along with a little sweet soybean; marinated tofu with vegetables like carrots, sweet potato, and snap pea; salad; pickled cucumbers; and a special stickyish rice from Shizuoka Japan with chestnuts and mushrooms that is usually served during holiday New Year’s.
 

For more vegetarian/vegan options, there was also a small plate of Handcrafted Tofu. When we visited, that evening it was handcrafted hazelnut tofu with sesame sauce, one of a handful of cold small plates available.

Or, there was this hot small plate during dinner of vegan Miso Glazed Ota Tofu with Oregon Mushrooms, one of half a dozen hot small plate options
 

I ordered the kaiseki, six courses that includes a catch of the day wild sashimi cousre and choice of main dish with rice and miso soup. The kaiseki dinner started with the same Handcrafted Tofu you saw above of handcrafted hazelnut tofu with sesame sauce. The second course was then this tray below of four small side dishes that included the kuromane sweet black soybean; tofu and julienned vegetable; tofu with vegetables like carrot, sweet potato, carrot and daikon; and the roast beef. You will notice two of the dishes match what was in the vegan shokado.

The miso soup here is not vegetarian, as you can see from this clam…

The kaiseki six course dinner option at Chef Naoko’s Shizuku includes a fresh wild catch of the day sashimi plate, which for this visit was sea bass and stone fish

Next course of Grilled tofu topped with crab, asparagus, and carrot

For my main, I picked the kikuni, or pork belly, here it is served with a sweet potato croquette and special rice from Shizuoka Japan with chestnuts and mushrooms that is usually served during holiday New Year’s.

Besides Green Tea Ice Cream, make sure you check out what is the dessert of the day: for our visit it was Matcha Souffle Cheesecake

Lunch is walk ins only, but you can make reservations for dinner via OpenTable or by calling. They are open Tuesday through Saturday. Both lunch and dinner are cooked to order so prepare for an experience that is relaxed and authentically Japanese but with the bonus of local seasonal organic ingredients and tasty and healthy.

Have you been here before? Have you had bento boxes before?