Pok Pok

 

Being an avid collector of food magazines, I often come across articles about the hottest places to eat in certain cities. Portland, Oregon is an absolute mecca for food carts, but it also has a very vibrant restaurant scene championed by hot young chefs brimming with new ideas, concepts and ways to be more sustainable, local and seasonal. Pok Pok's was an interesting prospect. A restaurant serving authentic Thai food, it began life as the front of a house but rapidly grew to a multi-seater restaurant and bar. The really interesting thing about this restaurant is that it is run by a chef who is as Thai as me, so enamoured with the Thai food he ate on vacation, he tried to recreate a restaurant true to it's roots. It was feared Americans wouldn't take to it. They did and I finally got a chance to visit in October 2009. 

 

The restaurant is not in the Downtown core and a car journey is required. Even at 6pm there was a line up, although choosing to eat at the bar, we got seated quickly. You can see the game hens rotating on their spits as you walk in. Slowly turning whilst browning and crisping with their lemongrass glaze, their scent fills the room with the aroma of tantalizing cooked meat. Served with an amazingly fresh and pungent tamarind sauce, they are sublime. We also ate the char grilled prawns with a vivid sauce, lime green through the copious use of cilantro, enough to make your sinuses sing and a coconut milk marinated pork loin, served surprisingly with bread. "Thais do eat bread", the menu explained. Some sticky rice and a couple of beers accompanied and I only wish there had been more than two of us so we could try lots more of the incredibly informative menu.