Pok Pok is the most famous Thai restaurant is Portland. It is located at East Portland on Division Street. The restaurant usually opens around 11AM to 10PM at night. Pok Pok is not an usual Thai restaurant. It does not have any of the common Thai dish such as Pad Thai and Drunk Noodle. Instead, it offers an unique set of Thai food items on the menu.
The restaurant has an unique set up as well. Instead of having a big rooms where all the dining table is at, it has multiple rooms and bars for people to dine at. It also does not look like a regular restaurant. When we got there, we originally though it is a food truck.
We got there around 12PM after having a short hike a Columbia Gorge. Parking is not bad in the neighborhood unlike 23rd Street. When we got to the restaurant, there were already a line up and we had to wait for around 30 minutes. We gave our phone number to the reception so that they could text us when our table is ready. In addition, while we were there, we over heard people chatting and said they travelled all the way from Seattle to Portland just to dine at Pok Pok! There was also a lot of Golden State Warrior fans on this day at Pok Pok because of game 3 playoff between Warriors and Blazers!
After 30 minutes, we got the text and the server led us to our table. The tables were quite close to each other, but it is not a big deal. The restaurant provides metallic cups for the water and serve a small dish of peanuts with salt as appetizer.
We have read a lot of review of this restaurant before coming here. We decided to try the signature dish and ordered Fish Sauce Wing, Kung Op Wun Sen, and a bowl of Coconut Rice.
When ordering the Fish Sauce Wing, it has the choice of picking spicy or mild. We were told spicy is really spicy, thus we went for mild. The dish comes with about 6 big wings. The wings taste a bit sweet and quite juicy, but I don't find it to be super amazing. The wing is good, but not extraordinary. The restaurant also provides wet napkin for customers to clean their hands, which is very considerate.
Kung Opo Wun Sen is a clay pot with bean thread noodle, prawn, and pork belly. When we ordered this dish, the server actually said it is the right choice! I love bean thread noodle with the sauce caramelized at the bottom of the pork. (so stir a bit) The prawns were also big and tender. The dish comes with a dipping sauce for the shrimp. The other thing I really like was the pork belly. It was so soft and tender.
Th Coconut Rice is a bowl of rice with coconut flavor. So it taste sweet. I think the rice used here is sticky rice instead of regular rice. Nevertheless, I like the taste of it due to its sweetness and stickiness.
Overall, Pok Pok is a must try restaurant when traveling to Portland. The items on the menu might be a bit pricy, but it is definitely worth the experience! Lastly, be prepared to wait in line since there is always a line of people waiting for a table.
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