Portland Weekend Japanese Food Experience

🍽️ Dish Reviews: Foie Gras Rice Gets Polished Off Fast, Others Are Forgettable 1. Foie Gras Rice Bowl 🦢 | Tasty, But Greasy After a Few Bites This was the only dish that made my eyes light up a little! The foie gras is pan-fried to order—crispy on the outside, and when you bite into it, it oozes rich, buttery goodness, melting like cream in your mouth. Served over warm white rice with a drizzle of light teriyaki sauce, the first bite was a delight: savory flavors mixed with the richness of the foie gras, making me polish off the whole bowl in just a few bites. But the downside is clear: there’s plenty of foie gras, and by the second half of the bowl, the greasiness starts to weigh on your tongue. Even the pickled cucumber on the side couldn’t fully cut through the richness, and I ended up needing tea to settle my stomach—no "craving more" feeling at all. 2. Uni Pasta 🍝 | Garlic Flavor Steals the Show, Uni’s Umami Is Missing I thought this would be a "uni lover’s dream," but instead, the garlic flavor took over. The pasta is cooked al dente, coated in a rich creamy garlic sauce—at first bite, it’s "incredibly fragrant," but after a few more bites, I realized: the sweet umami of the uni is completely overshadowed by the garlic. You can only taste a faint hint of sea flavor occasionally, making it more like "creamy garlic pasta with a sprinkle of uni bits"—nothing like the bright sweetness you’d expect from high-quality uni. At $28, it feels overpriced. 3. Wagyu Nigiri (2 pieces) 🥩 | Gone in One Bite, No Lasting Impression I ordered two pieces of wagyu nigiri, made with Australian wagyu that had decent marbling. But the taste was just "bland": the wagyu was slightly overcooked, so its fatty aroma never came through. Even with wasabi and soy sauce, all I could taste was "salty-savory"—no "melt-in-your-mouth" texture or milky flavor that good wagyu should have. I popped them in my mouth one after another, and ten minutes later, I’d already forgotten what they tasted like—nowhere near as good as the wagyu nigiri I had in Los Angeles. 4. Half Dozen Oysters with Caviar 🦪 | Fresh, But Tiny in Size The oysters are indeed fresh—each bite bursts with the sweet brininess of the sea, no fishiness at all. The caviar on top isn’t cheap either, with a salty, granular texture that adds a nice layer to the oysters. But here’s the catch: the oysters are tiny! Each one is no bigger than a thumbnail, gone in a single bite. At $32 for half a dozen, it feels like eating "bite-sized snacks that disappear instantly"—not satisfying at all. I might as well buy fresh oysters from the seafood market and roast them myself. 💡 Verdict: A "Backup" Japanese Spot, So-So Value Momoyama’s strengths are "fresh ingredients and a quiet atmosphere," making it good for anyone who wants a peaceful Japanese meal without waiting in line. But its flaws are hard to ignore: high prices and dishes that lack memorability, failing to live up to the hype of "quality Japanese food in Portland." If you’re craving Japanese food in Portland, I’d recommend Akizawa (the spot I tried earlier) instead—it’s way better in terms of both value and "wow factor." #PortlandFood #PortlandJapaneseFood #Momoyama #WeekendEats #NorthAmericanJapaneseFood #PortlandRestaurantHop