Portland Food Cart Matta Will Close, Opening Within the Lil’ Dame Space | Eater Portland

"For the last four years I've watched Richard Le run Matta as a Northeast Portland food cart, serving standout items like steak frites with fish sauce and breakfast sandwiches on pandan buns. He describes his food as Việt Kiều — dishes born from the Vietnamese diaspora and from memories of growing up in California and recipes passed down from his mother, aunt, and grandmother — but over time the cart shifted from family recipes toward sandwiches and burgers that incorporate a Vietnamese palette. After finding that more complex, seasonal dishes tested well at pop-up restaurants, Le decided to pivot: Matta will close the cart with a party on August 13 and reopen as a residency, freeing up bandwidth to be more intricate and farm-driven. He plans to bring back early staples such as thịt kho (braised pork belly with soft-boiled egg), short rib curry, and his mom’s omelet studded with shrimp and tomato, and fans may still see the pandan-green breakfast buns at occasional brunches. Beyond the food, Matta has expanded into a lifestyle brand with t-shirt drops, a podcast, breakdance battles, collaborations like with San Francisco’s Studio Mondine, and documentaries as part of All The Homies Network, which earned them a James Beard Award." - Janey Wong