Austin Miller, 27, and Hana Tamaki, 23, are veterans of the Portland restaurant scene. Partners in work and in life, they met while they were working at Buck’s Naked BBQ in the Old Port, and decided to strike out on their own with a Japanese food truck they hope will become a brick-and-mortar restaurant some day.
“We want to work for ourselves after working for other people for so many years,” Miller said. “We want to start small and then grow into a larger operation and move into a restaurant eventually, doing a similar style of food.”
WHAT THEY SELL: Japanese street food, including yakisoba, yaki onigiri and kushiyaki (grilled skewers) featuring ingredients such as lamb from North Star Sheep Farm, pork belly, chicken thighs, chicken livers and shishisto peppers.
HOW MUCH: Dishes range from around $3.50 for yaki onigiri to $8.50 for okonomiyaki, a savory pancake filled with a variety of grilled ingredients such as cabbage, pork belly or simple vegetables.
CUSTOMER FAVORITE: Yakisoba (fried noodles usually served with vegetables and some kind of protein) and yaki onigiri (crispy rice balls).
HOW TO FIND THEM: The truck is at Congress Square Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday “no matter what,” Miller says. Evenings and weekends you may find them at local breweries. They post their schedule every Monday on Facebook.
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