Paadee

"Akkapong Earl Ninsom’s Paadee puts the spotlight on regional Thai comfort food and Isan food, including its Northeastern Thai plates and fleet of larbs. The dining room here is stylish and warm and great for a date; still, when it comes to Thai takeout, Paadee offers some of the city’s best, with things like exceptional som tum dotted with dried shrimp, the saucy-sweet eggplant dish pad makhua, and the tangy, porky noodle soup known as ba mhee phitsanulok. It’d be criminal to skip the restaurant’s mango sticky rice when it’s in season." - Krista Garcia

"Smack-dab in the middle of one of Portland’s great restaurant rows, Akkapong Earl Ninsom’s casual Thai spot is serving a dish not often seen in Portland restaurants. Featuring crunchy pork belly, slices of pork loin, and pork meatballs in pork broth, ba mhee phitsanulok is a massively pig-heavy, savory-tangy egg noodle soup that’s hard to forget. The addition of crunchy peanuts adds a nice textural contrast to the noodles and pork." - Rebecca Roland, Nick Woo, Brooke Jackson-Glidden

"Under hanging lanterns and plants, dinner in the wood-paneled dining room of Paadee can dress up or down depending on the occasion. An assortment of larb, snacks, and curries are all smart choices upon any visit, maybe finished with a pile of Dungeness crab fried rice, duck-accompanied red curry, or pandan cake with lime leaf-lemongrass mousse. The bar is often shaking bright and lively cocktails to accompany any meal." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Thom Hilton

"The lunch special at this East 28th Thai restaurant is a popular option for those working around Laurelhurst or Kerns on a weekday: Diners choose from a variety of main protein options, which come with a side of soup; a soft boiled egg; a carb like sticky rice, jasmine rice, or noodles; and papaya salad. The list includes favorites from the main dinner menu like the crispy chicken dish gai grop sam yan or the sweet and saucy eggplant dish pad makhua." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden

"Smack-dab in the middle of one of Portland’s great restaurant rows, Akkapong Earl Ninsom’s casual Thai spot is serving a dish not often seen in Portland restaurants. Featuring crunchy pork belly, slices of pork loin, and pork meatballs in pork broth, ba mhee phitsanulok is a massively pig-heavy, savory-tangy egg noodle soup that’s hard to forget. The addition of crunchy peanuts adds a nice textural contrast to the noodles and pork." - Nick Woo, Brooke Jackson-Glidden