I’ve written about Nodoguro multiple times, so instead of repeating myself explaining Nodoguro I’m going to just jump straight to the recap of the courses on my visit for the Nodoguro Princess Mononoke Sousaku themed dinner.
Nodoguro Princess Mononoke Sousaku
February 21, 2017 by 5 Comments
Nodoguro SupaHardcore
June 10, 2016 by 2 Comments
I’ve written about Nodoguro pretty often, but this was my first time experience their dinner called Nodoguro SupaHardcore. This is also my first, but definitely just the beginning, of experiencing a dinner at their new location at the old Genoa restaurant space at 2832 SE Belmont. The new location is a blend of minimalist Japanese aesthetic with Western modern touches. The back lounge area will eventually be also open for more service which is still to be determined as they get into the groove of their new space and service during these first few weeks.
The main attraction is still the chef counter seating which now has a little bit more room for each guest to comfortably claim versus the tighter seating arrangement at the bar at the old space. Meanwhile, the plating now occurs at a large rolling counter stand in the middle so that everyone can see the magic, but now they have a bit more depth in working space.
So what is this new SupaHardCore dinner format? Well, Nodoguro first started out with they calling the Sousaku Tasting menu, which offers a new theme every 6 – 8 weeks or so that inspires an 11 course Japanese meal – sort of a “kaiseki without the rules”. Some of my favorite examples of these types of meals vary from the smart Haruki Murakami themed or the Totoro themed to now the famous Twin Peaks theme or more recently for me, the Harajuku Theme. Currently, Salvador Dali is the theme, and as of today some July Sousaku dinners are still available!
Then, Nodoguro started offering essentially a sushi experience, featuring 19 courses of sushi and sashimi with seafood from Japan’s Tsukiji and the Fukuoka fish market in a dinner experience they called Hardcore Sushi (I last recapped one when I attended one this past January). Now, SupaHardcore takes the Hardcore Sushi up another level by presenting a 20 course tasting menu that includes the sushi experience of Hardcore, but also including composed courses like from the sousaku dinners, plus also featuring A5 Wagyu and Ossetra caviar.
Elena Roadhouse brought out the certified Wagyu for us to admire/take photos of raw, and then Mark Wooten brought it out after it had been grilled over charcoal.
I was out of the country for their first offering, and when they decided to open their new space I immediately bee-lined to get a ticket (you make reservations online at their website – follow them on social media to know when the tickets go on sale, many will sell out quickly, some in minutes!) for SupaHardcore. Here’s a look at my dinner and what it could be like for you (menus are finalized the night before based on the freshest seasonal ingredients so changes). You can choose wine by the glass, or pairings, or sake instead to go with your dinner as well.
One
Sparkling Wine welcome. Sorry, no photo as I was chatting away and taking photos of the space!
Two
Tofu with jam, uni (sea urchin), wasabi, dashi. This was so silky smooth and rich, and I always love seeing tofu being used like this where it almost feels decadent… but it’s tofu!
Three
Flounder sashimi. I like the presentation, though honestly I’m not personally a huge fan of putting it on ice if it gets too cold.
Four
Sake steamed abalone and abalone liver puree with kelp – it was poached in sake, then pureed with kelp and steamed
Five
This course was the most beautiful to me in it’s little set tray that included (counterclockwise) Oyster with citrus; Prawn Roll with shiso and avocado; Bone crackers with horse mackerel that are dried, deep fried and finished with curry salt; Fava bean salad with tofu; Then our first style of the A5 Wagyu, here sashimi style with uni and Ossetra caviar. Five little plates for the fifth course! Everyone was oohing and ahhing as these platters were put in front of them.
Six
Grilled Japanese Eggplant with dashi and Cold Smoked Black Cod. This was one of my favorite tastes of the night as I love the flavors of that charcoal grilled eggplant whenever it appears at Nodoguro.
Seven
Sashimi course that includes Amberjack, Giant Clam, and Sea Scallop with aged soy and fresh wasabi. I love the texture of Giant Clam.
Eight
Second style of preparation of A5 Wagyu, grilled over charcoal with crushed daikon, fermented yuzu skin, peppers, and ginger blossom
Nine
Shirako (meaning white children… it can be any kind of fish but here it’s sea bream sperm sac) and Onsen Egg in Dashi. So clever, having both types of “eggs” here ha ha… clearly SupaHardCore is taking it up a level on eating adventures for everyone. But, having this way is perfect – you may not think to ever order or try it, but when it’s presented to you as part of these courses, why not go ahead and try it – and be surprised that it’s not at all what you thought.
Ten
The third way we enjoyed the A5 Wagyu, here Sukiyaki style with sake, sugar and soy and then served with a yolk sauce and chrysanthemum flower. I could have eaten like 4 more plates of these.
Eleven
New Zealand Snapper with ponzu sushi
Twelve
Hokkaido Scallop with yuzu juice sushi. Hokkaido is famous for their cold waters that are also full of a lot of nutritious plankton (not for us – for the sea life here…) and so the scallops from here are sweeter and as you can see quite plump!
Thirteen
Aji sushi (Japanese horse mackerel) with shiso and aged soy
Fourteen
Uni sushi (sea urchin) from Hokkaido
Fifteen
Ikura (salmon caviar) with soy and yuzu over rice
Sixteen
Salmon sushi with shiso, fresh ginger, sesame
Seventeen
Kojada sushi
Eighteen
Anago sea eel sushi
Nineteen
Crab Hand Roll with dry curry seasoning and kewpie. You may be surprised that this simple roll was also one of my favorite tastes of the evening. The homemade curry mix that Ryan made was light but with every bite it tasted boldly of curry just like a big plate of curry rice would. I couldn’t believe how much full Japanese curry punch each little bite gave me.
Twenty
Miso Soup, served in a mug. I totally forgot to take a photo of this. I love taking photos to help remember and look back on the meal, but sometimes I just love the socializing with others and put my camera down and don’t remember to get the picture
Twenty One
Buckwheat Tea – since I was already heated up from the miso soup it took me a while and a lot of chatting before I drank my tea and I don’t have a photo either.
Thank you for a wonderful dinner Nodoguro! I, and the whole room I think, got blissfully silent as we enjoyed each of our wagyu courses which were a highlight of the entire dinner. But, the wagyu alone wasn’t the only star – several other courses were just as delicious in a different way, a perfect demonstration with how Nodoguro elevates flavors from everything and anything.
This is why Nodoguro is among the best meals and experiences you can have in Portland – and why I keep obviously coming back like an addict. I would definitely do SupaHardCore again.
To make a reservation, follow Nodoguro on social media Ryan Roadhouse on Twitter and get on their newsletter to hear when tickets are going to be released, and be prepared to look at dates/buy your tickets right at when they are released as some dinners may sell out in less then 15 minutes (particularly the SupaHardcore and Hardcore, “which are offered less frequently). You can also contact them directly to book the entire room for instance for your party.
Would you have tried all these courses? Have you had Wagyu before (even if it’s from the US instead of Japan)?
Nodoguro Harajuku Theme
October 30, 2015 by 6 Comments
I’ve written about Nodoguro themed dinners and also Noduguro Hard Core Sushi Omakase before, and I won’t retread the old material of my love and devotion to their depth of flavor layering, beautiful artful presentation, thoughtful construction of textures and how it works with the theme and as a progression of dishes, how every new theme (every month and a half or so it changes) is a shift in the restaurant decor that transforms it in new creative ways every time.
Instead, let’s go straight to dinner. As always, there was a printed menu at each place setting for me to add to my Nodoguro menu collection – this one was printed on both sides with the courses listings one one side and a little Harajuku illustration on the other
I was fortunate enough that for this dinner, I also got to be reunited with the Three Hungry Broads, and sat next to Mike the Firefighter. We had an amazing time all together chatting and eating, and I also enjoyed meeting the Latino sisters + brother group to my left who were also super fun. Never feel like you can’t come enjoy Nodoguro without a partner – go ahead and come solo, you’ll have a good time meeting new food friends!
OK, I lied, let’s check out the new decor first before the food.
The theme for this visit was Harajuku, which is a neighborhood in Tokyo known for fashion and being a gathering place for urban Tokyo youths from their teens to 20s and the hip culture and trends they embody.
On the counter between where we ate and where the chefs plated food were a few set up scenes with fashion dolls with big blinky eyes and posed onstage, at a pink piano, or with the backdrop of their fabulous apartment.
I loved this idea where the Nodoguro staff dressed up and took a fashion photoshoot on the streets of Hawthorne right by this pop-up restaurant (currently next to Pastaworks until January 2016 – not sure if they will keep the space or move when Pastaworks closes at that time). Each photo really did look like it was lifted from an Asian fashion magazine.
Ok, now dinner.
Course 1: Sea Bream with Citrus and Wasabi
I always enjoy having a clean, fresh start of sashimi to dinner. As for the sake pairings, the first of the flight was actually the Johan Vineyards Pinot Noir Petillant Naturel 2014, a naturally sparkling rose that I drank before I even took a picture of its beautiful strawberry colors (I’ve had it before though at the Hardcore Sushi Omakase dinner).
Course 2: Ankimo and Ground Cherry
Recently, Portland Monthly listed Nodoguro as the 2015 Restaurant of the Year, and described Mark Wooten pictured here helping to plate this dish as “house farmer has a Mad Max haircut and GQ looks”. Also helping to plate is quiet and intense Colin Yoshimoto.
And the silky mouth melting foie gras of the sea, ankimo (monkfish liver) combined with the other secret/not so secret treasure of ground cherry and the fun pop of that roe. I thought this was great with the Ohyama (Big Mountain) Tokubetsu Junmai Sake that offered a bit of sweetness, a bit of grain, floral, and dryness to add more layers of flavor to this course. Another sake that is just too easy too drink and enjoy.
Course 3: Curry Mackerel Sunomono
Chef Ryan made the curry vinegar here and I was thrilled to see such a hefty seafood in the sunomono (more acidic salad course) this dinner with the cured then grilled mackerel. Curry dishes are a common regular Japanese food that is very affordable and hearty.
Course 4: Winter Squash Chanko Cup
Chankonabe is usually a huge hearty one pot stew – think HUGE pots – served to sumo wrestlers as part of their weight gaining diet, and is served in restaurants sometimes operated by retired sumo wrestlers. The more senior wrestlers eat first at the table, and then the next rank down, and next rank etc down to the juniors so I guess this mini version would be what’s left for us from the original giants.
Course 5: Banana Fish with Walnut
With the dehydrated bananas and fish and walnuts I wondered how this was going to work out, but it was fun – fresh and a little sweet that reminded me a bit of the feeling of hope and youth and being a good kinda nutty different that is in Harajuku among the people who hang there. The dish was working well both as an homage to the now defunct Japanese Fashion Brand Banana Fish and it’s creative spirit.
Course 6: Yum Yum Yummy Pork
This dish is a reinterpretation of a gyoza – in Harajuku you can find Harajuku Gyoza, a restaurant devoted completely and totally to only serving Japanese dumplings (usually they are pork). Ryan has ditched the dough outside to let the skin shine for crispness instead and focus on the rich pork belly in the slightly sweet sticky sauce.
I don’t recall exactly when the Shirataki Junmai Ginjo Jozen Mizunogotoshi was poured, but the mildly floral and fruity sake was gone pretty quick and is so light that anyone would enjoy it. I think I complained to Mike that I needed a second of it. And third.
Course 7: Takoyaki with Tomato and Avocado
Another one of my favorites for the evening was this fun and bright Takoyaki with Tomato and Avocado and that delicate coriander flower inspired by takoyaki, a street food version of Octopus Balls without the batter and brightened in flavors.
Course 8: Moshi Moshi Box Bento with Futomaki, pickles and matsutake
There’s always a rice course, and here it is in the form for this dinner of futomaki rolls with delicate buttery matsutake mushrooms on one end and homemade pickled veggies from Phantom Rabbit Farm on the other.
Course 9: Eggs & Things Omelet
The tamago, sweet and light and with all those little layers pressed in, is the sign it’s time to end the meal with dessert and tea approaching…
Course 10: Toasted Corn Crepe and Apricot Cream, Tea
An interpreted twist on the crepes you get at stands in Harajuku filled with fruit and cream and sometimes a whole slice of cheesecake. I had no idea this flavor combination of Corn and Apricot could and would work. That’s why I love coming back, to see the new little food adventures I may experience with combinations in entirely new ways that work by the geniuses here.
And soybean flour us a truly underappreciated underused topping for ice cream – it adds a roasty flavor and contrast of dry texture to a frozen cold dessert that’s marvelous. Here, it does double duty to be a nod to the thin crepe that usually wraps the Japanese creme cone dessert.
My sake here, the Tsukasabotan Yamayuzu Shibori, is perhaps maybe my third such little cup of what Ryan called the sake version Mike’s Hard Lemonade upgraded, but I’ll give it more class and say like a limoncello with such strong Meyer lemon notes that the 5 of us (Broads, Mike and I) indulged in with lots of laughs.
Thanks for another fabulous dinner Nodoguro!
The themed dinners can be reserved by purchasing prepaid dinner tickets at NodoguroPDX for $85 for 9 courses plus tea service which does not include gratuity and beverages (you can pay via cash or credit card via Square reader there).
Which course do you think most interests you? What do you think of how Elena brought the Harajuku theme to life in the Nodoguro pop up space?
Nodoguro Upcoming Offerings, Recap of November MacDonald’s Menu
December 10, 2014 by 3 Comments
This month of December and expanding into January, Nodoguro is offering two different kind of dinner experiences you can choose from. I have written about Nodoguro many times previously, and will recap the November “MacDonald’s” fast food playful theme shortly, but wanted to get this important news out first so you can act upon it.
The first of the two dinner options you can currently choose from is, just as in the dinner I am about to recap, to let chef Ryan Roadhouse take you on a themed journey that includes nine courses, with optional beverages you can order separately or as a pairing when you get there for $85 (gratuity not included). Previous themes included Totoro, Haruki Murakami, a July Tanabata Matsuri Japanese Festival theme, and Firefly, for instance as well.
For December, the theme is GLITTER. Check the website for the dates that are available. There is a recap already from another blogger, Misadventures of Miso, of the Glitter Dinner as well!
In addition, Ryan is also offering this month a couple times and multiple times in January a Hardcore Sushi Omakase experience for $120 (again with optional beverages you can order separately, gratuity not included). If you first got to experience Ryan or wish you had experienced Ryan when he was working at Masu, now’s your chance to try a more traditional Japanese sushi dinner. Some of the fish is being brought directly from the famed Tsukiji Market in Japan, which Ryan and Elena painstakingly pick up from the airport after midnight for you and the fish is extremely high quality, beautiful, and delicious.
AND/OR, you can also buy gift certificates to give to friends and family who you think would enjoy the Nodoguro experience, with or without you! You can purchase the gift certificate on their website on their Reservation page. I also hear he is open to hearing other proposals such as catering or classes, so be sure to inquire if you have ideas and requests. If you could see the small kitchen he currently works at then you would know that he can put together amazing things no matter what is or is not in your kitchen or desired dining space.
You should definitely try to snap up your reservation tickets online ASAP as they are selling out quickly. And, I think both of these fixed dinner prices is a steal considering that Nodoguro and Ryan have recently been the subject of lots of award and praise,. It began just earlier this year with Michael Russell at the Oregonian article “Nodoguro pop-up bringing creative Japanese cuisine to Northeast Portland who helps highlight why you should be thinking pretty hard about trying Ryan’s Hardcore Sushi Omakase.
Then recently Ryan was highlighted as a Rising Star Chef 2014 and Nodoguro listed one of Portland’s Best Restaurants by Portland Monthly, which makes a case for the themed menus that I have been dining at and the upcoming Glitter menu. Ryan and Nodoguro also made the Eater PDX Top 3 List for 2014 Chef of the Year and 2014 Restaurant of the Year. Ryan will also be participating in the exciting Chefs’ Week PDX alongside many of the best and brightest culinary talents in Portland.
After purchasing your reservation online from the Nodoguro website, usually a couple days before your dinner Ryan will email you what the specifics of the menu for your dinner evening will be. During the reservation process you can let them know any constraints you might have (I often dine with a friend who can’t eat salmon and she is always accommodated for, and another time there was someone who could not eat pork).
Dinner from start to finish is about 2 hours or so. The email will let you know when they will start seating, and when you enter they have only a small amount of space so knowing what size parties they need to balance, Elena or someone from the Nodoguro team will let you know where you will be seated. This is when you will also have the chance to peruse the beverage menu and choose to order drinks a la carte or do a pairing.
I am recapping a meal that was last months’ theme which means you can’t get it anymore. However, I like to think it helps you readers who might be researching what the experience might be like by seeing these recaps each month.
As usual, the meals do vary even within the same month or even same week based on what is fresh – I think this time I was unlucky because a very cold weather front came in during November that froze a lot of vegetables, so diners earlier in the month I think got a little bit more.
Large Cola
I know it was described how they created this homemade soda, but I brought a guest this time to dinner who was new to Nodoguro so chatted a lot more than my normal attentive dining so confess I totally missed it, sorry 🙁
Crab, Bread and Butter (Crab, ikura, and dill)
I don’t know what to say except yum…
Wartime Sashimi (soy cured ocean trout and wasabi)
During wartime new fishes entered the Japanese diet as their regular fish were not always available, as represented here by this trout
Tofu nuggets with special sauce (tofu, uni, and aged soy)
I love uni, and keep enjoying the magic Ryan has been pulling off with taking tofu and breaking expectations of what tofu tastes and feels like.
Filet o fish (yuan yaki Ling Cod and tartar sauce)
I can never say no to anything Ryan seems to pull out of that oven every dinner, and this cod is no exception. I was wondering what I would think of this homemade tartar sauce and whether it would get in the way of the beautiful flavors of the fish, but I found it to be a nice contrast and didn’t leave any sauce left on my plate.
Chocolate Sukiyaki (wagyu sukiyaki, potatoes, miso, chocolate)
The addition of chocolate is so genius here. I haven’t seen this in the US, but in Asia sukiyaki is a type of fast food restaurant in which you don’t grab and go, but you sit at tables that have big pots of boiling broth. You are given pretty much raw ingredients (your choice of fish, pork, chicken, beef, potatoes etc) to cook in and because the broth is already so hot everything cooks extremely fast. It’s a family style meal where everyone gathers all at once simultaneously cooking and eating together but without having to prep anything beforehand and clean anything else up at the end.
Coco Ichiban salad (Persimmon and root vegetables with curry vinegar)
Coco Ichiban is a curry chain restaurant, so you might have expected a curry dish but Ryan took it up a level by cooking curry down to use as the dressing!
Yoshinoya bowl (seared Bonito, onion, Mizuna, and spicy soy)
Yoshinoya is a rice bowl chain restaurant famous for their beef on top of rice, though you can also get other proteins to top your rice bowl.
Omelet with Rice! (dashimaki tamago)
Kit Kat
I couldn’t think of a better choice unless it was pocky because seriously Kit Kats are so well loved there. If you ever see Green Tea Kit Kat, buy it. You will get obsessed over it like so many others who have fallen for its flavors… but this upgraded fancy Kit Kat from Nodoguro with whipped coconut milk in the back is excellent too.
Hamburger snack (manju) and Drive thru Coffee
OMG the most adorable little manju I’ve ever seen, and that was a high bar given the previously I’ve admired the rabbit in the moon one at a previous Nodoguro dinner.
I have to give a big hand again to Elena who always puts together the atmosphere for the new theme each month- it’s the second thing I look forward to, after the food of course. I want to see what food magic Ryan and partner in crime Mark Wooten of supplier Phantom Rabbit Farms has put together, and I want to see what decor Elena and her father/children have created. I was all excited like I haven’t been over Happy Meals for a long time when I saw the treats inside… which ha ha I’m not sharing the pics with you but they are super cute toys. I somehow missed the Menu Board that Misadventures with Miso did capture, so be sure to check out the recap at that blog as well, MwM seems incredibly knowledgeable about Japanese cuisine and understands the inspirations Nodoguro is rifting off of much better than I did.
Follow on Twitter Nodoguro or Ryan Roadhouse to keep up for when new tickets or events for more Nodoguro Upcoming Offerings announcements as they come.
What do you think of the Nodoguro take on Japanese fast food? I’m sort of inspired by the idea, though I couldn’t do it with Japanese fast food, but a dinner using American fast food inspirations could be a fun challenge!
September Nodoguro Theme Totoro
October 3, 2014 by 6 Comments
I think this has been my favorite tablescape yet, with September’s Nodoguro theme Totoro from My Neighbor Totoro, a film by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.
Seriously, at nine courses for $85, these Nodoguro PDX dinners are such an amazing value. Now that Evoe has closed and the space next to Pastaworks on Hawthorne is theirs, I expect Nodoguro to start settling in now that it’s not a hobo that needs to pop up at different locations.
So far, the main noticeable change is the expansion of when they can have their dinners: the one I attended was on a Saturday evening, instead of being limited to Tuesday and Wednesday nights like before. The chalkboards that used to list the Evoe menu have been wiped clean, and I hope that Ryan and Elena will display all the various paintings that have been created for each of the past pop-up dinner themes, sort of like a Nodoguro Art Exhibit. Although I loved Totoro, and of course the food and my dining companions, one of the highlights this past dinner was meeting Elena’s father, who paints an art piece each month reflecting the latest Nodoguro theme. I would be proud to hang any one of his work on my walls at home!
A new addition to the menu is that Nodoguro also debuted a pairing menu for their courses that was suggested by a very knowledgeable guest and locally known drinks connossieur Paul Willenberg. At $50 for six beverage pairings, and at least at my seating everything but the beer was a full pour (and the beer was still at a generous 10 ounces), it’s another bargain value and all together makes for a very filling meal indeed. There were several bottles that I jotted down the name on my phone to seek out later as they were great unique finds, and I loved being introduced to them. I would definitely recommend the pairing menu.
If you are going to explore and be taken on a culinary adventure, might as well go all in right? So eat light the day you are coming to your dinner!
I knew I was going to have a fabulous time when I saw the new Nodoguro host standing there to greet us as we arrived. I hope they continue to employ him because he was so welcoming and warm and I immediately felt comfortable.
Meanwhile, on the side of the wall that is usually the latest Nodoguro theme painting, a projector instead showed the Totoro movie while just below the screen seemed to be a little shrine…
The tablescape also included Totoro on the menus for food and drink, and peeking at guests as they dined from the terrariums. A dragon also was a callback to another Hayao Miyazaki film, Spirited Away.
First Course: Phantom Rabbit Melon slice
I can’t get over Totoro with his little “o” on his mouth watching me eat this melon with the champagne pairing, as you can see in the last photo in the background. I can never complain with starting a meal with a pairing that includes sparkling, in this case the Lamiable Champagne Brut Grand Cru.
Also in the background, as a little dinner party group we also decided to bring some corn as a little joke to Nodoguro – the youngest daughter bringing a fresh sweet corn to her mother is an important plot point in the Totoro movie.
Second Course: Poached Octopus with Wasabi and Citrus
A glimpse of Chef Ryan Roadhouse slicing the Poached Octopus like a ninja.
Don’t be afraid of the little suckers of these tentacles- eating these was so soft, reminiscent of the texture of a poached lobster, this was so tender.
Third Course: Tomato Oden with Ham and Eggs
Teamwork in plating the course between Ryan Roadhouse and Mark Wooten!
And the beautiful result of two tomatoes, 3 year aged ham, and egg yolk cream…
Not pictured is the beautiful glass of the next beverage pairing, a 2013 Fossil and Fawn Rosé of Pinot Gris, Crowley Station which was just lovely. I thought I took a photo of it to show the colors of that beautiful rose color (in fact it bordered more on strawberry red than a light pink!) of this Pinot Gris with the tomato, but apparently I got excited and just ate this dish.
Fourth Course: Dungeness Crab and Fennel Sunomono
Time for a little palate cleanser with the “salad” course of sunomono, which as Ryan wryly explained, is “stuff in vinegar”.
What is this tubular vegetable thing? Oh says Ryan offhandedly, just Uni wrapped in Kelp. No big deal.
Fifth Course: Monkfish Liver Torchon with Ground Cherry Miso
I don’t know why I’ve been so lucky to get to eat delicious rich fatty liver for 3 weeks now!
This is where I had my very favorite pairing, which was the Fuku Chitose “Happy Owl” Yamahai Junmai sake that had a very mushroom quality to the flavor that really complimented the melt in your mouth liver torchon here.
Sixth Course: Smoked Salmon and Nanban Carrots
As soon as they opened the oven the room practically fell into silence as we breathed in heavily the incredibly smoky aromas of this dish.
This time Ryan went with smoked alder on sashimi grade salmon, and the beautiful colors of the corn and carrot flowers adding some delicacy to this big hunk of fish that just tenderly flaked off with our chopsticks. I almost wished I had a whiskey to enjoy with this, but the sake also went well in emphasizing the grand earthiness of this dish.
Seventh Course: Chiashu with Turnip, Miso, and Walnut
This chiashu is a call back to Spirited Away, which is one of the foodiest movies Hayao Miyazaki has made. In the movie, the heroine’s parents are turned into pigs as they eat like pigs at an empty restaurant stall on food probably much like this luscious pork belly. I imagine if I saw an empty foodstand with the dish lined up like this, it would indeed be a mighty strong temptation…
The mustard greens and the beverage pairing, a 2012 Johan Vineyards Blaufränkisch (a grape I had never heard of until I was introduced at this meal, and was very pleased to make the acquaintance and look forward to being friends) were a great contrast to the richness of the meat. Yet, at the same time the Blaufränkisch was contrasting it with a hint of spice, the wine was also wonderfully complimenting the meat with its round fruit that is silky and rich without heavy tannins.
The miso was providing extra umami along with a bit of salt highlight, and the turnip here being a nod to the use of radish.
Can you tell I was excited by this slow roasted pork dish?
Eighth Course: Satsuki’s Bento
This is the Nodoguro interpretation of the bento box that the older sister character puts together for her family in the My Neighbor Totoro movie. This was the only pairing that I didn’t like, as at least for me the Upright Six dark rye saison beer had caramel notes that I didn’t understand with the mackerel fish and Italian plum flavors of this rice bowl.
Ninth Course: Tamago Sushi
On the other hand, I did like the Rye Saison beer with the rice stuffed sweet rolled egg!
Tenth Course: Acorn, Figs, and Honey
Acorns play a big part in Totoro, so I was not surprised to see them in the decorative elements of the restaurant this month as well as in a dish. This was paired with a 2001 Jos. Christoffel Jr Orziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese, a terrific riesling that offered both sweetness that blossomed into spiciness that was so incredibly I preferred drinking it alone to eating it with the food so I could enjoy its complexity.
In this dish, the acorns are in gel form and paired with popped soba and figs right from the chef’s personal family garden and some Bee Local Honey (no surprise as besides having amazing honey, I saw these two dark haired curly gentlemen Ryan at the and Damian of Bee Local right next to each other at the Feast Oregon County tables on Saturday.
Tea Service: Moon Manju with Peppermint Tea
And then all too soon, it was the end, with the traditional Japanese tea service of a manju with a rabbit on it (a popular folklore in Asian cultures is that a rabbit lives on the moon) and the peppermint tea which started as green tea and then added the peppermint layer.
It was a pretty delicious dinner, as always… interestingly enough, there is a LOT of food in the Hayao Miyazaki films, particularly Spirited Away which had tons of food including a street full of food stalls inspired by the town of Jiufen in Taiwan. Maybe some day in the future… a repeat with dishes inspired by more films?
The October theme for the Nodoguro Dinners is “A Tribute to Water”. Check the website often as they will sometimes announce new dates! Buy your seats and experience what I think is the best Japanese cuisine in Portland!
Some of the draft courses (dependent on what is best and fresh at the time of the dinner, they even change it out during the month sometimes as needed) include dishes like
- Charred Hakurei Tofu with ikura, and Matsutake
- Hirame Usuzukuri (a thinly sliced Halibut sashimi served with Ponzu sauce)
- Orca beans, scallop, Uni, and water pepper
- Air dried Sanma with citrus, and grated karaine
- Duck, Soba, and Chrysanthemum
- Chocolate and Filbert Beer Float
Get your tickets at the Nodoguro website!
