Itching for some people-watching? Try the crowded corner of SE 6th Street and SE Ankeny in Portland, Oregon, where the newly-opened Marukin Ramen shares a building and a hallway with the equally popular Nong’s Khao Man Gai.
Ramen-loving Portlanders had been anticipating Tokyo-based Marukin’s opening for months. In this rainy city, the pursuit of a warming bowl of steaming ramen is less a hobby, and more like a religion. Enthusiasts debate the merits of Biwa’s eggs versus the amount of meat in a bowl at Kizuki, while slurping down a bowl of miso at Mirakutei.
The no-frills service and style at Marukin helps facilitate service for a large crowd. Customers wait along a red-painted wall to place an order at the register. After picking up your number, you wait hopefully for a seat at one of the counters or communal tables while sipping your pint of pFriem Wit or Asahi. A well-curated beer and cider list also includes local selections like Pelican’s Kiwanda cream ale and Logsdon’s Seizoen Bretta, along with the expected Sapporo.
Once you’ve found a seat, Marukin’s quick, efficient chef has your food to you within minutes, as befits a longtime veteran of the chain. Rather than send over recipes, as you might expect from a franchise, Marukin sent Tokyo chef Masaji Sakai to oversee the creation of the broth and the toothsome chewiness of the restaurant’s handmade noodles, made fresh daily. The few extra minutes of standing for a table are worth it.
For appetizers, we loved the light, crispy but juicy chunks of chicken karaage. Most will gravitate to the Marukin red ramen—a spicy, oily broth ramen topped with greens, bamboo shoots, onions, leeks and green onions, and served with a soft-boiled egg and a piece of chashu-roasted pork. For our money, though, we preferred the light, salty silkiness of the creamy tonkotsu shoyu, which includes the above toppings with nori.
With a broth so exceptional, the toppings are almost unnecessary. But they are a perfect complement nonetheless. The thin slice of pork falls apart at the touch and the greens—spinach in our case—were fresh. The tiny nest of finely sliced alliums added a piquant touch, and we saved the delicious soft-boiled egg for last.
It’s almost a shame that the service is so efficient—the ramen and the beer beg you to linger, but the line of people waiting for a seat silently urge you to drain your bowl and go. Luckily, with a second location recently opened on the west side of the river, getting a bowl will be easier than ever.
