This place is fr crazy good! Haven't had a bad or underwhelming dish off the menu yet :)…read more The silky red tonkatsu is my go-to here. It strikes perfect notes of toasty heat and creamy umami tonkatsu broth. It's a complex, bold, yet balanced bowl. The noodles are delicious - some sweet mushrooms add a spike to the flavor profile, as if sake marinated. My partner got the Cho-Maz, a beautiful bowl of hearty noodles with a perfectly poached egg on top. The chorizo flavor is incredible and unique to Baka Umai, with a mouth-watering heat! We've had the chicken karaage on our first visit which was just perfect. This time we opted for the Crispy Ota Tofu which didn't disappoint! They were about as crispy as the karaage, and a perfect light appetizer to accompany our bowls. Beer and sake selections are always on point. The service is welcoming, straightforward, and casual. Love the ambiance, especially on a busy evening when the pop music is blasting. 10/10 spot, highly recommended! Get menus and order at counter, seat yourself. Food is delivered to table and staff busses when you are done.

We are visiting and were looking for some dinner. Came in to Baka Umai located along Hawthorne…read moreclose to Por Que No taqueria. Parking along the busy street or nearby off streets between the housing. Let's start with what was great: The staff was very friendly, attentive and quickly sat us down with booster and high chair. Drinks (IPA and a Calpico) came out very quick as well as the Tabor tofu (3). The food was good. We had the Tabor tofu (kids enjoyed) and x2 Kaiyo Tsukemen. The dipping ramen came out with a nice jammy soft boiled egg and the noodles had a pretty good chew. The sauce was a bit thin but had that good seafood umami flavor. Pork belly was well portioned and had a light char. Overall, decent place to eat. Had to dock stars because out of the 4 items we were hoping to get for dinner, they did not have 3 available (fried Ota Tofu, Blistered Shishitos and Umami Mazemen). Maybe they were super busy early on but we were there around 6:45p so surprised menu items were not available. The staff was quick to apologize and worked quickly to get a 2nd Kaiyo Tsukemen out for us when the Umami Mazemen was not available. Wish we could've tried those dishes as I think it would've been a better complete meal. Kids still enjoyed it and our plates were empty so food was still good. Good amount of seating inside, utensils and water are self serve and looks like it could be a fun spot during summer months if they are able to roll up the garage doors!

My friend and I came for lunch on Christmas Eve. We came here after my friend wanted some pho…read more I informed the waitress that I was dairy and gluten-free. I confirmed with her that the vermicelli combo bowl could be made that way. I was pleasantly surprised and it really hit the spot as I had a long run earlier. The prices here are fairly priced and would definitely come back again.

Baby it's a cold 39° outside and a bowl of hot grilled chix pho in beef broth was tapped to nix the…read moredamp in my bones. At $16, the grilled chicken was aplenty , so much that it made for a full size 2nd meal. Moist with grill marks it had the signature lemongrass flavor though now submersed deep in the broth, it loses a bit of the beauty of fresh grilled chix. The beef pho broth however was much less intense and complex than I prefer (Pho Van) so somewhat disappointing but a great fill with aok broth on a cold day. Had to ask for Cilantro on side which was missing from bean sprout basil lime side plate that waiter brought promptly but said it was added to broth..hmm ok Hubby got the Seafood Basil Stir Fry $18 requesting no added sugar to kill the heavy hand in the sugar bowl that tends to creep in, and it was better as the sweet soy still is still used. Perfectly stir fried, shrimp mostly, 2 scallops and one large mussel, crisp veggies- snow peas, beautifully trimmed bells, carrots, w-chestnuts, his plate was cleaned ;) Top that with Kirin Ichiban draft only $4 every day, now that's a big deal! Close to the hubbub of Hawthorne proper south of 39th Ave/Cesar Chavez it's a short block to Bamboo House and years on from last visit, the updated decor is a huge vibe win. Gone are the umpteen jungle of plants and open tables of 80s and step into a bamboo den with wood caged lights, bamboo & rope open dividers and ceilingscape, more intimate turquoise booths, central long booths spaced with tables and a new bar, love it! Remember to walk north of 39th for the $4 pints and will be back to try the more unusual sweet sour tomato broth pho with crab cake!

Went here for my friend's birthday dinner. I don't think I've been to a vegetarian Thai place…read morebefore, but the food was amazing! We took the bus here and it was close to a bus stop, and I think there's also street parking available as well. The decorations were very cute--it's a smaller restaurant, but they really made sure the ambiance was nice. I ordered some tea and a see ew, and we shared waffle fries and brussel sprouts. Each dish was flavorful and so good--my favorite was the see ew. I still think about it! Definitely a return restaurant on my next visit to Portland!

Norah is special. The menu rotates like many other restaurants. The fact you can dine in, order…read moretakeout, or order delivery is commonplace. The difference is you're going to experience flavor combinations you won't find elsewhere. The Cauliflower Curry will always be a standard recommendation on my part, but I'd be remiss to say you shouldn't try anything they offer. Thank you, Norah! You're a gem.

trying to feel like my life is a damn game trying to feel like that trying to feel like I'm gonna…read morefeel the same and I'm feeling like I'm gonna have a game then also I'm gonna have fun but also I don't know if I'm gonna have fun I like this place I like this I like this. I like this place a lot because they have beer games. They have games and beer and beer and there's there's like sex fires the sex sex did it say sex but I got to play with a clear ball where you take the ball and then you roll it around in the ball case and you make the obstacle course on the obstacle course no and they have no your meme card game but they don't have the chip. What is it not chili peppers but it's the they don't have the rotten tomatoes game, which not that many places have but it's pretty awesome either way they also have an outside area because if you open the door, it goes outside and I love you. I love you. I hate you with love. I love you. I hate you. I hate that I need you. You want her and I'll never be the bartender is also very nice. Cool awesome she's so sweet. I have my bag on the table and stuff. It's a pretty cool environment. Lots of games. They have pool and stuff plus I like to have fun yes bro we have fun plus.i'm

Element closed before 11:30 tonight. The hours are reliable. This isn't the pre-pandemic Element…read moreLounge. You can't trust anything.

Great space and even better food! Helpful staff and I loved the variety of options. No wait on a…read moreSunday afternoon a bonus too

Brunch in Portland, Oregon…read more.. After I read reviews about Portland's Chinatown, I searched for a dimsum place outside of Chinatown and found Jade Rabbit I liked the name of the place and saw that they had two kinds of rabbit-shaped dimsum! Another cool thing is that their menu is vegan... that means that I don't have to worry about dairy products that give me pain. We found free street parking about a half a block away and waited for Jade Rabbit to open at 11am. We didn't have reservations, but we're seated immediately. The decor was great! I enjoyed looking at all of the Rabbit figurines! The furniture was colorful and the convenient restroom had interesting decorations, too! The service was okay. Some items were not available and our server recited the list that included chow funn. Shucks! She came back later and said that the chow funn was, in fact, available... yay! Our server seemed a bit nervous as her hand shook and placed the special menu upside-down... LOL! We won't bite you! She recommended the Ube Jam drink - it was made with coconut cream... yes! The chow funn was a bit bland. We added some soy sauce. The Puto Pao Bunny Bao had an unusual flavor - maybe the brown sugar can be omitted because the black garlic and vegan pork might be fine without it? The Jade Rabbit Dumplings also could be more savory. Something was off... and the filling was a bit sparse. Anyway, maybe we could have ordered better, but we got what we wanted! Thank you for the cute food! Note: 22 percent is added to the bill - so no need to tip.

So glad we tried this place out - the food is delicious and the service was fantastic! The decor is…read moredefinitely on the eclectic and fun side. We tried the following: 1) Roti canai - it's like an indian paratha with some dips on the side. Flaky and crispy. 2) Crispy eggplant chaat - highly recommend. 5/5. I couldn't believe it was tofu yoghurt. 3) Tamarind mala fried chicken - another dish that hit the spot. Would definitely go back the next time we are visiting Portland.

This was a good meal. I mean, really tasty food. Flavorful without being spicy lends itself to…read morebroad appeal. I went with two friends to enjoy the chef's menu, and while I enjoyed the experience, looking back there were a few too many missed details to have me scampering back. 1. I'm all about Portland restaurants optimizing seating and serving space and have zero quibbles about eating outside in a tent. While the lap blankets are a nice touch, I didn't feel any external heat source being utilized. Looking around, most diners had their jackets on. When I'm settling in for a nicer meal, I don't want to wear outerwear. 2. Service was succinct. Not warm, not helpful, but timely. It seems to me that when you're offering cuisine that people may be unfamiliar with, pausing for a moment to explain what we're eating would be helpful. We had to ask for a menu back to figure out what we were eating. 3. Dishes were meant to be shared. That's fun! But the appropriate plates and serving utensils weren't provided to make that easy. Cutting something on a tiny plate with sauce is just a messy proposition. 4. Bar program is abysmal. Wine options were non-existent, with very limited beer and cocktail choices. 5. Servings. Not serving SIZE, mind you, but how food was served that's meant to be shared. For example, one of the first courses was a lamb skewer served with a tiny fried bun (think savory beignet). We received two of these for our table of three. And this same sort of food math happened with every course. At an establishment where everyone at the table must participate, we should be able to each have our own tiny buns, dang it. And when the bill is over $100 per person, it's not too much to ask. How do you split four pieces of spring roll amongst three people? I am not joking when I say we had a mathematician at the table, and we were still flummoxed. It seems that every "family style" meal served in Portland does this, and it's annoying every time. 6. Dessert! There was one dessert option only - a cloyingly sweet rice cereal treat made with Fruity Pebbles (or some such thing) that only a child could possibly have enjoyed. No leaning into Asian cultures, no fruit. It was pretty nasty.

Great food service and ambiance. I got the chicken fried rice. Very fair pricing and huge servings.read more

Solid spot for takeout. My friend and I ordered their Tofu Salad Rolls, Yakisoba noodles with tofu…read moreand their spring rolls. Everything tasted fresh and portions were good. I'd definitely come back!

Incredible food, excellent service. I got take out for a large group and the owner went above and…read morebeyond to accommodate

This is a gem of a restaurant! The servers/staff are incredibly sweet and kind, and the food is…read moreflavored to perfection. It's a cozy, family-owned spot. I loooove the Pineapple Fried Rice and the Pink Lady (sweet & sour shrimp with veggies)! Highly recommend.

Mekha Grill has now expanded into the space next door - formerly shared by a barber and a lingerie…read moreshop. It appears that the kitchen now occupies the entirety of what used to be the seating area plus the original cooking space. The name has been changed as well - it is now Chi Em - Mekha Grill, and in addition to a new menu, the patio area out back has been expanded. Our most recent visit had one old favorite, and a new (to me) variation on it. The classic vermicelli bowl with grilled pork and fried spring rolls is still as good as ever. A special item on the menu essentially replaced the vermicelli noodles with an udon style noodle and a coconut based sauce. One thing that seems to be missing is banh mi - the sandwiches that were a regular choice for me. I didn't ask, because I was in a noodle frame of mind on my recent visit, but I may stick my head in and ask if they still offer banh mi.

Delightful decor and great staff, unfortunately quite let down by the food. The spring rolls were…read morepretty tasty, but the shrimp/rice dish I ordered was a real letdown. I'm wondering if this is more of a pho spot and I just ordered wrong. I hate giving them a mediocre review because the people were so nice. Hopefully if you go you'll have a better experience than I did.

this restaurant is a bit small but there was a decent amount of seating when we arrived (7:30pm)…read more it felt very comfortable and cozy. the tables are placed quite closely together but it wasn't too busy so that was not a problem. our serviced was very polite and soft spoken. i loved everything i ate here! i have a few criticisms, for example the chicken feet was hard to eat because of how grilled it was, and everything was just a tad bit too salty for me, but the flavors were all amazing. this was my first time trying chicken laksa and i loved it. the chicken was so juicy and the skin was crispy despite being in the broth. i loved all the different vegetables the soup came with as well. my favorite barbecue was the bacon mushroom. you can never go wrong with bacon, and pairing it with mushroom made it feel less heavy and greasy. i was quite disappointed when the food took over 10 minutes to come out, but the meal was worth the wait. i will definitely come back here someday!

It's is nice and cozy inside and then bam! You get a menu heavily laminated with pictures and…read morewords. What do you do? Order the grilled will squid, skewed everything like crispy intestines (just try it), and the whole egg plant. They will be delicious. You will enjoy it. Have a beer.