Nong's Khao Man Gai (SE)
Thai restaurant · Buckman ·
Nationally celebrated Thai chicken & rice, James Beard semifinalist
Nationally celebrated Thai chicken & rice, James Beard semifinalist
"Gabriella Casabianca remembers this as a formative early Portland bite: it “was really the place to go when it was still in the cart pod.”" - Thom Hilton
"Nong Poonsukwattana is the stuff of Portland legend: she came from Thailand with two suitcases and $70 in her pocket, working at Pok Pok for a short time before striking out on her own and opening one of the city’s most famous food carts. The original Nong’s Khao Man Gai carts are gone, but brick-and-mortar locations are still kicking, serving Poonsukwattana’s signature dish: a deceptively simple, Thai-style take on Hainanese chicken. Ask five acolytes their favorite part of the dish and each will offer a different answer: the soul-satisfying broth, the nubby, delicately flavored rice, Nong’s ginger-heavy sauce, or the poached chicken itself." - Katherine Chew Hamilton
"Nong’s Khao Man Gai is one of Portland’s foundational Thai businesses, whose SE Ankeny location became the first sit-down version of Poonsukwattana’s original food carts in 2014. Since 2009, first-time visitors to Portland have flocked to Nong’s for the namesake chicken and rice dish. A simple, homey staple of Thai cuisine, the poached chicken gets topped over a bed of aromatic rice and served alongside a zingy soybean dipping sauce, plus a Chinese winter squash soup made with the poaching liquid. This homey comfort has been the center of the restaurant and has hardly strayed from its “one dish and do-it-well” mentality, apart from vegetarian-friendly, soup, and peanut sauce versions of the dish. If you’re a regular of Nong’s, however, try the khao kha muu to change things up with this braised pork and rice plate, smothered in an aromatic gravy and balanced with pickled mustard greens." - Katrina Yentch
"Owner Nong Poonsukwattana is a Bangkok native who arrived in America with $70 in her pocket and somehow still managed to open a food cart in 2009. She’s now one of Portland’s iconic chefs, and the khao man gai is why. This is a deceptively simple dish of poached free-range Mary’s chicken, flavorful broth, aromatic jasmine rice, and its ginger-y sauce. Pros know to order their KMG with livers and crispy-fried skins, but going classic certainly doesn’t hurt. While the food cart has closed, there are now restaurant locations in downtown and inner Southeast, both with onsite seating, takeout, and delivery."
"From a food cart, an obsession is born. Nong Poonsukwattana started out meticulously making one thing, and in the process, she turned a Thai comfort food staple into Portland’s comfort food staple. Since then, her famous khao man gai has spawned two permanent restaurants, a bottled sauce, and deep, visceral cravings among everyone who tries it." - Ben Coleman
