Miyake Fore St.

How could we leave Portland without enjoying some of the best sushi in town. Our experience at Miyake topped a slew of a list of delicious honeymoon eats. Last year we had a very satisfying bowl of ramen at its sister restaurant, Pai Men Miyake and couldn't wait to dive into this pick-your-own four-course dinner. 

Marinated Salmon: [Thinly sliced raw salmon with capers, mustard vinaigrette, and oba shiso leaves] This unique carpaccio-style sashimi was tangy and briny with beautiful velvety slices of salmon but the pickled plum was the crowning jewel.

Tuna 3 Ways: [sashimi, zuke, tartare] The least innovative dish of the night was this classic trio which lacked the punch and wow of others. Not that it was terrible, just not as exciting. Tai Kubuton: [Tai snapper head marinated and braised in sake, soy, dashi and ginger] Now that's a face only a mother could love. It was a bit of a Hannibal Lecter moment but it's one of the best cuts; the flesh is melt in your mouth tender. The simple fragrant sauce was just what this dish needed and nothing more. 

Swordfish Toro: [swordfish belly binchotan grilled with kinome miso, golden roasted beets] Move over tuna toro, swordfish toro is my new love. Mouth-watering, fatty pieces of swordfish belly are charred over charcoal bringing a wonderful smoky aroma. It was wonderfully paired with sweet, candy-like yellow roasted beets.

Butabara and Oyster: [braised pork belly and fried oyster with celery root puree] No knife needed. A chopstick-tender piece of pork belly paired beautifully with a sweet root puree. A delicately tempura-fried oyster topped this surf-and-turf dish which J enjoyed.

Kamo Aburi: [binchotan grilled duck breast with arima sansho balsamic sauce and truffle oil] J deemed this the best thing he's ever eaten. Innovative elements like pickled ground cherries and roasted lotus roots elevated this dish to a new, sophisticated level. But it was the numbingly delicious yuzu peppercorn paste that made you want to come back for more bites.

Ceviche Roll: [diced japanese snapper with cilantro, truffle oil and oba, in soy paper wrap topped with tobiko] Normally we stay away from specialty rolls but this one piqued my interest enough to order and did not disappoint. This unique fusion blended Eastern flavors with Western technique and it worked. 

Super Toro Roll: [tuna and avocado roll topped with diced medium toro, truffle oil, rayu, and scallions] Our meal wouldn't be complete with more belly! Tuna belly is so luxurious and what a treat to have in as fresh as we did. Not to mention for once, we tasted rice that was properly seasoned with rice vinegar. We could have easily eaten a few more toro rolls but saved room for dessert, a green tea tiramisu and yuzu creme brulee. Miyake sources desserts from Ten Ten Pie where we lunched earlier. 

What we noticed about Miyake is not only attention to detail and balance of flavors, but it's the innovative touches that made those bites memorable. We couldn't have asked for a better meal on our honeymoon.