Tomo Ramen and Izakaya — Restaurant in Portland

Tonkotsu was lacking flavor and broth was bland. Quail eggs were hard as stones, overcooked and inedible. Chashu morsels (small medallions) were ok to mediocre. Noodles not particularly good.

Udon broth was overly sweet, we did not consume more than 1/3 of the dish.

Karaage (which is oddly presented as Kara Age on the menu) was chicken thighs marinated in some kind of sweet miso sauce and also went mostly unconsumed, slightly overcooked and not good.

Service was not any better than the food. No soy sauce available at an Izakaya? Was served soup without a spoon, and edamame without a dish to place husks after extracting the beans.

Meals came out 7-10 minutes apart which speaks to a lack of organization in the kitchen. My son needed a fork for his karaage since each piece was literally an entire boneless thigh. The fork delivered was dirty, needed to be cleaned by a napkin and water, leaving a large brown smear on the white napkin.

We used to frequent this when it was Shokosushi several times a year as its walking distance, and it was a reasonably solid neighborhood establishment. The very light remodel (more of a light redecoration) is a slight improvement, more spacious layout and the addition of decorative red paper lanterns has made it moderately more fun inside.

However, to expand the dining space the doors to the outdoor dining area were left open on a 63 degree evening and the dining room was maybe in the mid 60’s as a result resulting in a chilly dining experience.

We will not be going back, and see this as a step down from the previous...

Overall pretty disappointing experience. We where seated and it took a long while before anyone came over to take our order. In that time we saw 4 other couples be seated and 2 of them have there orders taken before anyone came to help us. After that we waited over an hour for 4 rolls. In that time everybody seated after us was served, waited on and given their checks before we where helped again. No one even came back by to see if we wanted more cocktails.

Eventually I went to the server stand and just asked to get some help and have someone check on our order. I was told the chef just started working on the order. We where eventual brought a very soggy and overly salted seaweed salad as an apology but it was inedible so we didn't touch it.

When our rolls finally came out they where made with so little care that the cucumber and California rolls where in pieces the moment you tried to grab them with chopsticks. The avocado was brown and the cucumber was very limp. All of our basic rolls had a generic teriyaki flavor.

The specialty rolls where better but same as the others made with so little care they where in pieces. The flavors where better but very sweet for some reason.

The patio chairs are crazy uncomfortable as well. If you go, sit outside at a table or inside, your back will thank you.

The moonlight cocktail had a great flavor but was crazy lite in alcohol for $10. The edamame where delicious.

Not to mention the INSANE prices! It was over $70 for 4 rolls 2 drinks and edamame.

I can't imagine us going back or recommending this...

Reading the reviews, there seems to be a wide variety of opinions. Having lived in Japan for nearly 5 years and going to Tani's with my Japanese wife, I think I clear up some confusion. First off, this place is Japanese. Very Japanese, except for the very American rolls which just about every sushi place in America has to sell to stay afloat. The fish is quality (and has a fishy taste) as is the rice, which Japanese people find very important. I personally can't tell quality rice from the worst grade, and I think many Americans miss that aspect when judging sushi. They are also very sake friendly, as their display shows. They have other Japanese food (ramen, tempura, katsu, ect.) which we have yet to try. Just from pictures, this again seems much more Japanese than American style. What I mean by that is smaller portions, quality ingredients and no artificial crap or preservatives.

If you're serious about eating like the Japanese do, this is a good place to go. Most Americans will probably like Saburo more, with non-Japanese people serving enormous pieces of sushi and such. But if you want to do it up with sake and get a real Japanese dinner, then this place would probably cater to you better. They also have a sake sampler with 3 different kinds for you to try if you're not that familiar with it.

In the end, I would prefer to go here where I don't have to wait in line, have some elbow room, eat quality food and enjoy some good drinks in a very Japanese environment. This being America, I'm not sure how many people...