Mee-Sen

what are we looking at?

Were those the half size or the full bowl sizes?

Through the magic of the extreme macro close-up shot, these are the photos of the small bowls, which is about the size of an appetizer portion. I really don't think you can make a meal out of the small bowl (priced accordingly, ranging from $4.50 to $5) so I would opt for the larger one, which actually wasn't on the menu at the time I visited.

The first photo is the yen ta fo, and I like their version better than Red Onion Thai, frankly; Mee Sen just had a more balanced flavor to the broth whereas I found Red Onion to lean too much on the tomato-ey side.

The second are the wings with a sweet and sour sauce. This looks like a clear response to the popularity of the 2Pok wings. While I much prefer Pok Pok's version (particularly when it's made extra spicy), the wings here at Mee Sen cost half as much. So take that into account, particularly when you've got a smaller noodle bowl and you just want some extra protein to your meal.

The third is a bowl of the boat noodles. Their rendition is spot on, and so it's nice that there's one more spot in town other than Pok Pok to have boat noodles, especially for dinner (boat noodles only show up on Pok Pok's lunch menu).

Dude... you da man! I hadn't even heard about this yet! I must check it out. Then hit Prost! for some brew-dawgs. That is, as soon as I'm back in the world of funded-eating-out. Been tough lately. Been missin da Nuki and other spots.
I'll hit you up when I'm going to see if you wanna join up for some noodles and broodles.

word

Tried it out yesterday. It's a beautiful space, and was very uncrowded for lunch. The Gai Oua (Northern Sausage) was terrific - I'm no expert, but it was the best I've had, with very pungent spices. We also tried the noodle curry off the special menu (Khao Soi Gai), and the Khao Mon Gai Thoon - the famous rice dish, but with a dark mushroom sauce. The curry was mild and really took off with the additions of the bean sprouts, onion, pickled greens and chili paste provided. The Khao Mon Gai was subtle, with good chicken. The rice does not have the same depth as Nong's.

Overall, very enjoyable lunch. It's not Pok Pok, but walking distance and no wait - I'm in.

has the kitchen staff here worked for/with Dang? We got the Pad Kee Mao, and I thought it was exactly like his.

m5570

That would not surprise me, but it could also just be that both places are using Dang's recipes for their dishes. Red Onion just has more tricks up their sleeve with the specials menu. I'm very happy that Dang's TK still turns out excellent food.

Edit: Nevermind. I'm an idiot and thought we were talking about Red Onion. No idea whether Mee-Sen has any Dang's pedigree.

The only restaurant pedigree I'm aware of is that one of the co-owners used to work at Monsoon Thai, which is up the street a few blocks across from Prost. Drunken noodles similarities might really just be inadvertent, though I would never fully rule out cross-kitchen-pollination (intentional or otherwise).

A better question is, did you enjoy it?

I'm really thrilled that there's yet another option in town that cranks out great Thai noodles. They've been really consistent, and because I've sometimes spent my mornings at Albina Press, it's a breeze for me to head down Mississippi for lunch.

Here's a pic of their khao soi with a generous piece of chicken (bone-in leg: thigh and drumstick). Delicious. It comes with the expected array of pickles, onions and peppers to augment the curry flavor as you like.

They've got two khao man gai's on the menu, for those who are looking for some Thai-style Hainanese chicken but can't make it to Nong's cart.

As you can see it's a generous chicken leg, and while it doesn't reach the highest highs of Nong's, it's still a very good rendition. Also, parking is easier, there's a higher degree of availability, there's beer on the menu and actual indoor seats, too. So all in all, I think it's a very good trade-off.

Hi guys,

To those who're curious about the recipe whether it's from Dang's or Monsoon or not? And the answer is No : )
Even though, i used to work at Monsoon Thai down the street 3 years ago or I've known chef Dang really well and he even came here with his family to have Guay-tiew-ruar couple times. But all the recipe here are from my partner's wife "Twinvong" which she never get involved with those 2 good cuisines i've mentioned. She has studied and find her own recipe either from cooking book or online and adjusted it the way she like... : )

By the way, Khao mon Gai (Gai tod - Fried chicken & Gai Thoon - Stewed chicken) we've are different dishes which using different cooking method & dipping sauces from the regular khao mon gai that Nong's selling (well, she was my roommate for 2 years before she started her cart, so I don't want to do the same thing she's doing)

Anyhow, just a heads up for what we're planning for this summer. We're planning to build a small corner in our space to make Thai street style dessert which will be awesome! Just waiting for all the cooking equipment from Thailand which should be here in a month or two.. The outdoor seating area will be using used metal barrels for a table which is one of Mee-Sen goal to preserve a limited resources. I'll keep you guy update or put news on my website for any further info in the future..

: )

Earl
Mee-Sen Thai Eatery
www.meesenpdx.com
meesenpdx@gmail.com

Earl, thanks for coming by and giving us the details. I'm very eager to come by this summer for the dessert.

While Mee-Sen boasts a great array of noodle dishes, they also shine with their khao rice dishes as well, like their khao muu daeng "red pork with rice".

Generous hunks of succulent pork is slathered in a thick Chinese-style sweet sauce. A small dipping bowl of a spicy soy is served with it, too, to provide a bit of balance, but there's actually something strangely comforting about the sweet pork.

They're serving full booze, with a whole menu of cocktails, though I'm way more comfortable drinking beer with Thai food more than anything else.