Thursday, april 8, 2021 • ThE BullETiN
GO! MAGAZINE • PAGE 13
FOOD
TRUCKS
& CARTS
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The most common style of ramen is
tonkotsu. Tonkotsu refers to the creamy
broth made by boiling pork bones, fat and
collagen over high heat for many hours.
The tonkotsu broth can be filled with dif-
ferent ingredients. Chashu pork belly is
tender as the tough collagen turns soft by
braising over low heat for a long time. Negi
is shredded green onions. Raw or cooked
bean sprouts called moyashi are common.
Wakame or nori seaweed are typical. Most
will have tamago — a boiled or marinated
egg. While kamaboko, a pink and white
steamed fish cake slice, is also common,
none of the ramen in Central Oregon in-
cluded it.
All of the ramens listed here were excel-
lent. All were made with quality ramen noo-
dles with elasticity and springiness, which
feels full in your mouth, is chewy and flavor-
ful. Contrast this to bad ramen noodles that
will soak up too much liquid and fall apart
or dissolve in the soup.
Where to find ramen
in Central Oregon
Kanpai, 990 NW Newport Ave.,
kanpaibend.com, 541-388-4636
Oisihi, 511 SW 6th St., Redmond,
oishijapanese.com, 541-548-3035
Miyagi Ramen, 550 SW Industrial Way
(The Box Factory), miyagiramen.com,
541-797-7000
Chomp Chomp, 945 NW Bond St.,
chompchomp-bend.com, 541-797-6909
Bend Izakaya Rōnin, 70 SW Century Drive,
Bendizakaya.com, 541-797-4325
Miyagi Ramen, Kanpai and Chomp Chomp tonkatsu
ramens, the most common style of the noodle soup.
KANPAI
While I usually think of Kanpai for su-
shi, they serve a variety of food, including
the best (available) ramen. The pork bone
broth is made with tare — soy, sake, brown
sugar and sweet Japanese rice wine. The re-
sult is a rich, dark, clear broth with a meaty
flavor. A generous helping of incredibly ten-
der and sweet Chasu pork belly slices add
to the meaty base. Big sheets of Wakame
seaweed add the flavor of the sea. A sharp
bit of spice tickled the tongue. The noodles
are very light with a chewy, full mouthfeel.
The whole egg looked as though it had been
marinated for a long time or that it picked
up the dark broth coloring from sitting in
the soup. The egg was on the hard-boiled
side.
In all, it was a satisfying, filling bowl of
ramen with plenty of combined flavors in a
good balance.
OISHI — REDMOND
After the first taste of the ramen from
Oishi, I didn’t want to stop eating it. The
tonkotsu was the more typical light broth
with the creamy consistency of a miso soup
but with a smoky, meaty flavor. The ten-
der pork slices were sweet and smoky, but
there were only three small slices. The noo-
dles were chewy and imbued with a smoky
taste.
A few bean sprouts added a fresh crunch
without overpowering the soup. Green on-
Plenty of tender chashu pork and
mushrooms in Kanpai’s ramen.
ion added dimension, and big sheets of sea-
weed added a hint of salty fish flavor. It was
topped with a halved hard-boiled egg.
MIYAGI RAMEN
Miyagi Ramen opened two years ago to
bring the trend to Bend. As the name im-
plies, Miyagi is the place for ramen. Along
with the tonkotsu ramen, Miyagi offers
three other ramen styles including yuzu-tan
with spicy minced pork, baby bop chow, pea
shoots and black garlic oil; a Spicy Miso that
adds red miso and spicy minced pork; and a
vegan Smoked Shiitake-Cashew option.
Chef George Morris spent time in Japan
and brought back the idea of making Amer-
ican food with Japanese flavors. He spent
two weeks in Tokyo dedicated to getting the
feel of what makes a great bowl of ramen,
and he seems to have succeeded. The small
restaurant seems to have gotten a boost with
a massive demand for takeout. The popular-
ity is well earned.
Miyagi’s Tonkotsu Ramen is also a creamy
broth that was rich and meaty with the com-
plexity of subtle yet distinct onion and herb
flavors. This broth is masterfully crafted.
Unlike the traditional tender pork belly, it
is crispy-edged like the pork belly served
in other cuisines in town. Nonetheless, it
had a tasty, smoky, almost bacon-like flavor.
Crispy sweet potatoes added earthy sweet-
ness. It was topped with Negi cut scallions.
The light, flavorful noodles had a great
mouth feel—chewy and satisfying. It was
topped with a perfectly cooked, soft egg that
wasn’t too runny and held its shape. It was
the perfect complement to the soup.
CHOMP CHOMP
The ramen from Chomp Chomp had the
most ingredients and personality. It was very
umami forward that came from a generous
addition of oyster mushrooms. Like Miyagi,
the pork was tender but crispier than the
traditional chashu pork. There were only
two pieces, which wasn’t enough for pork in
every bite.
While the broth had a creamy consis-
tency, there was not enough in the to-go
order to go with the rest of the ingredients.
(When I previously tried the ramen at the
restaurant, this was not a problem.)
Plenty of other ingredients added a bal-
ance of flavors. Garlic fried cabbage, micro-
greens, and scallions added freshness to the
earthy flavors. The soft-boiled egg was cov-
ered in a Togarashi Seven Spice that adds a
toasty sweetness from orange zest, nuttiness
from sesame and poppy seeds, and a zing
from ginger, red chili, and Japanese peppers.
BEND IZAKAYA RŌNIN
(NOT AVAILABLE NOW)
Sadly, the exceptional ramen at Bend Iza-
kaya Rōnin is not available right now. The
soup’s long process makes it difficult to serve
as the restaurant reopens, and chef Scott
Byers focuses on his chef’s choice Omakase
menu. But it will return in the fall as the
temperatures drop. My description of the
soup is from last year’s review. I’ve enjoyed
it several times for takeout during the shut-
down.
Rōnin’s ramen starts with noodles that
arrive fresh and slightly cooked. They are
added to the pork/chicken-based broth. A
traditional Tonkotsu style ramen, it has ten-
der chashu pork, a square of nori and fresh
Negi, shallots and garlic. The Shoyu-mar-
inated soft-boiled egg steals the show. Its
smokiness flavors the broth and noodles
and stays on your lips after taking a bite of
the soup. The egg may be available on the
menu aside from the ramen. It’s worth a try.
BOP CULTURE
(TEMPORARILY CLOSED)
The ghost kitchen Bop Culture also
served an excellent ramen with thick, tender
slices of chashu pork and a complex broth.
As restaurants open again, there is a short-
age of restaurant workers.
Like other restaurants, they have not been
able to get the staff they need to keep Bop
Culture going. Hopefully, it will return soon,
and we’ll get to taste the rich flavors of their
ramen again.
e e
Reporter: barb@barbgonzalezphotography.com