3226 SE Division St
Portland, OR 97202
(503) 232-1387
Open Mon-Sat, Sundays closed
I first heard about Pok Pok almost a year ago but it has taken me until now before I had the chance to try it out. I was a bit skeptical about it…despite touting the authentic Thai BBQ’s on the premise, how authentic could it really be? Also, how much can I trust the reviews of other people? Still, after reading yet another glowing review for the umpteemth time, I had to make a stop into the Whiskey Soda Lounge that was the little thai bbq shack on Division street.
We went on a midweek night, around 7, thinking that the place would be less crowded. We got in and were seated almost immediatly. WSL is very small but it had a nice cozy feel to it. Right away, we were given a carafe of water and little tin cups. The water had the texture of cooled boiled water and tasted vaguely of rice. If you’ve never had cooled boiled water, it’s a thicker, almost silkier texture. Most Asian people drink boiled water, so I was impressed by this tiny attention to detail.
The menu was chock full of exotically named dishes, but thankfully there were descriptions next to them to explain what each entailed. We had to order their BBQ game hen, their claim to fame, and followed that up with skewered baby octopus, and Pok Pok Papaya salad. Each of us ordered our own rice: I, the sticky rice, and E, the coconut rice.
The order came out quickly enough, but I wonder if it cooled on the way from the kitchen to the lounge. The waitresses kept ducking in and out of the place, each time opening a cold draft into the lounge. This is good, because the cramped quarters could easily make the place stuff, but the chicken wasn’t as hot as I want my food to be. It was very well done though…the dark meat was falling off the bone with that delicious sticky quality that only bbq’d or roast chicken can have. The white meat wasn’t very flavorful, but the skin made up for it. It came with a side of sweet chili sauce–the same kind that can be found bottled at any Chinese store, and it didn’t do anything for the chicken so I ignored it. It was $9.50 for a whole, $5.50 for half. The rice that we ordered was not very good though. It costs $2 for a bowl of coconut rice and $2 for a small piece of sticky rice. The sticky rice was too dry, and the portion was tiny. The coconut rice had a nice aroma and taste, but the quality of the rice was lacking. That worried me because rice is the primary staple of Asian cuisine!
After that, I tried the skewered baby octopus. I was impressed by how tender it was, and the light lime/cilantro vinagrette was an interesting flavor, but gosh, there were only 6 baby octopus in that dish for $8.00. It was not worth it. I felt so ripped off by it because it wasn’t very special to begin with and the portion was tiny! Size does matter when it comes to this. On a recent board, owner Andy explained his reasons for cost claiming that high overhead costs and specialty ingredients were the reason for the price. That may be true for his Carlton pork ribs, but I just don’t buy it in this case.
However, the star of this place would be the Pok Pok Papaya salad. It was everything a good papaya salad should be: intensely flavorful, slow heat that builds fire with each bite, crunchy long strands of papaya, and a sweet, sour, spicy salty kick. At $6, it’s definitely worth ordering one for each person at the table! Sharing was something I never wanted to do less when it came to this salad.
Overall, I had a good time and the food was a welcome kick in the middle of a cold Portland winter. I was just a tiny bit underwhelmed. While the chicken and the salad were good, the place has been so hyped up by local foodies and touted as one of the best Cheap Eats of Portland that I had unreasonably high expectations for the place. With the addition of their more expensive sides, it’s not a true cheap eat either. Still, I would come back when the craving hit, and this time, I’ll know what not to order.