Filed under: Southeast Portland, Thai | Tags: paleo, Portland, Thai BBQ chicken
- Thai BBQ Chicken
- Thai BBQ Pork
Filed under: Northeast Portland, Thai | Tags: northeast, paleo, Portland, Thai
2703 Northeast Alberta Street, Portland, OR
(503) 922-3675
Groupon! Woohoo! We bought one and gifted ourselves one as well. Trying to work the system. Hopefully others took advantage of this deal too! I did a post about Siam Society but it was only for their Happy Hour. So this time we focused on the regular menu, which is long overdue.
What we ordered: Thai Barbecue Chicken, Leg of Lamb in Curry (I think it was a special because I couldn’t find it on their online menu and it was something the waitress recommended to us. How did she know we love large portions of meat? must have been the glasses…)
How we ordered it: As is!
What we got:
Thai Barbecue Chicken
Leg of Lamb
Well, we cannot get over how good the chicken is…
Cost: Thai Barbecue Chicken – $13.95, Leg of Lamb – $19.95
Quantity: I should insert a reference measurement strip on the picture to show you just how big it is. I thought they were both big, but the Meat-O-Meter thought a bit differently. Add In from the Meat-O-Meter, “Basically the lamb curry taste bumped up the lamb dish to $20, not a steal, but on par for the course. Both portion sizes were on par, but the chicken is delicious.”
Quality: So good! Siam Society’s meats are mostly from local farms as noted on their menu. (we didn’t get the names of the lamb or chicken unfortunately, but we hear they were raised humanely 
MEAT-O-METER says!
In the words of Debbie Reynolds and Ann Miller, LEG UP! Literally, it was so good 
The chicken was baked/bbq’ed or something and then was flash fried, to get the skin nice and crispy, perfect! No breading on it which was pleasant and totally NOT dry!! The chicken did come with a side of Jasmine sticky rice, but that could easily be not eaten or cheated on easily. Apparently the Thai Barbecue Chicken is a popular dish and so when we actually called ahead of time to make our reservation, we made sure to ask if they still had chicken left. If you go and they’re out, well that just sucks.
The dinner was thoroughly tasty and savory. Next time the fam comes into town we’re definitely taking them here!
3226 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97217-1206
(503) 719-7796
This place just opened and it’s right by our house! It’s so great to have a restaurant that’s solidly reliable and really close. Oh, Portland, we love you.
What we ordered: Tuk Tuk Barbecue Chicken, Larb w/ ground pork, Large Tom Kha Soup
How we ordered it: As is, no need to bring the rice out for us.
What we got:
Tom Kha Soup
Larb
Barbecue Chicken
Cost: Tom Kha Soup – Small – $5.50, Large – $9.50, Larb – $9.50, Barbecue Chicken – $10
Quantity: Holy Larb! That’s a lot of meat in that! I think that’s the most we’ve gotten in any Thai restaurant. That’s a nice barbecue chicken too. Bits of pineapple is a nice touch.
Quality: The meat here is tasty, flavorful and moist. Barbecue Chicken is a staple in any Thai Paleo restaurant experience. At Tuk Tuk, their barbecue chicken is a must for Paleo-ites.
MEAT-O-METER says!
Yay! It’s close to our house and open until 9:30 on the weekdays. Pulling late nights at the gym, this place is always a satisfying eatery for us. The quantity was large and for two people, you can eat here for $20 and be completely satisfied. There is another Tuk Tuk on Fremont, but I’m not sure if they are related…
12000 SE 82nd Ave. #3002 , Happy Valley, OR 97086
www.rachathai.com
I apologize for the lateness of my posts. But boy is this one a doozy!
So you know how we love Thai restaurants and how they are extremely Paleo friendly. We found a www.restaurant.com coupon for Racha Thai and our interest was peaked. Clackamas Town Center is quite a ways away, but for good Thai food it could be worth it. We knew it was a chain so that actually should have given us a huge warning sign right there, but we decided to gamble a bit.
At first appearance it really was quite nice. It’s right by the movie theatre. We were trying to be very open minded. We walk in and everything is in excess; the decoration, our table, the seats. So we were thinking hmmm, maybe even the food is served in excess too.
What we ordered: Pumpkin Curry, Larb, Lemongrass chicken.
How we ordered: No rice, extra vegetables.
What we got: We got free fried shrimp chips for an appetizer, like chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant.
Fried shrimp chips
Pumpkin Curry
Larb
Lemongrass Chicken
Side of vegetables
Cost: Pumpkin Curry – $9.95, Larb – $8.95, Lemongrass Chicken – $10.95, Side of vegetables – $5-ish…
Quantity: WE GOT JACKED! (I think the pics speak for themselves)
Quality: good. who knows where they get their meat from, but it was tasty.
MEAT-O-METER SAYS!
I think this is the worst decision we’ve made in a long time. Sorry Katie and Anton for dragging you with us! Should you happen to be in the Clackams Town Center area, DO NOT GO HERE! The most amusing part of this dinner experience is our interaction with the waiter. Since we knew there were Thai people cooking in the kitchen and most of the staff was asian, we figure the chefs would be able to conjure up something authentically Thai. Is that too much to ask? We wanted something not on the menu, something that the waiter would eat at home. That’s not too much to ask, is it? Unbeknownst to us, the waiter or the host had absolutlely NO IDEA why we were asking this question. It was an INCREDIBLE conversation. If you know anything about the Meat-o-meter, he was loving it. Any other true Asian restaurant would fix something fantastic for you and it would be delicious. Unfortunately Racha Thai is neither that authentic or generous with their portions. Poop on them….
Filed under: Northeast Portland, Thai | Tags: Northeast Portland, paleo, Thai
They moved to:
3024 NE Alberta St., Portland, OR 97211
(971) 255-1082
This place had been recommended to me so many times that I am kicking myself for not coming here sooner! I was thinking, “but how can one top Dang’s Thai Kitchen, or Thailand Restaurant?” Well, the only way a Thai restaurant could top these two is if it were closer into the city. Could this be the restaurant with all the traits we have ever wanted?
What we ordered: With any new Thai restaurant we had to order our staples: Barbecue chicken, Larb, Tom Kha Soup. Since we were eating with friends we went All Out. We also ordered a “dry” curry – Hor Mok Talay and an entree named Chu Chee Shrimp.
How we orderd it: Everything was pretty much ordered as is. We made sure they did not waste their food by bringing us any rice. The waiter, of course, gave us a weird look and did a double take. We’re pretty used to it by now.
What we got:
Tom Kha Soup
Larb
Hor Mok Talay - we dug in already before we could get a pic!
Chu Chee Shrimp
Cha' Ba Thai Barbecue Chicken
Cost: Tom Kha Soup – $8.50, Larb – $8.50, Hor Mok Talay – $13.50, Chu Chee Shrimp – $13.40, Cha’Ba Thai Barbecue Chicken – $9.00. Pretty average for a Thai restaurant.
Quality: Everything was soooo tasty! Hor Mak Talay had squid and shrimp and was a little bit spicy. The “dry” curry implied that it was not super liquidy, like other curries you’re probably familiar with. It was more of a paste like substance. No matter! It was delicious! Barbecue chicken wasn’t the best I’ve ever tasted, but still good nonetheless.
Quantity: All this fed 4 people and then some. We all probably could have afforded to eat a couple of spoonfuls less, but it was just too good to let go to waste.
MEAT-O-METER Says!
The Thai restaurants keep getting better and better!
Cha’ba Thai has got one up on Dang’s Thai Kitchen because it’s closer into town! Some of the dishes were unique to the restaurant and we had never seen them at other Thai restaurants, so that was welcome surprise. If you think you can top this one, please let us know!
Barbecue Chicken
Pumpkin Curry
What a nice surprise! Even though the chicken was a little dry, overall the meal was pretty good. Granted we did have really low expectations being in the ‘burbs, it ended up being a pleasant dining experience. It was also better than any Thai restaurant we’ve been to in the city. Maybe if you’re heading back from the coast or if you’re ever in the area, you should go check it out!670 N State St, Lake Oswego, OR 97034
I’m definitely no expert, but I’ll just come out and say it anyway. Dang’s Thai Kitchen could be the ”Best on the West Coast”.
I wasn’t gonna say it….OK I will….DANG! This place is good.
What we ordered: Angel Wings, Larb, Barbecue Chicken, Green Curry with Stuffed Calamari
How we orderd it: Like most Thai Restaurants everything was ordered AS IS!! Hold the rice!
What we got:
Angel Wings
Larb - Ground pork with shallots and mint
Green Curry with Stuffed Calamari
Barbecue Chicken
Cost: Angel Wings – $8.50, Larb – $8.00, Green Curry – $12.50, Barbecue Chicken – $9.00
Quality: The Angel Wings – were mighty tasty. (They are stuffed with chicken and a small amount of rice noodles…) The Barbecue Chicken was entirely moist and really flavorful. Larb had great tasting ground pork. The green curry with stuffed calamari was pretty much amazing. The stuffing of the calamari was ground chicken and some other tasty goodness that we’re not sure about.
Quantity: The curry bowl is ginormous! Everything was really pretty generous compared to other Thai places.
MEAT-O-METER:
So this must be what a really really good score looks like. I think we’ve set the bar again. The Meat-O-Meter couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was too good to be true AND in Lake Oswego, no doubt. We may just be disappointed at every future Thai restaurant we go to. It’s going to be hard to beat this one. We’re surprised to recommend a place outside of our Portland bubble…who knew that really good Thai food is located in the suburbs.
(Another great use of the www.restaurant.com gift certificate!)
2731 N. Killingsworth St., Portland, Oregon 97217
Pleasant Surprise II from the same owners of Thai Ginger. Ok, let’s not jinx it just yet, but we are on a roll. Our staple dish, Barbecue Game Hen is served here. I won’t keep you in suspense, it is (for lack of a better word) awesome! We’ve had a lot of Game Hen in our day, but so far this one takes the cake (we don’t even eat cake)! We got it for Take Out one night because we HAD to try it once we heard they served it.
Das-a lotta meat, my frien!
What we ordered: Tom Kha Soup with choice of meat, Beef Salad.
How we ordered it: Eating paleo, we didn’t have to make any substitutions or eliminations. Tom Kha with chicken is served with mushrooms, ginger, green onions, tomato slices, cilantro, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Medium spiced Beef Salad had onions, tomatoes, lettuce and oil and spices. Oh, how I love Thai food!
What we got:
Doh! We forgot to take the pic before we started eating again! well, this bowl WAS full.
Cost: $8.50 for the Tom Kha Soup, $8 for the Beef Salad. $10 for the Barbecue Game Hen!
Quantity: Pretty good. Really good for soup and not bad for the salad. This just in: The stir-fry ordered by Scott during the MEAT-O-METER’s 3rd visit, 3 days in a row, was very generous.
Quality: Simple, really flavorful and tasty. Not sure where the meat comes from, but it’s darn good.
MEAT-O-METER SAYS!
Holy cow, it’s a semi-quasi smile!
2020 N. Portland Blvd., Portland, Oregon 97217
Pleasant Surprises. Those are my favorite. I love it when you least expect something to be good and it’s oh so pleasant!
For Thai food, we have two staples that we always get when we try someplace new. The Larb (pronounced “LOP”) and the Barbecue Game Hen. That way you can compare apples to apples and make a professional, scientific and informative decision on that restaurant, just like I do here :p (Unfortunately they did not have the hen at this restaurant…)
What we ordered: Since we were with many other Crossfitters we ordered family style. It’s the best way to eat! We ordered the Larb with choice of meat (pronounced “Lop”) and Tom Kha Soup (sorry no pic, but it was a big bowl!) with choice of meat and Pumpkin Curry with choice of meat.
How we ordered it: Thai food is pretty easy to order. Minus the rice, you’ve got a great Paleo-friendly meal. What’s great is coconut milk is the base of most of the soups and curries. Fatty, you say? Ah-ha! Paleo eaters with their non to low processed carbohydrate intake (sorry bread lovers, grains are processed) have to consume a lot of fat. There’s good fat and bad fat, but that is a whole other discussion topic.
Larb with pork, no processed grains here! Ground pork, shallots, green onions, lime juice and fish sauce. Side of cabbage or romaine lettuce, depending on where you eat. (Also, some Thai places serve Larb with crispy brown rice mixed in with the ground pork. Paleo eaters beware! Just ask for them to make it with no rice.)
Pumpkin Curry with chicken, also no processed grains. It has a coconut milk base, real pumpkin, onions, other assorted veggies.
What we got:
Hmmm, not bad….
Cost: $8 for Larb, $10 Pumpkin Curry. Compared to other Thai places, it’s pretty inexpensive.
Quality: Everything was very tasty and spiced well.
Quantity: Mediocre
Meat-O-Meter Says!
The taste of the food and relative cheap-ness of it all far exceeded the mediocre quantity of the food.
I think we have a winner here! Our staple dish, Barbecue Game Hen, was not on the menu. However, towards the end of our meal, we were able to witness two employees of Thai Ginger on their lunch break. They were eating this fabulously large portion of barbecue chicken. Of course we had to enquire about it. They said we could order this dish if we called 24 hours ahead of time to order. Hmmm, interesting, METER reading may be increasing… They also informed us that they were the owners of Tsunami Thai Cuisine, just down the road which did serve the Barbecue Game Hen; leading us to our next restaurant to review….coming soon!
