Langbaan

"Within his Northwest 23rd restaurant Phuket Cafe, lauded Portland restaurateur Akkapong Earl Ninsom now houses the James Beard Award–winning 24-seat tasting menu spot Langbaan, which previously hid in a back room behind a bookcase at his other restaurant, Paadee. Menus change frequently, pulling inspiration from historic menus and regions of Thailand. That being said, a few of its greatest hits remain on the menu year-round, including the miang som, dots of cara cara jewels and shrimp sitting on a betel leaf with fish sauce caramel, or the kanom krok, Hokkaido scallop swimming in a coconut cream sauce within a crispy rice cup. The full tasting menu is $135 per person." - Krista Garcia

"Akkapong Earl Ninsom is the restaurateur behind several stars in Portland’s culinary constellation, but Langbaan — his supper club within Northwest Portland’s Phuket Cafe — is the brightest. Here, tasting menus pull inspiration from regions, time periods, and styles of dining throughout Thailand’s culinary history, though a few dishes remain as constants as menus change: Jewels of cara cara orange mingle with plump shrimp and peanuts, cradled in a betel leaf with fish sauce caramel, while a crispy rice cup supports Hokkaido scallop, coated in a sweet coconut cream. Every meal ends with a dessert from pastry chef Maya Erickson, one of the city’s finest." - Eater Staff

"Langbaan—from the Earl Ninsom kingdom that includes Eem and Yaowarat—takes over Phuket Cafe Wednesday-Sunday (Phuket Cafe is still open then). It’s always the right call for a big night-out dinner when you want to spend a small fortune on modern Thai dishes built to impress. The ever-changing $135, five-course tasting menu will start with a parade of sweet, spicy, and funky one-bite wonders, like their signature Hokkaido scallop, and then move on to plates like a knockout gaeng luang—the soupy curry with roe-topped king salmon wouldn’t be out of place at a highly prestigious restaurant in Bangkok. Even with the recently added seatings, reservations still go fast, so plan ahead. photo credit: Carly Diaz Food Rundown The menu at Langbaan changes periodically, and is typically centered around a theme like Issan or Chinatown. Here’s a peek at the type of food you can expect. photo credit: Carly Diaz Kanom Krok A constant on the menu since the early days, this starter featuring a delicate Hokkaido scallop sauced with lime leaf-infused coconut cream in a crispy rice cup is like the passed party appetizer of your dreams. Yam Pu Nimh You’re not going to find soft-shell crab served with corn, cranberries, frisée, and sorghum in Thailand, but exemplary dishes like this feel Thai at their core when you eat them at Langbaan. It’s more about the wild flavor combinations than the ingredients themselves. Kanon Ta Ko Pastry chef Maya Okada Erickson turns out visually stunning desserts that embrace Thai flavors like roasted coconut mousse dipped in a pandan magic shell, served with taro sponge cake, lime leaf oil, and rice paper. These fanciful creations taste as good as they look, which, at any other place, isn’t always a guarantee." - Krista Garcia

"Langbaan takes over Phuket Cafe Thursday-Sunday (Phuket Cafe is still open then), and it's the move for a big night-out dinner when you want to spend a small fortune on Thai dishes you won’t find anywhere else. The ever-changing tasting menu ($125 per person) starts with a parade of sweet, spicy, and funky one-bite dishes before moving on to plates like gaeng luang, a soupy curry with king salmon and roe that wouldn’t be out of place at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Bangkok. Just know that there are only eight seatings per week, so reservations go fast." - krista garcia

"Akkapong Earl Ninsom is the restaurateur behind several stars in Portland’s culinary constellation, but Langbaan — his supper club within Northwest Portland’s Phuket Cafe — is the brightest. Here, tasting menus pull inspiration from regions, time periods, and styles of dining throughout Thailand’s culinary history, though a few dishes remain as constants as menus change: Jewels of cara cara orange mingle with plump shrimp and peanuts, cradled in a betel leaf with fish sauce caramel, while a crispy rice cup supports Hokkaido scallop, coated in a sweet coconut cream. Every meal ends with a dessert from pastry chef Maya Erickson, one of the city’s finest." - Eater Staff