On My Plate

Hi, my name is Lydia. I'm a Portlander, a foodie, an artist, and a board gamer.

This blog is my way of sharing great food worth sharing for.
CARAMELIZED FENNEL BROTH RAMEN WITH BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN On it: caramelized fennel broth, Japanese eggplants, rice cakes, ramen noodles, yam, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, Chinese broccoli, cress sprouts, and an add on of buttermilk fried chicken served with orange dot sauce, pickled mustard seeds in an aioli base. Even though the broth was vegetarian broth, but it was full of flavor. I like the varieties of vegetables in the bowl, made it colorful and fun to eat. I always love to add a side of buttermilk fried chicken, I dipped it in the soup, and ate it while the skins were still crispy. Type of cuisine: Japanese-American. Location: Boke Bowl, a restaurant located on SE Water Ave, between Yamhill and Salmon. Price: $8.50 + $3 fried chicken. *Only served during lunch.

CARAMELIZED FENNEL BROTH RAMEN WITH BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN

On it: caramelized fennel broth, Japanese eggplants, rice cakes, ramen noodles, yam, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, Chinese broccoli, cress sprouts, and an add on of buttermilk fried chicken served with orange dot sauce, pickled mustard seeds in an aioli base.

Even though the broth was vegetarian broth, but it was full of flavor. I like the varieties of vegetables in the bowl, made it colorful and fun to eat. I always love to add a side of buttermilk fried chicken, I dipped it in the soup, and ate it while the skins were still crispy.

Type of cuisine: Japanese-American.

Location: Boke Bowl, a restaurant located on SE Water Ave, between Yamhill and Salmon.

Price: $8.50 + $3 fried chicken.

*Only served during lunch.

PORK RAMEN WITH FRIED CHICKEN On it: ramen, pork broth and pork, yam, Chinese broccoli, a little bit of green onion, and fried chicken. There is nothing subtle about this bowl; it’s a ramen punch right in the mouth. The broth is dark and strong, both salty and sweet. The pork is tender, flavorful, and ladled in generously. The vegetables are an afterthought, but well-balanced and well-selected, and they add a nice textural variety to the noodles, which have the solid, serious, slightly resistant bite of really good udon. The chicken, a $3 add-on, is totally superfluous to this particular bowl (it probably works better with Lydia’s favorite, the caramelized fennel broth), but to miss the chicken here is to miss the point. It’s a house specialty, fried in a rich salty crust and topped with “orange dot sauce,” pickled mustard seeds in a light aioli. The sauce works equally well on the chicken or dispersed into the ramen. One thing I like about Boke is that, though their bowls are pretty unapologetic, they’re also complex, and they’re not all starch and salt. Certainly there’s plenty of both, but Boke doesn’t need shortcuts to delight the mouth and brain. Type of Cuisine: Japanese-American. Location: Boke Bowl, located on SE Water Ave, between Yamhill and Salmon. *Note that Boke Bowl is only open for lunch, though on Thursday nights there is some sort of chicken extravaganza called Boke Bird. Price: $12 (including $3 chicken). Guest blog: Rachel.

PORK RAMEN WITH FRIED CHICKEN

On it: ramen, pork broth and pork, yam, Chinese broccoli, a little bit of green onion, and fried chicken.

There is nothing subtle about this bowl; it’s a ramen punch right in the mouth. The broth is dark and strong, both salty and sweet. The pork is tender, flavorful, and ladled in generously. The vegetables are an afterthought, but well-balanced and well-selected, and they add a nice textural variety to the noodles, which have the solid, serious, slightly resistant bite of really good udon.

The chicken, a $3 add-on, is totally superfluous to this particular bowl (it probably works better with Lydia’s favorite, the caramelized fennel broth), but to miss the chicken here is to miss the point. It’s a house specialty, fried in a rich salty crust and topped with “orange dot sauce,” pickled mustard seeds in a light aioli. The sauce works equally well on the chicken or dispersed into the ramen. One thing I like about Boke is that, though their bowls are pretty unapologetic, they’re also complex, and they’re not all starch and salt. Certainly there’s plenty of both, but Boke doesn’t need shortcuts to delight the mouth and brain.

Type of Cuisine: Japanese-American.

Location: Boke Bowl, located on SE Water Ave, between Yamhill and Salmon.

*Note that Boke Bowl is only open for lunch, though on Thursday nights there is some sort of chicken extravaganza called Boke Bird.

Price: $12 (including $3 chicken).

Guest blog: Rachel.

KUMAMOTO RAMEN On it: cha siu pork, kikurage mushrooms, green onions, red picked gingers, sesame seeds, straight noodles, in pork broth with roasted garlic oil. I loved the rich tasty soup but not too heavy like real Japanese ramen! The topping combinations were also perfect with the thick soup. This ramen tasted like a real Kumamoto Ramen in Japan. After I had it I already wanted to eat one more. Type of cuisine: Japanese. Location: Shigezo, an izakaya style Japanese restaurant, located on SW Salmon St and 9th. Price: $9.50. *Only served during dinner time. Guest blog: Fumi, check out her blog here.

KUMAMOTO RAMEN

On it: cha siu pork, kikurage mushrooms, green onions, red picked gingers, sesame seeds, straight noodles, in pork broth with roasted garlic oil.

I loved the rich tasty soup but not too heavy like real Japanese ramen! The topping combinations were also perfect with the thick soup. This ramen tasted like a real Kumamoto Ramen in Japan. After I had it I already wanted to eat one more.

Type of cuisine: Japanese.

Location: Shigezo, an izakaya style Japanese restaurant, located on SW Salmon St and 9th.

Price: $9.50.

*Only served during dinner time.

Guest blog: Fumi, check out her blog here.

April 2012

I am sorry that I am behind in posts, but I am excited about my current theme: ramen! Lately, I have been eating a lot of ramen with friends and family. I thought of adding excitement for my blog: aside from my own posts, there will be posts from friends reviewing their favorite ramen!

March 2012

As you probably noticed, I have been taking a break from blogging this March. During the break, I decided to extend the length of the themes in the future. This means, I will no longer doing one theme per month, instead I will go as long as I need to explore more places to search for delicious meals worth sharing for.

No promises, but I came up with some of the future ideas for themes: ramen, crepes, and uncommon ethnic cuisines. 

NUTELLA AND FRESH BANANA On it: waffle, nutella, fresh banana, whipped cream, topped with hot fudge sauce, and sprinkled with cinnamon. In general, I like nutella and fresh banana for toppings on my desserts, because it has always been predictably good. Therefore, I was pleased that it was true for this waffle treat. In addition to that, it was great that the waffle was thick, and warm. Type of cuisine: American. Location: The Waffle Window, a waffle shop located on the corner of SE 36th Ave and Hawthorne, on the side of Bread and Ink Cafe. Price: $4.00.

NUTELLA AND FRESH BANANA

On it: waffle, nutella, fresh banana, whipped cream, topped with hot fudge sauce, and sprinkled with cinnamon.

In general, I like nutella and fresh banana for toppings on my desserts, because it has always been predictably good. Therefore, I was pleased that it was true for this waffle treat. In addition to that, it was great that the waffle was thick, and warm.

Type of cuisine: American.

Location: The Waffle Window, a waffle shop located on the corner of SE 36th Ave and Hawthorne, on the side of Bread and Ink Cafe.

Price: $4.00.

CHICKEN TERIYAKI ONIGIRI On it: rice ball, chicken teriyaki filling, wrapped with seaweed, and served with edamame. I was impressed that the type of rice and the shape of the onigiri were authentic. I also liked the tinted ginger flavor on the chicken. And together with the edamame, this was a great snack. Type of cuisine: Japanese. Location: Behind the Museum Cafe, a tea house located on SW 10th Ave, between Main and Jefferson. Price: $3.00.

CHICKEN TERIYAKI ONIGIRI

On it: rice ball, chicken teriyaki filling, wrapped with seaweed, and served with edamame.

I was impressed that the type of rice and the shape of the onigiri were authentic. I also liked the tinted ginger flavor on the chicken. And together with the edamame, this was a great snack.

Type of cuisine: Japanese.

Location: Behind the Museum Cafe, a tea house located on SW 10th Ave, between Main and Jefferson.

Price: $3.00.