FRIENDSHIP KITCHEN NW: AN EXCELLENT MEAL THAT TAKES YOU FROM SINGAPORE TO SAIGON
The Cost - $26 per person
The Atmosphere – Friendship Kitchen NW is located in a quiet, adorable part of the Northwest District in Portland, Oregon. Its interior consists of a really cute, retro-feeling bar and restaurant space that has some Asian décor pieces sprinkled throughout. The restaurant’s ambiance lends itself well to a variety of different types of meals including solo diners looking for a casual lunch or dinner, couples on a date, and groups of friends or family. Reservations are not accepted but the restaurant does offer pickup and delivery if you don’t want to dine in.
Friendship Kitchen NW is the incredible brought-to-life love story of Wei-En Tan and Trang Nguyen Tan, two women who each immigrated to the United States during their youth: Wei-En from Singapore and Trang from Vietnam. The two met in Portland in 2022 and were married, now co-owning two locations of their restaurant which serve both Vietnamese and Singaporean dishes to eagerly awaiting diners. I checked out their Northwest District location for lunch on my recent trip to Portland and very glad that I did.
The Order – Shaken Beef, Mama’s Laksa, and Jiandui.
The Fantastic – One of the most iconic dishes in Singaporean cuisine is laksa and there was no way I was going to leave Friendship Kitchen without ordering it. The coconut curry-based noodle soup came out in a large bowl and had thick rice noodles, tofu, fish balls, prawns, half of a hard-boiled egg, and one of the best coconut curry broths I have ever had. It was spicy, just as it should be, and had incredible, authentic flavors that really made me smile wide. The noodles and other ingredients were very good, but the broth was the absolute star of this show, and you will want to slurp up every last drop. This dish is a must-order as long as you can handle the heat.
The Great – It wouldn’t have been fair to leave Friendship Kitchen without trying one of its Vietnamese dishes, so I ordered the Shaken Beef, more commonly known as bò lúc lắc in Vietnam. There was a choice of proteins – lemongrass chicken, sliced steak, tofu, or plant based beef – and I chose the steak, which came cooked in a soy sauce and sauteed with peppers and onions. The dish also came with white rice, but I decided instead to substitute the restaurant's coconut pandan rice for an extra $3. The beef was very tender and while the entrée didn’t pack the same punch as the laksa in terms of spice or flavor, it was very nicely done. The coconut pandan rice was tasty as well and had a delicate and subtle sweetness as opposed to many coconut rice dishes which are overly sweet and full of sugar. Overall, this was a dish I’d be happy to order again, especially during a family-style meal.
The Good – The final dish that was ordered was the Jiandui, a dessert consisting of fried sesame balls that is eaten in several Asian countries. The only dessert on the menu, each order comes with four pieces making it easily shareable. The fried balls are covered in sesame seeds and contain a red bean paste filling inside. They are served fresh out of the fryer so make sure you let them cool down for a minute before taking a bite! These not-too-sweet treats may not blow your socks off, but they are a fun way to end the meal.
The Verdict – Love, love, love Friendship Kitchen NW. Between the delicious food and the warmth and inviting nature of the restaurant, and its kind owners, this is an eatery that I will be visiting on every one of my trips back to Portland. I highly recommend Friendship Kitchen and urge you to order the laksa when you visit.