Manao Thai Review

While making a run at Portland U Brew in order to get some supplies for brewing a summer beer, I figured that while I had a car rented for the day and we were already on SE Milwaukie, how about having lunch in the area as well? My sisters just went to Thailand for a short stay and a visit to the rest of my family on both sides (my immediate family is in the US, but extended fam is all in Thailand, divided among Bangkok in central Thailand, Chiang Mai with their Northern cuisine, and my dad’s hometown of Nakhon Ratchasima also known as Korat in the Northeast). Thinking of them, I also have had lots of Thai food on my mind as I think about the deliciousness they are enjoying, as it’s been so long (since 2008) since my last experience in Thailand.

I haven’t actually eaten a lot of Thai food here in PDX because F often eats Thai already from the food carts during his workday, so having Thai for dinner or on the weekends isn’t the first thing we think of, and I should correct that. So far, of the Thai I’ve had, my experiences at Pok Pok, my visit to the food cart Nong’s Khao Man Gai for the Khao Man Gai specialty (and only) dish she offers, and E-San Thai where I loved their Nam Khao are standouts (and as I’ve written about before- click the links to read those entries). But I have quite the Thai To Do List- the wishlist includes PaaDee, Red Onion, Chiang Mai, Mee-Sen, Cha Ba Thai, and Manao, the latter of which is just down the street from P.U.B. Let’s see if I can work this list this summer.

Manao Thai was started by Ekkachai “Chef Chew” Sakkayasukkalawon, an alum from Andy Ricker’s empire including Pok Pok and Ping about a year and a half ago. Manao means lime by the way in Thai. Chef Chew has some staple Thai offerings, but also quite a few more unique Thai dishes that you won’t find as commonly on most Thai menus. Inside, you can tell this is a small family owned business who has kept the décor very minimal and functional.
Manao PDX Thai restaurant Portland Chef Chew

We started with Manao’s Tao Huu Tod appetizer, a dish of fried tofu caramelized with sweet and sour sauce. A special on the board also listed Sai Ua, which is a Northern Thai sausage dish.
Tao Huu Tod appetizer, a dish of fried tofu caramelized with sweet and sour sauce Manao PDX Thai restaurant Portland Chef Chew Sai Ua Northern Thai sausage Manao PDX Thai restaurant Portland Chef Chew

For mains, the vegetarian got the very passable Mussamun Curry with potato, carrot, onion and peanuts (here shown with tofu), I enjoyed both my dishes of the decent Kao Pad Kun Chiang, a dish of fried rice with egg, Chinese sausage, onion, tomato and Chinese broccoli, and then a more unique offering of Thai Chicken Wings, deep‐fried marinated chicken wings caramelized with sweet fish sauce. Are they as good as the Ike Vietnamese Chicken Wings at Pok Pok? Well, they are not as spicy, but still enjoyable and without the wait you would have otherwise had. This seems like a more casual, homey version that is more Thai than Vietnamese, and as noted is more sweet than spicy and good crispyness.

Mussamun Curry with potato, carrot, onion and peanuts Manao PDX Thai restaurant Portland Chef Chew Kao Pad Kun Chiang, a dish of fried rice with egg, Chinese sausage, onion, tomato and Chinese broccoli Manao PDX Thai restaurant Portland Chef Chew Chicken Wings, deep‐fried marinated chicken wings caramelized with sweet fish sauce Manao PDX Thai restaurant Portland Chef Chew

I was also excited to see a Thai dessert you don’t always see on menus here: Sweet Roti, an Indian‐style flat bread top with sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup. This is a very sweet dessert. But, I thought this was much better than what our usual stop would have been after P.U.B.- Dairy Queen!
Sweet Roti, an Indian‐style flat bread top with sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup Manao PDX Thai restaurant Portland Chef Chew

I will probably be back again when we make another run to P.U.B., as there are other special Thai dishes that caught my eye, such as Kaa Muu Tod, a stewed pork leg dish stew with mustard greens; Kaeng hung lay, a funky Northern Thai pork shoulder curry; the labor intensive spicy Som Tum or papaya salad (get it with sticky rice) of which the mashing of the chilis gave Pok Pok its name; and Pad Wuun Sen Kai Kem dish with stir-fried salted duck egg with glass noodles and ground pork. There is a lot right in front of the restaurant for convenient parking. If you visit, please, take the opportunity to try out some dishes that are not the standard fare you will normally see. Make sure to check out the specials board too for more authentic flavors.

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A Visit to Chicago

In for a surprise party, we stayed at the Marriott downtown so we could convieniently visit some of our old and new Chicago stops. Our lunch stop was F’s favorite Thai restaurant (he would order from them sometimes 2-3 times a week until his office moved out of their delivery area), Garlic and Chili Thai. Despite being gone to Portland for 3 years, the owner/chef still remembered us. We started out with the very light fried tofu served with sweet and sour sauce, topped with ground peanuts. We have not found a fried tofu that is less greasy and as lightly fried as these. Then, the other two standby plates of Massamun Curry with coconut milk, white onion, carrot and potato, and Pad Se-Ew, stir fried wide rice noodles with eggs, broccoli and carrot in sweet soy sauce. On the wall was a sign from Grubwithus celebrating their Pad Thai… which we realized we had never even tried. Next time.

We met up with some old friends at Beer Bistro, where we enjoyed their conveyer belt fans and beers (and $5 martinis) until the fact it was IPA day and the launch of Hopothesis brewery made the place so packed (although our waitress was very attentive, making sure to check on us even though the place was super slammed), we retreated from the West Loop to Randolph street and Haymarket Pub & Brewery. Our last stop for those of us with alcohol endurance was The Aviary, with their cocktail kitchen and showmanship presentations of said cocktails (as well as little bites) clearly inspired by Aliniea and El Bulli, with a stop at G Cue Billiards while we waited to get in at Aviary. If it hadn’t already been so late I might have allowed a few games of pool, and I wanted to get to Aviary.

The next day, I really needed something to calm my stomach… and as I was also craving Chicago style deep dish pizza, that meant Lou Malnati’s. Since the pizzas take 30-45 minutes to fire up, we started with an appetizer of Stuffed Spinach Bread: “A Malnati creation, this crusty handmade loaf is served fresh out of the oven, stuffed with a delicious blend of cheeses, fresh spinach, garlic, onion and chunks of tomato”. This sucker is filling, which is even though we ordered individual 6″ pizzas we only were able to finish half of it- well, more for later! We had the “Lou” with Fresh spinach, mushrooms and sliced tomatoes covered with a blend of mozzarella, romano and cheddar cheese, and also the “Malnati Chicago Classic” which uses its specialty of the house, Lou’s lean sausage, along with some extra cheese, and vine-ripened tomato sauce” with both pizzas of course on their famous Buttercrust.

Our hotel was next to the Purple Pig, so of course I had to visit. Most stomach capacity was filled up by Lou Malnati’s, so two glasses of wine and two appetizers were all I had. I started out with what I wanted so much that I was willing to brave the 1-2 hour wait (longer depending on size of your party, obviously, and it as a Fri night so this seemed fair as they take no reservations… and you could order drinks from the bar and wait outside, at least soaking in the Chicago River scented breeze) but lucked out with a place at the bar: Burrata Pugliese with Peas, Radish, Celery, Spring Micro Greens & Aceto Balsamico. Delicious! From the Smears section of the menu, Pork Neck Bone Gravy with Ricotta was complex in flavor but the fact it was a hot dish and the weather was so unbearably hot and humid made it less appreciated. I only wish I had more room at the time for more food.

Thanks Chicago!

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