Phuket Cafe — Restaurant in Portland

Such a delicious lunch, I can’t wait to try dinner! Not knowing what to expect, I stepped in the main entrance expecting to be seated indoors and was directed outside to the “train car”. Given it was chilly and on the verge of raining, I was a bit concerned. But the train is quite cozy with the heat lamps and comfortable chairs.

There’s a fair bit to choose from in terms of starters and sides, but my friend and I lacked time to luxuriate over a long, multi-course meal. I had the Panang curry, which featured Coppa pork steak, summer squash, and Swiss chard. I was expecting the chard to be part of the curry but it was actually tidy pile of minced, crisped greens that offered a complementary texture. There were nice big slices of jalapeños too. I love spicy food; this creamy, complex curry had pleasant albeit mild kick. My one complaint is that the pork was quite tough. I couldn’t even use my fork’s edge to break off a bite, and it was too tough to nip off a piece politely. I had to ask for a knife. While the Coppa pork makes for a gorgeous presentation (and don’t get me wrong, it tastes great) the trade-off might be the texture. My leftovers were enough for modest yet satisfying lunch. The curry flavors seemed to get even better on day two.

My friend loved her Massaman curry with chicken and Thai iced tea.

We arrived around noon and there were tables available. It’s like this place is a secret!

I recently read that their pastry chef was recognized by Bon Appetit so I definitely want to return and have dessert.

Service was polished and attentive.

Parking is challenging; build in extra time to look for a spot and walk if you are planning to dine at a...

Came here for lunch on a Friday and were seated immediately. We sat outside in the heated shelter which is nice and toasty. We opted for the chicken wings, Panang Curry and pad see ew to share. You may wonder... why the 4 star? Read on... The food came out quickly and we got our chicken wings to start. If you look into the photo, we got 4 small pieces of chicken wings... (2 wing tips and 2 drumettes). That's equivalent to one set of chicken wings from one chicken. Seriously! $14??? Garnished with plain cabbage without dressing nor vinaigrette, roasted peanuts without seasoning, and thinly sliced green bird peppers. Seriously. $14??? Hence, 1 star removed. The panang curry flavor was great and again, 4 thin slices of pork came with it on top of undercooked vegetables. Took many chews on the vegetables before one can swallow... Portland may be a healthy city but the portions are just way too stingy! Another star removed. The Pad See Ew... this is their saving grace. Had great "wok hei" which is heated wok flavor and the noodles are soft and fresh. The flavors worked well together and the sambal that came with it was a great compliment to the burnt and toasty flavors that should be in Pad See Ew. Love that they did not sugar it up like other Thai restaurants so, definitely a great dish. We unfortunately had to sit inside the shelter with some loud mouth unconcerned dining patron that must have thought she owned the place with her obnoxious cackle. So, that ruined the mood. Servers were attentive and professional. Would come back to have the Pad See Ew but $14 for the chicken wings!...

My Singaporean wife & I were hopeful as we’d heard some positive buzz surrounding Phuket Cafe.

Unfortunately we were very disappointed mostly due to the overly salted flavor of the dishes here.

With so many wonderful ingredients, there’s no need for such a strong salt attack.

The Mee Grob Lon Tao Huu Yee appetizer was the one tiny appetizer we enjoyed with a lovely fermented tofu flavor.

The Tumeric Lemongrass Curry was overly flavored and salty.

The eggplant was covered in a knuckle deep layer of fried, salty shallots and was swimming in a salty mushroom sauce.

The Miang Plaa Jaramad under the ‘salad’ section is fried fish wrapped in betel leaf was a poor comparison to similar dishes in Thailand and steeply priced at $24.

The 3 inch long pieces of Abalone was super salty and served with 3 thin and cold pieces of broccolini at $15.

The shaved ice desert was uninspiring and if you’ve eaten similar deserts in Thailand, Singapore or Japan, you’ll be very disappointed with the one served here.

Don’t mean to be harsh or negative, but our experience here was very poor all around and I would not honestly recommend the food.

Service, aesthetic and overall vibe was upbeat and lovely, but we walked home in a unhappy sodium...