Biwa

When one thinks of bar food, fish & chips or hamburgers may immediately come to mind. Biwa does away with these clichés and provides a refreshing view on what “tavern food” means. Delicious and reasonably priced Asian cuisine is served for your delight. Not only will you savor your dishes, you will explore new tastes you might not have had before.

Biwa describes itself as an Izakaya, which roughly translates as "tavern" in English. In Japan, these establishments serve various cheap food and drink in a relaxed atmosphere. In this sense. Biwa perfectly fits the bill of traditional Japanese tavern. Housed in the same building as the equally delightful Simpatica, Biwa serves food which separates itself from many of the other Asian and Japanese inspired restaurants in town.

The clean, refined look of the restaurant feels refreshing with nice wooden tables and a long cozy bar. The serving staff starts with offering your warmed hand towels. One look at the menu and you will see a number of tasty options.

The menu is fairly expansive and offers a variety of options including both vegetarian and vegan selections. A recommendation for a party of two is try their soups as well as an assortment of their smaller dishes. Some of their tastier creations include the tofu dengaku and the spring onion dengaku. Both are grilled sensations which combine flavors that are both immediately familiar and somewhat out of the ordinary.

While ramen soup recalls the days of college, this traditional Japanese soup is delicately spiced and wonderfully tasting. Its light broth perfectly complements the noodles and added ingredients such as pork, seaweed or egg.

Their drink menu offers beer, wine, and sake, which is a Japanese rice wine. If you have never tried sake before, Biwa has a number of flights to choose from which give you the chance to taste three distinct types.

Biwa is perfect spot for both dinner and as an after-work hangout. If you are bored of the usual tavern fare, Biwa is a classy, yet still affordable, choice for those looking to have a touch of creativity with their food and drink.

HelloPortland Tip: Biwa does not have just one happy hour, but two for you to savor. The traditional 5-6:30 happy hour as well as one from 9-10pm.

- by William Crane, Portland Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

William Crane

William Crane is an accomplished print and online journalist (http://www.william-crane.com) His work covers a variety of topics including features, local community news, sports, music, and political/social issues. Graduating from Seattle University with a B.A. in Journalism, William's writing has appeared in a variety of different publications including the Stranger, Capitol Hill Times, the Skanner, Backfire Magazine, and the Internationalist.