Minizo
Location: N Skidmore and Mississippi at Mississippi Marketplace
Hours: Weekdays, lunchtime
The Story:
Ramen is the new pork in Portland with carts and restaurants alike revisiting this wonderful Japanese dish. Minizo, Noodleburger, opened this month to offer both ramen and burgers along with other Japanese delights
Minizo is the work of Tamio Nojima and Yasuharu Nojiri who are with Shigezo, a Japanese Izakaya downtown by the south park blocks. Shigezo is part of a larger company with over 100 restaurants in Japan. Portland is their first stop stateside and Minizo is their first cart. Oh, and Minizo translates as small Shigezo. How cool is that? When you visit, you may also run into Toku, a manager or Ken, an executive chef, both from Shigezo.
Minizo Abu-Ramen
Minizo offers up Japanese style noodle soups, Japanese style curry and their version of burgers. The Abu-Ramen, one of the many styles of ramen out of Japan, is made with fresh wheat flour noodles, green onion, sesame seeds, bean sprouts, seasoned soy sauce – kaeshi, chili oil and chashu pork. What you’ll notice about this dish – there isn’t a clear broth like we might expects with ramen. The noodles are tossed in a seasoned kaeshi sauce that sticks to the noodles. While you can slurp, you’re not spooning broth. The ramen was exceptional, with a breadth of flavors, both spicy and salty and you could taste the care in the thick handmade noodles. I’m definitely heading back for more.
Minizo isn’t just ramen. They do have their own styles of burgers – a chicken katsu burger or a shrimp burger. Something new to try. I’m happy to see another Japanese cart open. Such great food and so few places to enjoy it. Drop on by Minizo and let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.
Sample Menu:
- Abu-Ramen: green onions, bean sprouts, sesame seeds, seasoned soy sauce, handmade noodles, chashu pork, chili oil – $6
- Veggie Abu-Ramen: noodles tossed in original shiodare sea salt sauce and mixed with green onions, bean sprouts, seasoned burdock root and carrots, fried tofu and chili oil – $6
- Okinawa Noodle Soup: homemade pork and bonito broth with green onion, shredded omelet, chashu pork, and a side of red ginger – $6.50
- Brown Curry: curry sauce made from slow simmered onions, fresh carrots, ginger, potatoes, garlic and Japanese spice blend – stewed together with chicken broth and served with steaming rice and pickled radish – $5
- Chicken Katsu Curry: curry served with deep fried chicken katsu – $6.50
- Veggie Curry: curry with vegetable and seaweed stock. served with fried eggplant, zucchini, carrot, potatoes and onion -$6.50
- Chicken Katsu Burger: deep fried chicken breast dressed with sweet amazu vinegar soy sauce and served with cabbage and lettuce – $6
- Shrimp Burger: fresh shrimp, eggs and white onion dressed in white bechamel sauce, breaded in Panko and deep fried – $6
Hours: weekdays, lunchtime
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