kaede

All I can say is WOW! Some of the best sushi I've ever had, and perhaps the best meal I had during my 3 weeks in Portland. Kaede is a small, intimate, and tastefully decorated spot in a fairly residential area of Portland. The chef/ owner, Shinji, was the sole sushi chef at the counter on the night we went, with his wife and co-owner Izumi and one other chef in the kitchen. We opted to start with some appetizers, including monkfish karaage, which was absolutely exquisite. Even the miso soup was bursting with a complex flavor unlike any I've ever had.We each ordered the nigiri premium, 8 pieces for $60, and added fluffy tamago and kaisen futomaki. It was all superb. Chef Shinji prepared each piece and placed it in front of us as it was made. Erik, our waiter, provided excellent service throughout, working closely with Kinji and Izumi. If you are lucky enough to score a reservation to Kaede, don't miss out on this incredible experience!

Nice intimate sushi restaurant, with probably only 16 seats available for dining at a time (they only take reservations online, no walk ins). That includes the 4 bar top seats which go quick. The sashimi and the Tokyo-fresh shipped specialty nigiri's were fabulous and melted in your mouth. Pricey but not as pricey as other fine sushi restaurants out there so it's well worth a really nice dinner date. Will definitely be back. Fish and service were excellent!

I lived in Tokyo for 5 years as an expat lawyer, then spent many years in NYC searching for (and finding) a few places that truly brought me back to my favorite places that I frequented back in Japan. Not necessarily the flashiest or most expensive, but places that just do things right. Like seasoning the rice properly. Getting the proportions correct. Taking care to make the egg properly. High quality ingredients properly attended to.It's lovely to have Uehara-san here to do that. So many times, so many little sighs came out of me as I relaxed as I once did in Tokyo, as things like the marinated eggplant, the zuke, sanma, all just felt right. The proper amount of ginger. The lovely clam miso soup.It's not easy to hand-grate fresh wasabi for just that tiny bit you need for an ikura-uni gunkan. But it's the proper way to do it, and it tastes better, and they do it that way here.I think it's challenging to do things correctly, especially trying to do authentic edomae sushi in a place like Portland Oregon. I don't know how they source their ingredients. Not just the fish, but the shoyu, the nori, etc. There are massive disadvantages compared to being in Tokyo, or even a place like New York. The fact that Kaede is able to do as much as they are able to do here is truly a testament to the care and attention the Ueharas put into their work and the excellence that results from it.

While it is a steep price point and you have to make reservations in advance, it is one of the best dinner experiences I have had in Portland. The scallop was hands down the best I've ever had- buttery and flaky and delicious. The owners clearly know their craft. The menu is small but every dish is done well. The portions are on the small side so expect to order quite a few dishes. But very worth it!

Every bite of everything we ordered was amazing, from appetizers, to rolls, sashimi and dessert. We had eggplants, liver, toro roll, sashimi, egg sushi (tamago), ice cream, crème brûlée This is a quaint, high end, small restaurant. We spent over $100 each and could still have ate more. We ordered the chef's omakase, and 2 of the 8 nigiri was out and was replaced by a different fish. That was fine since it was all good and one of the fish turned was a better quality/pricier one. The fish is flown in from Japan, so this is understandable. Some times came with 5 pieces. I am not sure why they don't do 6 so it would be an even split with the other person. This restaurant only sits 13-15 people at a time. Reservations recommended.

Phenomenal meal and service. Do yourself a favor and make a reservation here for omakase at the counter. More specifically, order the chef's choice omakase, chawan-mushi and saba battera. The chawan-mushi was so comforting and a flavor bomb with eggs and mushrooms swimming in dashi stock. The egg was so soft and reminiscent of silky tofu. The chives wrapped underneath the mackerel in the saba battera was such an amazing pairing. It did not need to be dipped in soy sauce at all. I'd also recommend the black miso cod. It was very buttery and rich in the miso marinade. All the nigiris from the chef's menu were prepared so uniquely. Since we did countertop dining the chef prepared them one-by-one in the order they were meant to be consumed. I really appreciated the variety nigiris on this menu because of the wide range in flavors. Some were light, fresh, smokey, creamy...the list goes on. The space was small, intimate and quiet. I think there were only 5 or 6 spots available at the countertop and a few tables for dining-table seating. It was nice how they ran their restaurant with everything scheduled upfront so we didn't feel rushed at all during the dining experience. I'll be remembering this meal for a while.

In my search for good sushi in Portland, I had high hopes for this place from all the recommendations on social media. After reserving a seat at the bar, I thought the quality of the fish was great. But I'm holding back a star for a couple of reasons: 1) the high price and 2) the service. The premium prices might be justified if there were a bit more creativity and options on the menu, but really, the "omakase" is the 8-piece premium nigiri option. I tacked on a chawanmushi and kaisen maki roll, and also had a sake, and it totaled more than $125 for just myself. For service, this is a small mom-and-pop place, and while the sushi chef and hostess (most likely the mom and pop) were friendly and nice, it was a weird experience with waiting. When you enter, despite having a reservations, you have to wait for a few minutes until they get caught up with the tables they already have, and then when you're eating the nigiri, there's a long wait in between pieces as the chef is the only one making everything for the room, so if there's a big order ahead of you, you end up waiting. The pacing picked up as other guests left. I did think the maitake chawanmushi is one of the best tasting chawanmushi I've had because of the umami from the mushrooms. This is a small place that's a bit pricey (to the point of feeling exclusive) that's also a bit far from most restaurants. Not sure I would consider it a destination spot but people in the neighborhood can definitely get fresh sushi if they're willing to spend the money.

Hands down the best sushi I have ever had. Way better than Uchi in Austin, for comparison. The restaurant is quiet and intimate, a relaxing place to unwind and eat delicious sushi. The service at the bar is fantastic, the chef and owner is amazing to watch. His skill with the knife is beautiful and when he brings out the blow torch it's so cool.

I'm onboard with the other 3-star reviews. There is a huge gap between price to quality/presentation/innovation. For the high price, I would have expected more compared to other premium restaurants in Portland. We were disappointed. We won't be coming back. For Sellwood, this might be a a good place, but if you compare to places in Portland, this place missed the mark.Service - 2/5 - The staff was not very hospitable. There was a pretentious attitude that I didn't care for, once we stepped into the restaurant.Quality - 4/5 - fish was high quality, dishes were tasty, but thin sashimi cuts. However, for a reservation only place, I would expect innovative and creative flavors. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Presentation - 2/5 - Japanese cuisine is about presentation. Presentation was like I was at a run-of-the-mill Japanese restaurant. For a reservation-only place, I would expect dishes with flair.Menu - 1/5 - a limited menu with boring maki rolls, limited nigiri, and lame appetizers. For the exclusiveness and price, there should be some innovative and fancy izakaya. Price - Two people for $125 for moderate appetite. If we were hungry, we could have easily spent $200.

I've been excited to try this place, so I made a reservation for this place, which is the only way to get in. I was only able to get a reservation for 1 at the bar, who's is perfect for me.When I arrived, the place was quiet, and I was seated by to server at the bar where there was just a couple at the bar and the chef. This place is run by a husband (chef) and wife (server) duo with a helper in the back. With such a small staff, it is no wonder they keep this place on reservation only. This place is an intimate establishment.I ordered a couple of appetizers and the omakase. Appetizer one was the agadashi tofu, which I thought was just a run of the mill, but it was still good. The second appetizer was the Chawan-Mushi, a steamed egg dish with mushroom, which was so amazingly flavorful. I would order this again.Now for the main attfaction, the omakase. The chef first provided me a list of premium nigiri I will be enjoying. The chef placed a placement plate in front of me where he placed a single nigiri on as he meticulously prepared each single nigiri. Each one tastes differently from one another but all fresh.By the end of my omakase journey (only 8 pieces), I was still hungry, so I ended up ordering more in which the chef informed me that I can order nigiri items in single rather than in 2s. After everything, my meal was quite expensive, but just remember, I came here for an experience.