Farmhouse Kitchen Thai for Portland Dining Month

Another week in March, another Portland Dining Month stop for the amazing deal of $33 netting me 3 courses – and sometimes more! For instance, at Farmhouse Kitchen Thai for Portland Dining Month, you get a free starter soup, and the starter gives you a taste of 2 different starters available on their regular menu. Here’s a closer look.

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First, I would highly recommend you make a reservation. It is definitely not a secret that the Portland Dining Month offering from Farmhouse Kitchen Thai offers a lot of variety with its 6 entrees to choose from. It is also a shrewd dollar value since those entrees are usually in the mid $20 range. So expect a packed house during peak times – if you try to walk in, you may have to wait an hour or so.

Second, you should expect that the service is going to be very functional, and forgive them for that. They are trying to serve everyone they can who comes to their door, which necessitates a lot of turnover at the tables. Sitting at a table towards the back of the house is a lot more calm then the boisterous tables at the front.

If you want to avoid the crowds, consider coming at slightly off times. I came at 8:15 pm and was never rushed out – in fact we got so caught up in conversation we were literally the last to leave the now closed restaurant as they prepared for staff meal. I saw another guest smartly order the Portland Dining Month menu but also order additional dishes to take home – I wish I had done that, even though all my meals for the next 2 days are already accounted for…

Ok, let’s get down to business. Although for the first course the official Portland Dining Month Travel Portland site lists that there are 5 options for the starter, when you get to the restaurant you actually have the choice of 3 combos. Each combo gives you tastes of TWO starters available on the menu. Each is plated individually and then put on a tray to make that duo for you, so I wonder if they would customize the duo for you on request. The default duos they offer are

1. Vegan Fresh Roll and a Vegan Mini Samosa starter combo. Vegan fresh roll: fresh rice paper with tofu, mixed green, bean sprouts, vermicelli noodles and chili peanut sauce. Mini-Samosa: Red Norland potato with caramelized onion, carrot, pastry skin and coconut curry sauce
2. Neua num tok roll and Mieng kum kung duo. Neua num tok roll: grilled Snake River Farm wagyu flank steak with mint, cilantro, cucumber and cilantro lime vinaigrette. Mieng kum kung: crispy crusted prawn on leafy greens with a zesty mixture of lime, ginger, sesame, roasted coconut, peanuts and tamarind reduction
3. Vegan fresh roll and Gluten-free fried taro (puak tod) combo. Vegan fresh roll (same as other combo): fresh rice paper with tofu, mixed green, bean sprouts, vermicelli noodles and chili peanut sauce. Gluten-free fried taro (puak tod): deep fried taro with coconut flake, sesame served with tamarind peanut dipping sauce

I opted for #1 as shown above because I wanted to try the unique dish of the Mini-Samosa, also known as กะหรี่ปั๊บ or in English as Thai Curry Puffs. This was a twist because usually it is a potato filling as listed, but the curry flavors are already inside as part of the seasoning of the filling. In this version, a coconut curry sauce is served separately for dipping.

The texture was still spot on with this Thai take on a samosa having a more flaky, crispy buttery pastry shell texture on the outside, but the similar potato filling inside but without curry spices. Instead, by using the coconut curry sauce you get a creamier curry flavor added to that buttery bite of pastry and potato pocket. It seems universally enjoyable to me.

I hope that explains why YOU should order this – even though it says samosa, it is more then the samosa you would expect at an Indian restaurant. I would totally order this again – maybe even for delivery on Caviar and then pour the sauce on rice afterwards…

You also get a FREE extra starter of the Tom Kha soup. This cup of Tom Kha coconut soup with mixed vegetables, mushroom, tomato, galangal, kaffir lime, lemongrass and long coriander should have a little hint of spicy heat at the end and a sour tang along with creaminess. The usual menu offering of this soup comes with choices of tofu, shrimp, or organic chicken but with this complimentary taster you are getting it without proteins.

Now onto the main event, the entree where you have an array of SIX different dishes to choose from, of which 4 are gluten free and 2 are vegan. I went with the dish they are well known for, has a story from the original chef’s past, and which on the regular menu is offered for $28 (aka the biggest $ value too). Panang Neua, the slow braised Bone-in-Short-Rib in a Panang curry, grilled broccolini, bell pepper, onion, fried basil & Blue Rice.

I have said this as couple times, but I’ll repeat it again. When you see dishes that are not normally on Thai menus available at spot, those are usually good ones to try to order. Step away from the regular pad thai and curries with too much coconut milk and try the new stuff.

I could definitely endorse this dish – it is obviously a smaller portion then what is on the regular menu, but the flavors were spot on, the meat was very tender and moist. I do think the rice was a little hard, and the dish wasn’t hot – to account for the crowds I think they are preparing a lot of the food beforehand and just plating it to order, so the food isn’t as fresh as normal service.

Finally for the third course, you have the choice of two steamed sweet bites that are traditional Thai desserts you don’t normally see on menus. Both are vegan and gluten free. The Khao tom mud would be my recommendation, steamed banana stuffed with sweet coconut sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf. The other option is the less sweet but smaller Ta-kho Anchan, a blue coconut pudding. Sorry, the blue color layer is hidden by the leaf cup and I didn’t capture it but it is cute.

Have you been to Farmhouse Kitchen Thai? What do you think of the offerings?

Where have you been for Portland Dining Month so far?