my apologies for the mumbling alliteration.
Biwa is a sunken restaurant-when you enter, the ceiling is low enough to be hazardous for the tall or mowhawked. Descending a wrangle of stairs to the cement floor, the restaurant is a warm, noisy, wood and cement concoction with spare industrial lighting and a bar abutting the kitchen. Nice looking, but the warmth is going to be a serious problem when it’s over 70 outside, I think.
I dragged MC Dizzy along. He got the Udon, but I was not particularly hungry so I stuck to Chijimi, Shishito and the Tofu. MC Dizzy liked the Udon but the broth was so strong it got hard to handle after a while. The Shshito were great: double skewered and charred perfectly–some succulent and mild, some charry and hot. Chijimi were tasty but the sauce is what really made the dish, though the sauce seemed little more than good soy, some sesame oil and Chili Paste. Goes to show how everything is about combinations and ratios, I suppose. My Tofu, however, was the champion of the night, although quite pricey. A pyrimid of cubic silken tofu from Ota in salty, tangy deliciousness, with a nice sneeze of scallion on top. yummy. I woke up the next day thinking about that ‘fu.
Biwa deserves some more visits from everyone.
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Two nights later, MC Dizzy dragged me to Mio Sushi. It should now be confirmed that the Diz has a questionable dedication to quality when choosing dining establishments.
I continually remind him that “not that bad” is not a descriptor that typically earns a return visit from me.
Chef Catalan tagged along, and we found ourselves at the sushi bar. I then had an attack of poor decision making. Staring at the ‘Cold Tofu with Salad’ on their menu, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the delicious cold tofu I’d had recently at Biwa.
I think you can assume what the poor decision was. I ordered the Salad, and got punched in the mouth for it. Silly me.
I started laughing. I couldn’t stop. I alternated betwenn guffaws that threatened my air supply and stoner-g-g-g-giggles you hear from the back of the theatre during Will Ferrell movies. I started getting dirty looks from the Sushi chef. I was beset with over a pound of cold, raw, firm, low quality chalky-tasting pressed tofu, atop a conglomeration of salad ingredients that had been assembled somewhere in Southern California. What appear to be slices in the ‘fu didn’t even make it through. Wow. just wow. I haven’t felt this fucked since I was an alterboy.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!
Others on Biwa
Biwa website
Portland food boards
Merc
Others on Mio Sushi
Mio Website
Merc
