When I think of Thai food I usually think of pad thai or pad see ew.  After a visit to Pok Pok I was pleasantly surprised that the old expectations of what a Thai restaurant experience is or can be were shattered.  Pok Pok is one of the most unique and enjoyable restaurants I’ve ever been to bar none.  Fro the simple touches like palm leaves in the water and ample outdoor seating to the more complex additions like fusion menu items and traditional rice dishes, this Portland restaurant truly redefined what a Thai restaurant is and should be.

In order to fully experience the broad range of menu items at Pok Pok my friends and I ordered a variety of appetizers, entrees, and sides.  We started with the spicy chicken wings cooked in fish sauce and other tangy spices.  These were perhaps the best wings I had tasted, let alone ever consumed at a Thai restaurant.  It left us wanting more and we were very eager to sample more from their kitchen given the fact that we all enjoyed the wings so much.  Before the entrees arrived, our waitress brought us a couple of small baskets of cooked sticky rice and some iced mustard greens.  The rice was a compliment to the rest of the meal and the greens were meant to cleanse our palettes between each menu item.

After the wings came the prawns.  These suckers were the size of my fist and were as tender and succulent as crab or lobster meat.  They came as a side item but we promptly ordered enough to go around after each having sampled these tasty critters.  They came with a cool yet zippy cilantro sauce, which we found gracing many of the other items we were to later order and enjoy.

The next entrée we ordered was the Muu Sateh; pork loin skewers marinated in coconut milk and turmeric.  These came with a zesty peanut dipping sauce and were as flavorful as any loin or chop I’ve ever eaten.  My friends weren’t as interested in the skewers as I was, given the fact that they more enjoy seafood than I do.  Nonetheless the skewers were quickly devoured and the next dish was on its way, piping hot from the kitchen.

Boar’s collar.  Not something most people think of when they think of Thai food.  These were little slivers of heaven however, and were far less tough and far more flavorful than I expected.  These too came with a different yet equally as zesty and wonderful cilantro sauce.  The boar collar that was served reminded me of a skirt steak but was much more flavorful and juicy than any beef product I have ever tasted.

Finally we ordered the bbq game hen entrée.  This was an excellent dish to finish off the meal with.  The cooking hens were easy to spot as we made our way to our table at the beginning of the night.  They were all roasting outside on a spit as cooks were constantly slathering spices and cooking juices on they whilst rotating to create a perfect piece of chicken meat.  And perfect they were.  The juiciest most flavorful chicken I’ve ever tasted.  The Meat melted off the bone and into your mouth.

We completed our Pok Pok experience with three different desserts.  All of which were excellent but less than memorable.  I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone in the Portland area looking to expand his or her Thai food experiences.  The value for the cost was great, even though each entrée was around $15-$20.  Three people could eat very well here for around $80.  Pok Pok is a real Portland gem.