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The wait for Noraneko is almost over. Construction on the ramen shop spinoff from Biwa's Gabe Rosen and Kina Voelz is almost complete, and the Oregonian reports the little 30-seat restaurant will open this Sunday, March 15.
Like a traditional Japanese ramen-ya, the menu is small and tightly focused on just a few varieties of ramen — shio, shoyu, miso, and vegetarian — swimming with noodles from cult-favorite Sun Noodle. Pan-fried and boiled gyoza, Japanese fried chicken, and a chopped seasonal salad round out the non-soup options. "It's kind of like the opposite of Biwa," Rosen tells Michael Russell. "Not very many things, but done to a high degree of detail."
The drink menu, meanwhile, is wider ranging. Expect fresh-pressed juices, house-made sodas, and tea, and for boozing there's sake, wine, more than a dozen classic cocktails, and beer and ciders from local producers on tap, plus imports in bottles and cans.
On opening day, the restaurant's hours will be noon to 10 p.m. Then they'll open an hour earlier (11 a.m. to 10 p.m.) for the next few weeks. In April, they'll add their late-night hours, staying open until 2 a.m. daily.
Noraneko (opening March 15): 1430 S.E. Water Ave., 503-238-6356.
