Inside Five Nostalgia-Driven Dishes on Mémoire Cà Phê’s Brunch Menu | Eater Portland
"At the corner of Northeast Alberta Street and Northeast 15th Avenue I found a new Vietnamese American brunch spot born from a collaboration between Richard Le, Kimberly Dam, and Lisa Nguyen; their chemistry shapes dishes that each have a backstory and are forged by teamwork. Le’s shrimp, cherry tomato, coconut milk omelet—finished with scallion, spicy fish sauce, and fried garlic and shallots—is a tweaked version of his mom’s recipe, while his crunchy fried chicken crowns Nguyen’s pandan waffles; the chicken leg-and-thigh with pandan waffle comes with Thai chile syrup (a spicy maple-hot sauce hybrid) and highlights their gluten-free efforts. The toasted breakfast burrito (choice of fish sauce bacon, pork or beef sausage, or curry mushrooms) is substantial and features scrambled eggs, hash browns, avocado salsa made with Thai chiles, Mexican-blend cheese and their ‘đụ má’ hot sauce; a rice-and-gravy bowl revisits Le’s Matta cart with fish sauce gravy, jasmine rice, a fried egg, fried garlic and scallions. Nguyen’s pastry case complements Dam’s drinks—hojicha banana bread pairs with matcha, a black sesame sugar cookie offsets cold brew—and their milk bread roll with black sesame butter, cream cheese frosting and optional marionberry jam is a deliberate Cinnabon-inspired mall‑kid homage. Overall, the cafe hums with a natural, unforced rhythm where personal memories and collaborative playfulness create comforting, inventive brunch dishes." - Janey Wong
