The Best Restaurants to Eat and Drink Around the Buckman Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon | Eater Portland

"Hat Yai on SE Belmont Street is the the second outpost of Alan Akwai and Earl Ninsom’s southern Thai fried chicken stand. The southern Thai region’s chicken is characterized by a crispy rice flour-based batter and fried shallot topping; patrons usually add cuts of it to combo sets with chewy, crispy roti and an addictive Malay-inspired dipping curry. If you choose to go outside the boundaries of fried chicken, it’s possible to order the curry on its own; try it alongside plates of lesser-known regional Thai dishes like Phuket Hokkien noodles (a Thai take on Peranakan stir-fried noodles), Southern Thai ground pork, and brisket curry. A menu of tropical-Thai cocktails like turmeric Mules and pandan gin and tonics complement the spice-driven dishes, fittingly, while the cardamom-sesame flavored Thai iced coffee should certainly help anyone power through a midweek lunch break." - Katrina Yentch