A Review of Murata's Tatami Room Experience in Portland
Updated: May 13
If you are dreaming about tatami room seating in cozy paper door environs with authentic Japanese cuisine in Oregon, look no further than Downtown Portland's Murata Restaurant.
As you walk in the door, you are instantly greeted by a sea of "Reserved" signs on the tables - a good indication that the 10 table restaurant is popular - and as you scan the restaurant, you'll see a row of private rooms for Tatami Seating along the side wall.
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Understanding the Space
First of all, ta-whatty?
Ta-tah-mee. It's a straw mat flooring traditional in Japan!
In a tatami room, it is customary to remove your shoes before entering and you are seated around either a sunken floor or must kneel on a pillow or against a short backed, legless chair. In any case, your butt is firmly (and very comfortably) planted on a straw mat.
While this type of Japanese restaurant is uncommon in the United States, finding this style of seating is extremely popular in Japan, especially at the more authentic or older restaurants. (If you are curious to learn more about types of Japanese restaurants, check out my separate link here).
The Service
At Murata, we called ahead for the special room and were welcomed in by the friendliest, bubbliest of Japanese women. She giggled and cooed at my daughter, turning three that day, and even brought her a cute animated cartoon plate and fork set.
With humble, patient service we were thrilled to begin our feasting and the menu didn't disappoint.
The Meal at Murata
To get started we had green tea and each ordered one of their beautifully prepared lunch combos - an amazing value! For a little under $30 you can get the double-deckered bento featuring all the goodies from sashimi, chicken teriyaki, tempura, salmon and more, or for about $22 you can have a combo meal featuring your choice of two items.
Choices include beef, tonkatsu (breaded pork), sashimi or nigiri (or both!), salmon, mackerel, and so on. All meals were accompanied by picked cucumbers, onions, miso soup and rice.
The Makunouchi bento (the $30 one) came with matcha powder to sprinkle on the tempura - almost like a salty topping. Mm. Portions were really big and the quality was unbeatable for the price. What a great value!
We finished with matcha (green tea) ice cream and strawberry mochi ice cream. Yum. I was getting all the Japanese vibes I needed.
Etiquette
Be sure to respect not only the beautiful Tatami space, but also your hosts, and consider adhering to some of the customs and etiquette of Japan. Namely, when your miso soup comes out, you may notice that the soup is not accompanied by a spoon.
You are expected to pick up your bowl and sip it from the bowl, just like in Japan. I told you this place was authentic!
You will also want to be respectful of the shoe policy, removing them for entry and putting them back on to use the facilities.
Ask if you don't recognize something on your plate, and be sure to understand the proper way to use the accompaniments to your meal!
Everyone is very sweet and eager to help.
Finally, Murata's staff behind the scenes were also so polite, hard at work and poised. I was super impressed that everyone wore kimono style shirts or upmarket chef's clothes. Nice touch, Murata.
I have to laugh at myself, when the large tatami table beside us filled in with a Japanese business group, we all slouched a little less, made ourselves a little more proper, and took on a bit more grace in the remainder of our meal. It's so incredible that even in the hustle and bustle of the big city, this place of calm really connected us to the Japanese culture.
Suffice it to say, if you are headed to Portland, skip the strip mall sushi joint and seek out Murata. You won't be disappointed!
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