Pok Pok

Finally made it to the infamous Pok Pok, and enjoyed a long night of the best food and drinks that Portland has to offer. First is a quick review of Whiskey Soda Lounge, Pok Pok's waiting pad.

Can you say spoiled? :)



Whiskey Soda Lounge -

After hitting the fabulous Matchbox Lounge, we headed next door to the true Pok Pok waiting establishment, Whiskey Soda Lounge. It was packed, which was not surprising for a Saturday night with an hour and half to two hour wait at Pok Pok). Large groups, first daters, scenesters…Whiskey had them all, which obviously made for great people watching. The layout is great, tables on the outer walls, with a long bar full of seating, and some high top tables to set your dinks on as you converse with your group. The menu is solid, with some great table sharing options. The drinks are obviously the focus here, and Whiskey does not disappoint in the cocktail and spirit departments. They also hold their own in the bottled beer and “No Proof” selections (such as the house made drinking vinegars, which sound not so appetizing to me, however I bet they go well with some specific dishes).

It is very convenient that Whiskey and Pok Pok directly communicate, and let you know right away when your table is ready. The downfall to this place is that you cannot take your drinks across the street to the restaurant, so time those Bourbon drinks accordingly!
Overall, Whiskey is a tad too busy/scenester for me, but it has a lively vibe and would be a great place to take out of town visitors before hitting Pok Pok.

Pok Pok -

Pok Pok has literally been on my list of “to-eat’s” for over 6 months, and finally the night had come! When you walk up, it looks like an overgrown food cart. There is a shack-like cooking building in the center, with two separate semi-outdoor seating areas (tarped and filled with heat lamps), and finally the main inside restaurant area (which is crammed tight with wall booths, small wooden tables and a tiny bar against the back wall). Very minimally decorated throughout all areas.

Eating at Pok Pok was a whole night affair, as the wait for a table alone was almost two hours (granted it was a Saturday night, but I think this is standard operating procedure here). No worries though, as Division Street offers many great places to knock back a few drinks and happily waste some time (see my reviews on both Matchbox Lounge and Whiskey Soda Lounge, which are both right across the street). Whiskey Soda Lounge is owned by Pok Pok, so if you head there they will call there directly when your table is ready, which is exactly what we did. We lucked out and after all the waiting we were seated at a table in the inside restaurant area (though it still was cold with the door constantly opening and closing to grab the food from the outdoor kitchen). This is definitely a place where you order a bunch of menu items to share, and pair them all with some cold beer, such as the sweet taste of Beer Lao (which paired amazingly with all of the SPICY dishes)…here is the list:

1) Papaya Pok Pok (w/Salted Black Cod) - Green papaya salad with tomatoes, long beans, Thai chili, lime juice, tamarind, fish sauce, garlic, palm sugar, dried shrimp and peanuts made to order in the Pok Pok (mortar and pestle). Our namesake. Add Salted Black Crab $2.50
* This dish was way too fishy smelling and tasting for me, the hard-shelled crabs were a pain, and overall I was bummed, just not my style.

2) Muu Paa Kham Waan - Boar collar meat rubbed with garlic, coriander root and black pepper, glazed with soy and sugar, grilled over charcoal and served with chilled mustard greens and a spicy chili-lime-garlic sauce. Northern Thai drinking food.
* Um…yeah, what else can I say? Best dish we had, even though it is so spicy they have to serve a plate of chilled greens to eat it with!

3) Kaeng Hung Leh - Northern Thai sweet pork belly and pork shoulder curry with ginger, palm sugar, tamarind, turmeric, Burmese curry powder and pickled garlic.
* A close second for the best dish: bursting with flavor from the amazing combinations of seasonings, and perfectly tender pork.

4) Kung Yak Phao - Giant prawns, brined and grilled whole over charcoal, served with naam jiim thaleh, a spicy lime/garlic/chile dipping sauce.
* These prawns were huge, served whole (you peel) with a refreshing, but of course spicy, sauce.

5) Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings - Fresh natural chicken wings marinated in fish sauce, garlic and sugar, deep fried, tossed in caramelized Phu Quoc fish sauce and garlic and served with Vietnamese table salad. Our daytime grill cook Ich Truong’s recipe from his home in Vietnam.
* These are indeed finger-licking deliciousness, but we ordered the “spicy” versions, so I could only handle one. I suggest ordering them regular style and enjoying!

We ordered sticky rice and jasmine rice to accompany everything, and even though the taste of these was nothing special, I was so thankful for them! It was the only thing that would cut the sting on my tongue!

Admittedly, we ordered wrong for my taste. I do love spicy food, but every single dish we ordered was spicy, and each outdid the other. By the middle of the meal my mouth completely shut down and couldn’t handle anything else, which was a total bummer considering how much food we ordered! The quality and craftsmanship that goes into the Pok Pok dishes cannot be denied, but next time I need to tone down my ordering. I can’t say that I will necessarily crave this food in the future, but I absolutely appreciate this food.

* Jayne