"I tried the edamame, which came unshelled. It was decent but a bit bland for my taste. The star of the show was definitely the tonkotsu ramen with pork belly. It’s a solid rendition of this classic dish. While I'm still exploring the ramen options in Bend, the competition doesn’t seem too fierce. The noodles were cooked perfectly, the ingredients flavorful, and the soft-boiled egg was just right. The broth was moderately rich and not spicy, skirting the overly indulgent styles typical of ramen. It's a very good bowl of ramen overall. The only downside was the charshu (sliced pork), which I found a bit thick and tough. For those who prefer chicken, it’s also available.
We also ordered three types of nigiri, and I appreciated that each order comes with two pieces. The fish was fresh and expertly sliced, though the rice was slightly too loose and tended to fall apart. The chef shared that they use real wasabi and high-quality soy sauce for their sushi; however, I didn't really detect much wasabi or soy flavor, and the traditional green horseradish wasabi was absent from the nigiri (though it did accompany the sushi rolls). There was also regular grocery-store soy sauce on the table, which was disappointing. Nonetheless, the sushi was still very good, though the presentation could use some improvement—it looked a bit hastily arranged.
As for the sushi rolls, we tried three half rolls. They were tasty but not especially generous in portion sizes. Service was friendly and courteous, but it had its ups and downs. Our sake order was forgotten until we reminded our server, and we had to flag down someone else to get it sorted out. The ramen actually arrived before the sushi, leaving two of my dining companions without food for a while and causing my ramen to cool down. My beer glass was nearly empty after the sushi arrived, and there was no offer to refill it—servers should be more attentive to such details. Also, when we accidentally spilled some sake on the table as our check was being delivered, it would have been nice if the server had offered to bring a towel for cleanup, but that didn’t happen.
On the positive side, our server was very knowledgeable and helpful in assisting us with our sake choices. The restaurant is located in a rather dull strip mall next to the Southside Pub, but parking is easy unless the pub is busy. Overall, I would recommend this place."
