"One of Portland’s hottest restaurants for a decade now, don’t expect to get a seat at Langbaan without some effort; regardless, it’s worth it. Located at a chef’s counter within owner Akkapong Earl Ninsom’s Northwest Portland Thai restaurant Phuket Cafe, dishes here are complex and nuanced, without shying away from loud and profound flavors. Past menus included pickled mussel salad with satisfyingly bright acidity, the crunch of lotus stem juxtaposed with charred fresh figs. A fermented fish curry had a lingering, delicate funk and sweetness, with a pristine piece of steamed halibut at its center. Menus shift periodically, but every meal starts with miang som, a betel-leaf-wrapped bite of plump shrimp and citrus, and kanom krok, a crispy rice cup filled with coconut-cream-coated scallops. Reservations are available on Tock. Menus start at $135." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden