Wu-Rons — Restaurant in Portland

It’s hard to describe just how great this little ramen shop is, and what it’s meant to me to find this shop among the Portland ramen scene. I’m a HUGE ramen nerd staying here for work, I’ve worked kitchen staff at ramen shops in Vancouver B.C., traveled to Japan multiple times, and I eat probably ~100 bowls on a good year. But rarely do I write a review.

For the ramen-heads I’ll expand more in detail below, but basically: Wu-Rons is FANTASTIC, A+ tonkotsu ramen in the Nagahama style, a true gem, and not just THE BEST overall in Portland, but among the best on the west coast. I’m completely serious. If you love ramen, or you’re looking to support an excellent restaurant run by some amazing, friendly people, you MUST try Wu-Rons! My favorite is the #3 Sapporo Miso ramen, but every bowl is so good. Every time I walk in it’s like being transported to some of my favorite shops in Japan: delicious, consistent, immaculate, and great value for the price.

Since then I’ve talked a lot with chef Taka-san and he’s a great guy who is truly dedicated: takes no shortcuts, every bowl has an impeccable holistic quality, each component meshes together, he clearly thinks about the whole bowl as an experience. His love for ramen seems to float in the air above the bowl, you can just see it.

Long Review: Soup & Tare: Both the tonkotsu and tori-chintan are excellent. The milky-white tonkotsu has A+ clarity and body, bouncy viscosity with rich pork flavor, not too thick, never leaves that heavy-fatty feeling. Aromatics are excellent, strong garlics but not sharp (I think a mix of more pungent garlics with milder bulbs- maybe russian reds?). The umami response is incredible.

The chicken broth is lighter, attractive brown-amber color with layered soy (usukuchi?) notes. I love the miso, well rounded awase-shiro blend without being too wheaty or salt-punchy, though the other bowls use shoyu-tare, but it’s never too salty.

It seems a finishing move is white-pepper powder and lots of sesame seeds (+ perhaps oil) for Nagahama-yatai style. This imparts a nice nutty-sweetness that lingers, but not cloying or competing against the pork. The lard cap is just enough, coating noodles for fantastic slurpability, but not so much that sipping your bowl's finish feels overly fatty. Also tried the mayu: outstanding complex flavors without any burnt/harsh tones (it's incorporated into the whole bowl not just a drizzle, so I'd say save it for a 2nd visit unless you really like black garlic)

Toppings: eggs are flawless (at Marutama in Vancouver, I would boil upwards of 160 eggs each morning, peel, marinade etc.) Soft-boil timing perfect, always with a gummy, not runny yolk, the marinade is just right, not too salty, not too sweet. I'd guess an equilibrium-brine for 24-48 hours. The peel is sensitive, no fingernail chunks or unattractive divots missing. Ajitsuke-tamago of my dreams.

Chashu is a fine unrolled belly, torched to finish (!), not too fatty, slow-roasted-well and cut thick enough (I’d guess ~8mm) so it doesn’t fall apart picking up with chopsticks, but still melts in the mouth. Generous 3 pieces, delicious.

Extras: There’s Sapporo on draft, sake (I recommend the Narutotai), ramune sodas, appetizers like karaage, etc. I’m always ordering extras so I can run up my bill to support this place. I’ve met Taka and his wife now and they’re both friendly and really care to get to know their regular customers. I’ve forgotten to mention “firm noodles please” a couple times but she always remembers my preference. I told Taka-san “I just want you to know I see your hard work, I know the industry can be rough, just don’t change a thing. Your ramen is a triumph. I’m so glad I found you” and you could tell he was moved. That’s what it’s all about.

Portlanders: if my love letter doesn’t convince you that you have something special here, I don’t know what will. Finding this shop has made a stressful period of my life so much better, knowing I can get an amazing meal for a great price served by caring, friendly people. This is the true meaning of...

Overall, the ramen was delicious and flavorful. Service was great and the interior design is super cute. I’ve been to several ramen restaurants and this one is on the mid-higher end list. Here’s the entire rating:

Food: we got #1 and #3. We also got the karaage chicken. The ramen came with two different noodles, the thin and thick version. I personally preferred the thick noodles which is in #3. The broth for the ramen was flavorful and delicious, the pork was a bit charred but not too bad. The karaage chicken is not worth it if I’m being completely honest, it’s not crispy and doesn’t taste like authentic karaage that I’ve had at other restaurants. Wouldn’t get it again. The sauce for it was really good though. The egg in the ramen wasn’t cooked correctly, it’s not an authentic ramen egg. Should’ve been a bit more gooey and runny. They didn’t cut the egg in half like most ramen places do.

Price: the ramen was a bit spendy with the fact that 18% automatic gratuity is added onto the bill with no minimum number of people in the party. So if you’re going as one person, you’ll still end up paying $20 for one single bowl of ramen regardless of service. I’m not sure why they have this as their rule but kind of weird. So I wouldn’t come here often due to the pricing itself.

Interior design: very pretty and great, location is a bit sketchy and weird to find but overall the place is a bit small. So wouldn’t fit a big crowd here. Mostly meant for singles or couples to dine in.

Service: super fast and attentive, waitress refilled water very quickly...

Highly recommend this authentic ramen spot! We tried the signature tonkatsu ramen and the spicy chicken ramen, and both were excellent. The tonkatsu came with thin noodles, while the spicy chicken had thick noodles, both types had that perfect, authentic texture. I honestly couldn’t choose a favorite, they were both so good! The tonkatsu broth was rich, creamy, and deeply savory which is classic and comforting. The spicy chicken broth was lighter, with just the right amount of heat and a touch of sweetness. I loved both and even added an extra portion of noodles! The chashu pork belly deserves a shoutout, it’s so tender, smoky, and melt-in-your-mouth good. I couldn’t stop thinking about how satisfying it would be to have a bowl of rice with it too!!! The broth came out piping hot, so if you’re planning to add noodles, I recommend ordering them early so the soup stays hot when they arrive. Service was great as well. The waitress remembered us when we returned the second time during our stay in Portland. Note: 18% gratuity is included in the check. I’ll definitely be back the next time I’m...