[ExtraMSG]

Went here tonight with my sushi-loving friend and ordered enough food to fill Mt. Fuji. (The friend was using his corporate card. Woohoo!) Seriously. The prices were so low that we figured we needed to order more. Plus, it was essentially free and we only barely broke his per diem.

Here's what we ordered (sorry, no prices because they didn't have a takeout menu and I didn't take a picture of the menu):

NORMAL MENU

chawanmushi
umeboshi rice ball
ahi poke
ebi tenpura
tamago toji udon
zaru udon

SUSHI MENU

maguro
salmon - fresh
salmon - smoked
salmon - belly
hamachi
unagi
california roll
spicy tuna roll

Yes, looking at it now I realize I could have fed every Lebanese refugee with this meal. But guess what, all this cost us $60, about. And we doubled up on a couple of the sushi. Rolls and nigiri were pretty much all under $4. The only exception among what we got was the unagi, which was just over $4. Most of the normal menu items, if not all, were under $5. I thought, okay, these are all going to be small portions and small pieces of sushi. Nope. Full portions. They even have two sushi assortments, one 10 piece (6 nigiri, 4 california rolls) and one 12 pieces (8 nigiri, 4 california rolls) for about $11 and $13 respectively. Wow.

And here's the kicker: it's damn good. One of the most consistent Japanese meals I've had in Portland. Almost everything was good. All the fish was good quality and the rice was nice. Most items were comparable, I think, to Murata. The exceptions were the unagi, the salmon, and the chawanmushi. But they weren't that far behind. This is a better option than Syun for sushi and noodles, I think.

I thought the tempura was excellent. The sauce didn't thrill me, but the shrimp and batter were very nice, flavorful, and not greasy at all. I've already said how good the noodles were on another thread, but I'll say again they had a great fresh flavor very reminiscent of what I had in Japan. Only the wasabi fell short. (And they could have better soy on the table, imo.) I loved the poke. That was probably my favorite item. Best poke I've had outside of Hawaii for sure. I think their maguro and rolls were better than what I've had at Murata. The hamachi was about equal. This is the only place where the rice competes, I think (that I've tried).

This is by far the best value for sushi I've found (anywhere) yet. My friend agreed.

I do have pictures, but I don't know when I'll get them up. I'm going over 80 hours of work this week. I'm writing this from The Dalles even.

[Angelhair]

I have been there for their big bowls of udon and I highly reccommend it. I believe it's homemade (the udon, that is).

[Kristi]

Thanks for the review, Nick. I'll have to stop by there soon since it isn't too far from my house.

[syrahgirl]

Sounds great, Nick. 80 hrs. of work is too much, hope you have a relaxing weekend!

[Leonardo]

Hai so desu, the noodles are housemade. And we too love their tempura!

[Flynn]

Went last night coming back from the B'Tron, and decided to stop in and have a snack. We went kind of apeshit crazy ordering things though, so we too had an embarrassment of food.

Items: Chicken don, spicy yaki, hakatamon roll (eel, avocado, tempura shrimp), california roll, spicy salmon roll, maguro, fresh salmon, tempura, hamachi. Miso and salads, and Asahi.

I agree the value is tremendous, for japanese food that's high quality. I'd say the maguro and salmon is a step below Murata and Hiro Sushi, and the hamachi and rolls are up there with anyone in PDX. The spicy salmon roll was the best I've eaten in a long time. I tried some of the yaki, and those udon noodles are great.

I rank it right there near the top of PDX, just slightly ahead of Ichidai and Ikenohana. I like it far better than Syun or Sin Ju.

Dinner was $60 with tip, including beer and a pile of leftover noodles and chicken. Stellar.

[ExtraMSG]

If you spent $60, you had enough to feed 4-6 people. I thought my maguro was right there with Murata's. I've been underwhelmed by Murata's maguro. It's pretty good, but not at the level of some of their other stuff, in my experience. (And it's twice the price of Hakatamon.)

[Calabrese]

Hmm.... this place is darned close. It sounds like a visit is in order.

[SarahWS]

Calabrese, on Aug 5 2006, 05:11 PM, said:

Hmm.... this place is darned close. It sounds like a visit is in order.

You'll love it. Great prices (you can walk out there stuffed on great food for under ten including tip). I go all the time since I work out in Hillsboro and I'm often meeting people coming from Tigard.

I've have the curry (both beef and chicken katsu), maguro and smoked salmon nigiri, almost all the udons, several of the sushi rolls, and all of the salads/appetizers. The chawan mushi was a B (but I'm incredibly spoiled) and I haven't repeated dessert after the first time I had it. Everything else has been fabulous.

The service can vary from extremely professional (weeknights) to uneven (weekends - one waitress is a ditz and screws up the orders/forgets about you , etc). It's extremely popular with the Japanese community in the Beaverton area so there is usually a short wait for non-sushi bar during the most popular dinner hours.


Sarah

[Calabrese]

Thanks for the input Sarah. We used to go to the place that was in this location previously. We've been once or twice to that place since they've moved.

I am looking forward to trying this. It's always a good evening when you can eat sushi and then shop at Uwajimaya.

One question: Is the eel nicely charbrolied?

[ExtraMSG]

I thought the eel was one of their weaker items. I'm not a fan of unagi, though, so it has to be far above average for me to think it's good. I'm pretty sure it's included in the samplers. That'd be a great way to try them out. You have to eat a bunch of California rolls, but theirs are pretty nice, imo, though it's not something I especially like.

[SarahWS]

ExtraMSG, on Aug 6 2006, 09:41 PM, said:

I thought the eel was one of their weaker items. I'm not a fan of unagi, though, so it has to be far above average for me to think it's good. I'm pretty sure it's included in the samplers. That'd be a great way to try them out. You have to eat a bunch of California rolls, but theirs are pretty nice, imo, though it's not something I especially like.

Have to agree that the eel is not fabulous. It's better than what everyone in town (except Murata of course) serves, but not AMAZING. As a eel lover, I thought it was pretty good but not enough to match the taste memory of perfect eel. But you can try it yourself (two pieces is around ~$3) and tell me your opinion.

Having been to the place Hakatamon replaced (what was its name?) and thought it one of the better places in town (I divide all sushi joints into places where I'll eat raw fish and places I won't - I have an permanent stomach ulcer which makes me extraordinarily sensitive to parasites and other food-bourne illnesses), I think you'll be thrilled by Hakatamon. It's just as much a deal as the old place and even more aimed at a Japanese market. While it's aimed at the different end of the market as Murata, they suceed equally at what they are trying to do. I would meet you for dinner there anytime!!

Sarah

[Calabrese]

Sarah - My favorite eel in town is at Obi. It's the real deal for a bit of char.

We are actually thinking of going to Hakatamon tomorrow night. Don't know if that fits your schedule or not. I don't hang here when I am at work but Jill will probably be online tomorrow. I will also send you a PM with my work number.

[Jill-O]

If you are an eel fan, ya gotta go to Obi in Oldtown. Best. Eel. Evah.

And I have to admit, I really like their Oregon roll (crab, asparagus, mushroom, salmon) too.

[dehory]

I just had dinner there tonight and entirely agree with most of the comments on this thread. Excellent value sushi. Fabulous udon. Tasty sake-steamed clams. Clams themselves were so-so, but the sake broth was stunning.

Word of warning: the Citysearch listing for Hakatamon is outdated, as is the first Google Local listing. (So that's what "Unverified listing" means!) After searching SW 117th Ave for the best part of an hour, I discovered that their address is in fact not 4130 SW 117th Ave. It is 10500 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy. The phone number is (503) 641-4613. Open Sundays.

[OregonAmy]

^^ how funny! My partner and I went there last night as well, and spent about 30 minutes searching around SW 117th before calling Uwajimaya for directions from 217.

Between two of us, we had two rolls (spicy salmon and Hakatamon) and maguro, hamachi, and salmon (fresh). We couldn't eat it all!

It was the first time I've had sushi in 4 years (was veg) and it's just as good as I remembered it. I'm glad I found Hakatamon - as well as this site

[ExtraMSG]

Welcome OregonAmy, we're glad you found us, too.

[Flynn]

Went to Uwajimaya tonight for shopping, and couldn't resist stopping in Hakatamon for dinner. I'm all po' and stuff from eating out too much, so I was gunning for value this time.

I didn't know you get miso and a salad if you order $7.50 or more off the sushi menu. So I had the spicy salmon roll (8 pcs), hamachi, miso and salad. Seven Fifty.

Best sushi value ever? Considering you can spend that to get prepackaged faux-sushi in the cooler at Freddies/Zupans...

[EvaB]

Thanks for posting the correct address, but can someone please describe where this is phyaically located in relation to Uwaj.? I'm assuming it's not the restaurant that's in/adjacent to the store??

[Flynn]

It's attached to Uwa, directly to the right if you're walking in the front doors. You can't miss it.

You can also wander in there from inside the store, as there is a door from the kitchenwares section into the restaurant.