Bing Mi Food Cart

January 9, 2015 by 13 Comments

When it starts into the winter season, I always try to make extra effort to support a local Portland food cart if I can because it’s a hard time for them. They are still staying up late/getting up early to prep the food, but then seeing so many less people come out because of the colder/rainier weather.

While all customers do is endure running out there to grab the food and then bring it back to eat, the food cart owners are left all day in their small food cart abode, just looking out into the grey skies and feeling perhaps the sideways wind blow into them if they are unlucky. If they are lucky, they might have a little window to try to build up a little warmth while they are waiting for customers, but as soon as they slide it open to welcome you, remember all that is gone!
Bing Mi! Authentic Chinese Wraps from a cart in Portland. A jianbing is a savory crepe with scrambled egg, black bean paste, chili sauce, green onion, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and wonton cracker. You can get extra egg or extra cracker, or add sausage to your jian bing if you'd like. Bing Mi! Authentic Chinese Wraps from a cart in Portland. A jianbing is a savory crepe with scrambled egg, black bean paste, chili sauce, green onion, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and wonton cracker. You can get extra egg or extra cracker, or add sausage to your jian bing if you'd like.

Bing Mi! food cart, located at SW 3rd and Ash (UPDATE: it seems now they are moving to SW 9th & Alder and will be there starting next week) specializes in one main dish: JianBing.
Bing Mi! Authentic Chinese Wraps from a cart in Portland. A jianbing is a savory crepe with scrambled egg, black bean paste, chili sauce, green onion, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and wonton cracker. You can get extra egg or extra cracker, or add sausage to your jian bing if you'd like. Bing Mi! Authentic Chinese Wraps from a cart in Portland. A jianbing is a savory crepe with scrambled egg, black bean paste, chili sauce, green onion, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and wonton cracker. You can get extra egg or extra cracker, or add sausage to your jian bing if you'd like.

Jianbing (or jian bing) is a crepe like snack that is popular in Northern Chinese cities. You get it from streetside stalls, so it seems a perfect fit to be a food cart in Portland. In China people eat it for breakfast, as a snack, or after drinking.

A jianbing by Bing Mi! includes scrambled egg, black bean paste, chili sauce, green onion, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and big flat pieces of wonton cracker. You get a choice of spiciness to the chili sauce. Also, you can get extra egg or extra cracker, or add sausage to your bing if you’d like. Without the extra protein a jianbing is a light meal. Really jianbing can be filled with anything, so I wonder if over time we might see more special additions available.
Bing Mi! Authentic Chinese Wraps from a cart in Portland. A jianbing is a savory crepe with scrambled egg, black bean paste, chili sauce, green onion, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and wonton cracker. You can get extra egg or extra cracker, or add sausage to your jian bing if you'd like.

When you get it made fresh, it is bundled up in paper so you can hold it and warm both hands as you are enjoying the soft and crispy textures with every bite.

Bing Mi! has only been open barely a month, and I appreciate that they are bringing something unique to the food cart scene. They are open 7:30 to 3:00, which is perfect for a breakfast or lunch that you can eat on the go!

Have you ever heard of jianbing before? 

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Haan Ghin

August 6, 2014 by 8 Comments

I was reading my feeds on the train (since I don’t drive, I often am writing posts or reading blogs or links on FB/Twitter/whatever as I commute) and came across the Oregonions’ article on Portland’s Top 10 new food cartsof 2014. That’s where I learned about a food cart that was only a few blocks from me by co-owners Anthony Manivanh and Ann Derryberry, a Laotian little shack/cart right by the PSU Library at SW Park and Harrison.
Haan Ghin and co-owners Anthony Manivanh and Ann Derryberry Haan Ghin and co-owners Anthony Manivanh and Ann Derryberry

It’s only open during the daytime and on the weekdays (aka Monday – Fridays 11isham-2:30 or 3pm, which is why I had never been able to visit. When there was one day that I had some online meetings in the morning but no need to be in the office until right after lunch, so I decided to grab some of their food to go on my way in.

Laos is a country just to the east of Thailand, and similar to its other neighbors Burma, Vietnam, and Cambodia but most similar to Thailand. In fact, the two languages are extremely close, but yet have differences. At least, it’s different enough that when I hear the language and sentence structures and see the written language, it is both familiar but I also don’t fully understand. I can read a few of the letters (and fully read the Open sign), but when reading the menu there are letters I just don’t know. Haan sounds like Ah-Haan which is food in Thai, and Ghin means to Eat.

You are going to get the same experience with the food of Haan Ghin – it will be reminiscent of Thai food in some ways, but also new.
Haan Ghin, a Laotian Food Cart in Portland Haan Ghin, a Laotian Food Cart in Portland

The Haan Ghin menu is small, which I take as a sign of expertise. I went with both the Mii Gai and and Laap Gai main dishes.

Mii Gai in both Laos and Thai means Noodles (Mii) and Chicken (Gai). The details are that these are egg noodles with housemade sweet and savory Mii sauce topped with chicken, ong choy, fried garlic/shallots, scallions and crispy chicken skin. I was sorely tempted to pay a mere $1 more for extra chicken skin but wanted to show you what a regular order looks like, so held in my greed. It is a sacrifice I still think about.
Mii Gai, egg noodles with housemade sweet and savory Mii sauce topped with chicken, ong choy, fried garlic/shallots, scallions and crispy chicken skin from Haan Ghin, a Laotian Food Cart in Portland Mii Gai, egg noodles with housemade sweet and savory Mii sauce topped with chicken, ong choy, fried garlic/shallots, scallions and crispy chicken skin from Haan Ghin, a Laotian Food Cart in Portland Mii Gai, egg noodles with housemade sweet and savory Mii sauce topped with chicken, ong choy, fried garlic/shallots, scallions and crispy chicken skin from Haan Ghin, a Laotian Food Cart in Portland Mii Gai, egg noodles with housemade sweet and savory Mii sauce topped with chicken, ong choy, fried garlic/shallots, scallions and crispy chicken skin from Haan Ghin, a Laotian Food Cart in Portland

I thought that would be my favorite dish. I am a sucker for Southeast Asian noodle dishes, especially if they have egg noodle. But, do not overlook the spicy Laap Gai. This is a dish of minced chicken that you eat in lettuce wraps and can adorn with cucumber, a pinch of sticky rice, and a little scoop of jaew bawng (a dark thick reddish paste made from chiles and galangal root).
Laap Gai. This is a dish of minced chicken that you eat in lettuce wraps and can adorn with cucumber, a pinch of sticky rice, and a little scoop of jaew bawng (a dark thick reddish paste made from chiles and galangal root) from Haan Ghin, a Laotian Food Cart in Portland Laap Gai. This is a dish of minced chicken that you eat in lettuce wraps and can adorn with cucumber, a pinch of sticky rice, and a little scoop of jaew bawng (a dark thick reddish paste made from chiles and galangal root) from Haan Ghin, a Laotian Food Cart in Portland Laap Gai. This is a dish of minced chicken that you eat in lettuce wraps and can adorn with cucumber, a pinch of sticky rice, and a little scoop of jaew bawng (a dark thick reddish paste made from chiles and galangal root) from Haan Ghin, a Laotian Food Cart in Portland Laap Gai. This is a dish of minced chicken that you eat in lettuce wraps and can adorn with cucumber, a pinch of sticky rice, and a little scoop of jaew bawng (a dark thick reddish paste made from chiles and galangal root) from Haan Ghin, a Laotian Food Cart in Portland

Really, just look at those photos, and know that it is as excellent as it looks.
Haan Ghin food cart in Portland's delicious craveable dish of Mii Gai in both Laos and Thai means Noodles (Mii) and Chicken (Gai). The details are that these are egg noodles with housemade sweet and savory Mii sauce topped with chicken, ong choy, fried garlic/shallots, scallions and crispy chicken skin Haan Ghin food cart in Portland's delicious craveable dish of Mii Gai in both Laos and Thai means Noodles (Mii) and Chicken (Gai). The details are that these are egg noodles with housemade sweet and savory Mii sauce topped with chicken, ong choy, fried garlic/shallots, scallions and crispy chicken skin

You can find out more about Haan Ghain on their Facebook page or also follow them at @HaanGhin on Twitter

Haan Ghin on Urbanspoon

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