Somtum Thai Kitchen
Restaurant · Downtown ·
Authentic Isan Thai dishes like papaya salad, grilled meats
Authentic Isan Thai dishes like papaya salad, grilled meats
"It’s not hard to find Isan staples like larb and papaya salad in the city, but Somtum Thai Kitchen, which opened on the Portland State University campus in 2021, showcases lesser seen Northeastern Thai dishes like tub waan, a salad of hot and sour pork livers tossed with herbs. Of course, chef Sirapob Chaiprathum also makes many versions of his restaurant’s namesake dish, some that pair shredded papaya with fermented fish sauce and field crabs, as well as others that add salted duck egg and cherry tomatoes."
"There is plenty of fantastic Thai food in Portland, but this under-the-radar Isan restaurant on the Portland State University campus punches above its weight. Sirapob Chaiprathum, who goes by Q, pounds bright and complex papaya salads using things like field crabs and Laotian fish sauce, while pots of simmering broths waft galangal-and-lemongrass-scented steam. Those seeking the comfort of pad Thai or crab fried rice will find it here, but for the full experience, the restaurant’s sampler platters, named for Thai temples, are great for groups." - Eater Staff
"I love Thai food and often pair Somtum Thai Kitchen with the tea shop next door — we always do a combo when we go." - Thom Hilton
"Tucked inside a house on the Portland State University campus, this restaurant focusing on Isan cuisine takes its name from som tum, or papaya salad. Whereas most Thai restaurants have a standard version of the dish, Som Tum Thai Kitchen’s variations include salted duck egg, field crabs, and vegetarian. In the tum khao pod, corn shaved off the cob provides a sweet respite from the spicy components of the salad. As with all of Som Tum’s dishes, the salad can be ordered to the heat level of your choice, from mai ped (not spicy) or “baby spicy” (mild) all the way up to the discretionary ped paak heak (super Thai hot)." - Janey Wong
"Located on the Portland State University campus, Som Tum Thai Kitchen is Sirapob “Q” Chaiprathum’s passion project to present a fuller portrait of the Isan food he grew up eating after noticing how few Isan dishes appear on U.S. Thai menus. The compact, 40-seat spot separates its menu into grilled meats, spicy salads, soups and a full som tum section that showcases many regional variations (including tum lao made with the Laotian fermented fish sauce padaek, which Chaiprathum favors). The kitchen also offers multiple kinds of larb (pork, duck, beef and mushroom), glass noodle yum woo sen, and rarities rarely seen around Portland such as tub waan (medium-rare pork livers with shallots and herbs), soop nor mai (bamboo shoots in fermented-fish dressing with dried peppers and roasted rice), yum moo yaw (Vietnamese sausage salad with chile-lime dressing) and nam khao (crispy rice salad). The soup selection is notably broad, from tom sap kradook made with pork cartilage and galangal to gaeng om gai (a soothing herbal vegetable soup with roasted rice and pumpkin) and tom saep neua, a tangy, tom-yum–like beef soup. For newcomers the Pa Khao Noi sampler is recommended — a tour that includes larb moo, tom sap kradook on, fried pork ribs and crispy rice salad — with a larger Pa Khao Yai option that adds kor moo yang (grilled pork neck). The restaurant is open for onsite dining and takeout and plans to begin serving drinks at the bar soon." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden