Baka Umai — Restaurant in Portland

11/26/2023: 4.85 out of 5 - It's been awhile since I've done an update (last one was 2022), and Baka Umai deserves an update.

I will keep it short and sweet as it still aligns with my past review.

Came here tonight with my wife and some close friends. With everything happening in Portland in the post-pandemic era, unlike many other eateries, Baka Umai has improved across the board!

Service, the staff, the cleanliness, AND THE MENU ITEMS...WOW!!!

If you have not done so, try it once and decide for yourself, but it's definitely one of my must try recommendation.

Enjoy!

02/05/2022: 4.5 out of 5 - Came to try Baka Umai as a recommendation from my friend, as it's his favorite ramen place (He must live close by as he eats at Baka Umai as often as he can). 😂

Masks are required which is expected, but this establishment isn't partaking in any of the Social Discrimination Policies that some restaurant owners/management are choosing to do.

Now moving on, all orders are done at the counter. Kind of the thing these days. However, do check out the Special Menus that's at the counter. Some surprising items that caught my interest, which may catch yours.

The staff are incredibly nice and accommodating. They were quick to respond to our requests and make some good suggestions, which just adds to a relaxing and enjoyable meal.

The space isn't as big, but it's a comfortable use of the space. Also, the space is quite clean, to include the vents above, which is always one of pet peeves when eating out. Cleanliness says a lot about the business, the owner/management, and the employees.

Now, for the food...we HAD to order A LOT to get a sense of what we're getting into. All in all, WOW! The flavors in the broth were amazing, along with some side dishes. There were a few side dishes that sort of threw me off, but it was because of the combination of flavors that I wasn't prepared for.

All in all, at the end of any meal I often will ask, "Would you come back?" Of course. There were things on Baka Umai's Special Menu that I would like to try, but most importantly, it's because of our initial experience that is drawing me to come back for more. And, of course, not being reference as "others" by a form of discrimination.

So, if you ever get a chance and find yourseld in the neighborhood, definitely try Baka Umai once and decide for...

Extremely nice staff, very clean restaurant. This place is meant for people who enjoy Asian fusion.

I got the midori mazemen. If you like bbq flavors, you will enjoy this. The “crispy” meat was dry and its ends were burnt — intentionally I believe. When I eat it and close my eyes, I imagine this flavor being enjoyed by a man who loves BBQ. There were a few pear slices which I thought was a nice softer flavor compared to the harsher textures of the pulled pork. The menu doesn’t lie — there is hoisin xo sauce in this, which makes this taste like somen stir fry, a more Chinese flavor than Japanese. I am not sure if they rinsed the noodles after boiling, because there was a starchy texture to the noodles too.

My companion got the tantan tsukemen. Usually broth that accompanies tsukemen is thicker, this one was like a thin soup, with a layer of red oil on top. And the ground meat on the top, instead of having that traditional nutty taste, was decidedly more TexMex. It tasted like it was fried in taco seasoning.

This looked like a very popular spot amongst young people. Decidedly, this is for people who enjoy pan Asian fare. This place is decent, just don’t come here expecting Ramen Nagi or Taishoken Ramen type of ramen, and you will be happy. This place keeps its menu honest, and has a nice set up. I think this is ok to try out with an open mind.

Edit: I missed that the tantan tsukemen my partner got was chorizo flavored. Thank you to the owner very much for correcting me. I had not known this restaurant was priding itself on its unique flair (I had expected something traditional), it was my mistake. And when I had the mazemen the next day, I enjoyed it cold, I think I actually preferred it more as a cold dish than hot. The starch does make the flavor stick better. I do like that the owner evolves their cooking and is daring to try different combinations. Thanks for being adventurous, I’ll try to read the menu more carefully and think of the thought and care and personal history chefs put in...

I initially had a very good experience with this establishment but as the night went on the service and my overall experience declined. I kind of expected this but it took quite a long time to get served our food which took about 40 minutes. After receiving our food we were running out of water which came from a water dispenser which was fine and I didn't mind. But when I went up to refill the water from the water dispenser, the water was not coming out. I went to the front counter and I let them know that I want a water because the water dispenser wasn't working and the guy at front counter( I did not get his name) told me that they would try to get water ready, whatever that meant. So I went ahead and sat down thinking that they would come over with a picture of water or something and after 7 to 8 minutes of no water for my girl and I had to ask another employee who was walking around serving others for water in which he was happy to give us some. He was nice enough when serving us our water as I was getting kind of annoyed about the other guys attitude and nonchalantness. So that's the reason why it rated the service has a three. The food was okay and then I am kind of particular about my Ramen. It wasn't the best but it was not bad. I do not prefer the mushrooms inside the ramen but that's more of a preference. My girl end up getting some edamame in which was slightly too charred on the outside to be able to pull the pods out and slightly to greasy or garlicky which is not very preferred. At least not for me for edamame. They were out of deals at which was a downer. The ramen itself was not horrible and I would probably rate at 3.5 out of five. If you're traveling more than 30 minutes for this place, I'd probably wouldn't prefer it and I'll probably go somewhere else. If there are somehow able to cut down the time in which they can serve food then that would be a huge plus for the...