Biwa, Portland, Oregon Restaurant Details

Food:

Great food with lots of variability, just sightly to expensive overall. The fried chicken and ramen were my favourites, and went together very well.

Food:

Health and wellness charge WTF!! I thought my boyfriend was going to have an aneurism. Plus the food was way overcharged and the ramen was just ok! Will not be back again!!

Food:

Love Biwa, especially because the menu is written in phonetic Japanese, or 'romaji', and you feel the light buzz of a late night izakaya in Japan. We had a delectable cut of yellowtail sashimi that set the tone for the special occasion that it was. I probably wouldn't order the ramen again (the broth was really too salty) but also because there's so much else to try.

Food:

Creativity gets in the way of recipes. I know fusion food is very trendy right now and coming here, I wasn't expecting authentic Japanese food. That being said, this is mostly American food in the shape of Japanese food.

The karaage stood out as the biggest disappointment. Traditional karaage is marinated dark chicken meat that is fried with a light and airy batter. The result is a very flavorful and moist chicken. Unfortunately, the karaage here was more akin to southern fried chicken. They use white meat (which is a fine substitute if done well, but this was very dry) with a mustard wasabi dipping sauce. The dipping sauce was a poor pairing with the chicken and would have gone much better with the creamy texture of the beef tartar (yukke).

That being said, not every plate was bad. I thought the isobeyaki was excellent. It is soy sauce brushed mochi and mozzarella, toasted and wrapped in shiso (Japanese basil) and nori (dried seaweed wrap). I thought this was spot on and was the high of the whole meal.

Food:

Wonderful ramen. And the snacks are great. Sitting at the little bar on the side right next to the grills is a cozy and intimate experience. And it inspires ordering many more dishes as you see them made.