10/23/09

Exotic dining experience

by HauteShopper

I like everything spicey. Pok Pok didn't disappoint me. Great food, great ambiance, great service.

You can't go wrong with anything on the menu.

• Pros: There is something for everyone here!
• Cons: Absolutely zero

10/21/09

Disappointing considering the reviews

by citydwellereastwest

After reading numerous glowing reviews about Pok Pok, we finally tried it and were very disappointed. On a Wednesday night at 6pm, we were told there would be a 30-minute wait for the inside dining room. We opted to sit outside by a portable heater instead. The waitress was very slow to arrive (probably at least 10 minutes) but appeared to know the menu. We ordered the house specialty, a 1/2 roasted chicken, which tasted unfresh and arrived lukewarm. The fried catfish dish that the waitress recommended was swimming in oil. It came with an unpleasant sour sauce. The pork skewers were dry and tasteless, but were accompanied by a tasty coconut peanut sauce. In general, all the dishes we sampled were extremely bland and were not hot. One bright spot was that the food came quickly after ordering. We had to track down a runner for a bowl of jasmine rice, as the two containers of sticky rice that the waitress recommended were rubbery, not sticky, and were largely inedible. We also had to steal the water pitcher from the table next to us because our waitress was generally inattentive. My dining companion and I eat out often (several times a week), both in Portland, and other cities. In comparison to other restaurants in Portland, this was in our opinion, well below average. Given our expectations after reading all of Pok Pok's rave reviews, we were very disappointed.

• Pros: Food arrived quickly
• Cons: Everything else, including the food

10/06/09

Amazing Thai

by slbk

We (2 adults and 1 3yr old) had an amazing meal at Pok Pok. We found easy street parking, were seated quickly inside and greeted by a very nice staff. We ordered their chicken wings, curry soup and stir fry vegetables with roasted corn. Each dish was great. For the 3 of us it came to $40 with a tip...not bad. My only complaint is not having toddler friendly drinks like milk. But that is a fairly small gripe and just a personal preference.

• Pros: Easy street parking, no weekday evening wait
• Cons: Limited non-alcohol child friendly drinks