A Quiet Dinner in South Waterfront
Kay and I had an appointment in South Waterfront on Thursday afternoon. Nothing glamorous. Just one of those errands that quietly eats two hours out of your day. When we stepped back out onto the street, we both had that familiar moment of looking at each other and asking the same question.
“Hungry?”
We were.
We were standing about ten feet from Delish Kitchen 108, tucked into one of the newer mixed-use buildings in the South Waterfront when we decided to stop in. We’ve eaten here before. Many times, actually.
And every time we walk in, I have the same thought.
How is this place not packed?
A Hidden Little Room
The answer seems to be the business model.
Chef Myint spent about fifteen years working behind sushi bars before opening Delish Kitchen 108. The restaurant is built around online orders. Delivery. Pickup. Catering. The kitchen stays busy, but most of the customers never actually appear to walk through the door.
Which means that when you do walk in, the dining room feels like a little secret.
Five or Six tables. Hanging plants. Chill lo-fi music floating through the speakers. A moss wall with a neon sign of two cartoon dogs wearing chef hats.
It is quiet in the best possible way.
For a date night, it’s almost a cheat code. No reservations. No waiting. No noise level that turns dinner into a shouting match across the table.
Just good food and a calm room.
Starting With Sake
We started with a bottle of Kikusui Junmai Ginjo sake, a clean, and slightly fruity sake from Niigata. It arrived nicely chilled and poured smooth.
Kay poured for me. I poured for her. That’s the rule (even though she’s not big on alcohol, she enjoyed a small cup).
Kanpai!
By the second cup the afternoon errands were already fading from memory.
The Gyoza That Stole the Show
We ordered the spicy garlic gyoza to start.
Let me be clear about something.
These are not the standard deep-fried or pan-fried crescents you get at every other Japanese spot in Portland. These steamed dumplings arrive tumbled in a bowl, glistening with chili oil, scattered with sesame seeds, bright rings of scallion and crispy bits of fried garlic that add the exact right amount of texture.
The wrappers are thin and silky. The pork filling has real flavor without being heavy. And the garlic flavor arrives slowly, building warmth at the back of your throat.
It may come in a plastic bowl, but at only $13.99 for 8 dumplings, this might be the best appetizer on the menu.
Order these first.
You can debate everything else later.
A Simple Plate Done Right
For my entrée I went with the ahi tuna steak and greens bowl.
Six thick slices of lightly seared tuna, still deeply pink in the center, fanned across cucumber rounds, radish, and a mound of fresh spinach marinating in the house’s special sauce, topped with sesame seeds, scallion curls and a wedge of lemon on the side for some acid.
There’s a quiet confidence in serving something this simple. No tempura crunch to hide behind. No spicy mayo blanket. Just clean fish and fresh greens.
At $19 it felt like honest food at an honest price.
Kay’s Choice
Kay ordered the shoyu ramen, and when it arrived it looked composed. A rich amber broth with thick slabs of braised pork belly with caramelized edges. A soft-boiled egg with a jammy center on the side and sweet corn, bean sprouts, dark sheets of nori, and noodles tucked underneath everything.
She pulled a tangle of noodles free with her chopsticks and took the first bite.
Then I saw the look.
No words. Just a small nod and half-smile. The expression that says the food is exactly right.
I stole a sip of the broth. With permission.
It’s soy-based, as shoyu should be, but there’s a deeper richness underneath. Something faintly sweet balancing the salt, with just enough pork fat creating that glossy sheen across the top.
At $17.50, this bowl would compete with ramen anywhere in Portland.
The bonus is you won’t spend 45 minutes waiting for a seat.
One More Plate
If you’re sitting next to a sushi counter, not ordering nigiri feels like ignoring the obvious, so we ordered up some salmon belly. A normal order is two pieces, but after chatting it up with the owner he decided to grace us with a third piece of thick cut fatty salmon draped over rice that was properly seasoned and still slightly warm. Clean. Buttery. No unnecessary flourishes. Kay got two and I savored one with a little soy sauce and “wasabi”.
Sometimes simple is exactly what you want.
Letting the Evening Stretch
We sat there for a while after everything was cleared up (customers are asked to bus their own table) finishing the sake. No one rushed us. No check dropped on the table the moment the plates were empty. The music kept playing and the plants near the windows moved slightly every time the door opened.
That’s one of the nice things about a place like this.
The meal can end, but the evening doesn’t have to.
The Bottom Line
Delish Kitchen 108 isn’t chasing food-critic buzz or trying to land on a “Best New Restaurants” list, or even my TOP 10. Chef Myint is simply in the kitchen everyday cooking food he knows how to make well. The online orders keep the lights on, and the dining room sits there like a quiet little gift for anyone who happens to walk in from the street.
If you do want to turn an ordinary evening in the South Waterfront into something a little better, walk through the door. Bring someone you actually want to talk to with you.
Order the gyoza first. Let the sake do the rest.