Langbaan

Coming from Vancouver (B.C.), I've had the pleasure of dining at Baan Lao in Richmond.  Unlike most Thai restaurants, Baan Lao is upscale with white glove service.  If Tourism Richmond had partnered with Michelin, Baan Lao would no doubt have at least one Michelin Star.  Their cuisine and plating are top-notch and sets a different standard for Thai food in North America.  Since Portland has an thriving Thai food scene, we were definitely going to hit up some Thai restaurants.  The most exciting is Langbaan, which is a tasting menu only dinner spot located within Phuket Cafe.  They might not be as fancy as Baan Lao, but from all online accounts, the experience is still top notch.

The tasting menu began with some small bites including the Miang Som.  I've had many version of this before and for this one, it consisted of shrimp, Valencia orange, peanut and coconut on a betel leaf.  Pretty saucy, but ultimately a flavor bomb, there was intense sweetness from the palm sugar and brininess from the shrimp.  The umami that was present was further aided by the sweetness of the orange.  Add in the crunch and nuttiness from the peanuts and the aromatics of the coconut, it was certainly an everything bite.

If we thought that the Miang Som was a great start to waken our palates, the Kanom Krok not only brought balance, it was our favorite thing of the tasting menu.  It was a crispy cup with Hokkaido scallops sitting in a coconut cream.  That contrast in textures of the cup and the buttery soft scallops was just right.  Add in the aromatic sweetness of the coconut cream along with the Thai herbs and we had richness with brightness at the same time.  

Served in sriracha casing, the Hoy Tod was a nod to the Thai omelette.  We found some steamed mussels inside atop some egg with crispy sriracha seaweed.  The combination yielded seafoodiness from the tender mussels while the sriracha was only there enough to provide some impact without being too spicy.  It let the mussel be the star while the egg added some texture while representing the omelette.

Next, we had the Guay Tiew Rua with the broth served tableside.  This was in honor of Thai boat noodles with a rich broth that exhibited the usual tang and sweetness.  It was served steaming hot atop a small amount of rice noodles, beef meatball and flank steak.  We found the noodles having an appealing chewiness while the meatball was bouncy and sweet.  Wow, the 2 slices of rare flank steak were buttery soft and meaty tasting.  Some cilantro and green onion completed the dish.

To bring things down like a palate-cleanser, we had the Phla Pla featuring bigeye tuna wrapped in seaweed.  We found raspberry, pineapple, snap peas, shallots (2 ways) and Japanese pepper leaves on top.  Buttery and soft, the tuna had quite a bit of umami going.   Nice balance of sweetness, aromatics and crunch.  The fruitiness really helped the transition to the next dish.

Now when you think of Pad Thai, you would immediately think of rice noodles coated with a sweet and tangy tamarind sauce.  Well, this version featured ribbons of squid that resembled rice noodles while coated in tomato sauce.  It sat atop leeks, cabbage and sea grapes.  Very creative and ultimately, very tasty as well.  Nice aromatics and sweetness combined with tanginess from the ingredients.  It didn't really taste like a Pad Thai, but that didn't matter as it was great in its own right.  I especially loved the tender chew of the squid noodles.

We moved onto the shared entree portion of the tasting menu including the Gang Taepo or poached halibut atop red curry.  At first, I was a little dismayed that the halibut was just merely poached, but after I combined it with the curry, it made total sense.  No need to have competing flavors nor having too much salt as the curry was full-of-depth, spice and sweetness.  Beautifully prepared, the halibut was flaky and moist and accepted the curry as a textural canvas.

Also at the same time, we had the Pad Preaw or Octopus with a chutney of tomato, Chinese celery and peanuts.  I found this dish competent where the octopus was cooked perfectly where it was tender with just enough chew.  The chutney was flavourful with tang and sweetness, but the dish as a whole was not as impactful as the rest.  However, the condiment on the side did help things plenty.

The condiment was the Nam Prik Long Rua or pork & shrimp relish with salted egg and greens.  This was a lot of things including briny, meaty, salty and umami.   Combined with the crunchy veggies wrapped in lettuce, this made everything much more flavorful and also a bit spicy.  Texture was provided in the form of pork crackling mixed into the relish.  You could put this on anything and it would taste good!  

Dessert consisted of 2 items including the Mango Sticky Rice presented as a layered cake with a mango mochi cake base, mango mousse in the middle and butter lime cream on the top.  This was quite pleasant and mildly sweet with the flavors of mango sticky rice.  I liked how this was super light and gently brought us down from the flavor bomb of the relish from the previous course.

Our last item was the Khao Lahm which was a pandan canelé.  Texturally, since it was made with rice, the interior was more custardy and wet than a regular canelé.  The outside was slightly crispy but could've been more so.  However, it still ate quite well and we enjoyed it.  Overall, we loved our meal at Langbaan.  The tasting menu progressed beautifully and we felt the flavors popped.  Would absolutely do this again when we are in PDX next.

The Good:

- Impactful flavors

- Well-prepared proteins

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Pandan canelé was a bit weird texturally

Jacqueline

I've been wanting to visit Jacqueline in Portland for quite some time.  I mean, I've been out in Portland 6 times in the last 6 years!  I've always envisioned dining their with Jacqueline (@pork_ninjas) just because they share a name (yes, I'm juvenile like that).  However, it just never worked out.  This time around, I got a reservation and boy did that come in handy.  To say the place is busy is an understatement, there was a huge line for happy hour when we arrived.   For those who are familiar, Jacqueline opened in 2016 and relocated to its current location in 2024.  The place is well known for their seasonal menu that focuses on fresh seafood.

Seeing how we arrived in time for Happy Hour, we went straight for the $1.00 oysters.  We ended up with a dozen of the Salazar Puget Sound Oysters, which were mid-sized.  Even thought they appeared to be small like Kushis, they were deeper and hence more plump.  We found them to be rather creamy and intensely briny.  We had several accompaniments including hot sauce, dill vinegar, classic mignonette, ponzu and Fresno chili vinegar.  My favorite was the hot sauce as it paired well with the salty oysters.

Even though they have a good value tasting menu at $90.00 each, we ended up doing a la carte.  The first plate to arrive was the Hamachi Crudo.  This was freakin' delicious with buttery slices of hamachi and charred & pickled pineapple.  To go with the natural sweetness of the fish and the pineapple, we found classic Thai flavors in the mam nem with lime leaf, mint and peanuts.  We had intense brininess from the fermented anchovies as well as balancing sweetness and tang.  Nice hits of herbaceousness from the lime leaves and mint.

Something as simple as bread can often be overlooked on a menu.  Luckily I asked about Emerson's Focaccia and ordered it.  Turns out it was an excellent choice as the fluffy bread was great on its own.  It had a crispy top that also was nicely salted.  However, what really made this dish was the side of toasted kombu oil with aged balsamic.  It was so punchy with umami and tangy sweetness.  Although we had a lot of dishes coming, we couldn't stop eating the bread!

This was followed up by a few smaller dishes including the Grilled Asparagus with marinated Ota tofu.  Normally, we would find some firm tofu in these types of dishes, but the Ota tofu was so delicate and soft.  Each cube almost broke upon contact, which made it so buttery in texture.  The toss in XO sauce ensured that the tofu was fully-seasoned with spice and brininess.  Asparagus was still had a bite despite being cooked through.  Some preserved meyer lemon added some salty brightness.

Another full-flavored dish was the Snap Peas with fish sauce lemongrass vin.  Beyond the crunchy sweet peas (that were split lengthwise), we found toasted rice powder, fava leaf, lime leaves and crispy tiny shrimp.  The mix of all these components ensured we got a bit of everything.  The fish sauce with lemongrass provided salty umaminess and bright hits.  Toasted rice powder not only add a bit of dry texture, we also had some aromatic nuttiness.  Fava leaves and lime leaves gave that background herbaceousness while the shrimp were a bit crunchy and totally briny.

Presented in 4 huge balls, the Smoked Black Cod & Potato Fritters were more like croquettes to me.  Once we got past the firmly crispy exterior, the soft and creamy potato filling was airy and light.  It was totally seasoned by the salty and smoky black cod where it was impactful from the first bite.  In the bowl, we found a green peanut sauce which was "green" tasting with some nuttiness.

We also tried both the Grilled Honey & Turmeric Chicken Skewer and the Grilled Lamb Merquez Sausage Skewer.  Nicely charred and juicy, the chicken skewer was smoky and earthy.  That sauce underneath was creamy and cooled things down.  As for the lamb sausage, it was also tender and moist with a decent amount of charring.  The addition of an anchovy provided another layer of brininess to go with the rich lamb meat.

Served on a house made bao that had been deep-fried, the Lobster Bun was packed full of tender shredded lobster.  There was enough mayo to keep things together and also acidity (from the zucchini pickles) to keep things from being too heavy.  The whole thing exhibited good textural contrast with the crispy bun and the fluffy lobster salad.  This wasn't very big, but super tasty.

The Seared Scallops were hard-seared on one side which created a crust.  They were aggressively seasoned and hence, were salty.  I could still taste the sweetness of the scallop and in fact, the salt only heightened the flavors.  Texturally, they were buttery and soft while cooked all-the-way through.  Underneath, the sauce was earthy and rich.

I thought the Halibut was just a bit over, yet at the same time, most of it was still flaky and moist.  Once again, things were salty for this dish including the hard sear.  The miso maitake mushrooms were far too salty, but the texture was great.  We also found some new potatoes that were robust, yet still tender.  The nettle sauce vert was green-tasting, peppery and bright.

Loved the Fig Leaf Pannacotta as it was creamy and light while topped with sweet strawberries, Marcona almonds and white chocolate.  This was quite refreshing and light with an on point texture.  It was properly set, yet not too firm.  By using fig leaf, the flavor of the pannacotta tasted like aromatic coconut and vanilla.  It would've fooled me if it wasn't in the description.  Strawberries naturally added tangy sweetness and texture while the almost added butteriness and crunch.

We had one scoop each of the Blood Orange Sorbet, Strawberry Rhubarb Gelato and Hochija Gelato.  Things were rather sweet, but naturally refreshing at the same time.  Blood orange was tangy, so it offset the sweetness.  Strawberry rhubarb had enough tang to balance the sugar as well.  For the hochija, that was the sweetest of the bunch, but I enjoyed the toasted and nutty flavor.  Overall, the meal at Jacqueline was mostly great with a few things that were a bit too salty.  Portions were generous and pricing was reasonable.  Service was genuine and friendly, if not a bit inattentive.

The Good:

- Generally tasty

- Generous portions and reasonable prices

- Nice people

The Bad:

- Some things were pretty salty

- Service was nice, but not particularly attentive (water not refilled and plates not changed)

Mucca Osteria

When planning out our meals in Portland, we wanted something that was classic, yet at the same time, progressive.  Enter Mucca Osteria located in Downtown Portland.  Opened by chef and owner Simone Savaiano in 2011, Mucca Osteria has earned its fair share of accolades over the years.  That was enough to convince us to go for their 4-course prix fixe menu for dinner for $125.00 each.

We had several options for each course and it was without hesitation we chose the gigantic and plump Scallops (Capesante con Fonduta di Parmigiano).  They were hard-seared on one side and rare in the middle.  Hence, they were buttery soft and the natural sweetness was pure since they were cooked just enough.  The saffron gel was aromatic but had a nice tanginess to it as well.  Parmesan fondue was super creamy and nutty.  We also found a shallot relish atop each scallop and it offered up some brightness.

The other appetizer we selected was the Tartara di Manzo (Beef Tartare).  It was fairly tender with a bit of a meaty chew.  The cut on the beef was good where each piece was manageable.  Color was great too being fresh and no grey portions.   Tangy and rich from the fermentation, the black garlic aioli provided depth, savoriness and slight tang.  We found some confit mushrooms as well which added texture and some woodsiness.  Lastly, the pomegranate gastrique provided some sweet tanginess.

My eyes went straight for the Agnolotti di Manzo and the one here featured tender little pockets of braised beef.  I thought the pasta was more tender than firm.  Beyond the delicate pasta, the beef filling was soft, yet still having texture.  With a creamy sharpness, the gorgonzola sauce also featured nuttiness from the walnuts and sweetness from the apples.

Our other pasta course choice was the Spaghetti con Funghi di Stagione, Salsa Agli Asparagi.  This had a green taste (in an asparagus kind of way) that was accented by the crispy and salty prosciutto.  Combined with the saltiness, there was also a bit of nuttiness.  Creaminess was due to the addition of mascarpone, which added sweetness too.  Pasta was firm and chewy.

Onto our mains, the Pesce di Giornata happened to be Halibut.  We found a hard sear which created a crispy nuttiness.  Inside, it was medium-rare being buttery and flaky.  The fish itself was nicely seasoned.  This all sat atop a creamy cauliflower puree with lacinato kale and braised fennel.  Grapefruit segments added acidity and just a bit of fresh sweetness.  The most impactful item on the plate was the caper salsa verde which brought saltiness and tanginess to the halibut.

My choice of main was the Brasato di Manzo. This fairly large boneless shortrib was tender and meaty while complimented by the silky red wine demi-glace.  English Pea-Mascarpone Purée was smooth and creamy with some sweetness.  This combined with the demi-glace helped moisten the drier parts of the shortrib.  Pickled fennel offered up crunch and of course acidity.

 

Since the choice of dessert totaled two, we had both of them including the Frutto della Passione (Passionfruit Cake).  Plating on this was a little like abstract art, but in terms of taste, it was properly structured.  First, the cake was a little dry, but the passionfruit coconut mousse afforded the necessary moisture, creaminess and sweetness.  That was furthered by the passionfruit gelato and compote.  Extra creaminess that was cold (nice temperature contrast) and even more tanginess from the compote made this dessert sing.

Yes, my dessert may have looked like a donut, but it was actually a Tortino al Cioccolato (Chocolate tart).  This thing was filled with creamy chocolate hazelnut mousse.  It was semi-sweet with some bitterness.  We found some crunchy candied hazelnut atop the exterior chocolate glaze.  This came with Gianduia gelato which amped the hazelnut quotient of this dessert even more so.  It was creamy and light with of course, nuttiness.  We were pretty stuffed at the end of the meal, especially with the large desserts.  Overall, we enjoyed the food as it was properly prepared and tasted great.  Service was also a highlight as it was friendly and informative.  

The Good:

- Delicious

- Generous portions

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- We had to change seats as the banquette upstairs is very narrow and uncomfortable

Gallagher's Steakhouse NYC (Lunch Special)

While dining at places such as Penny, Le Bernardin and Le Veau D'or gave us a taste of the best places to eat in NYC, they weren't a cheap proposition.  By no means do I think they weren't worth it.  Believe me, we truly enjoyed them and don't regret it.  However, we also need to check out other more accessible places as well.  Yes, we did some pizza and pastrami sandwiches, but we are talking about a proper sit-down dinner that would not break the bank.  Enter Gallagher's Steakhouse in the conversation.  They are well-known for their $34.00 3-course lunch special.  Yes, you heard me right.

Even though the actual meal is already a steal, they don't nickel and dime you.  We were started out with a Bread Basket that was loaded with different options.  It included a multigrain, sesame and plain white, but the star of the basket was the date nut bread.  Oh so sweet and a bit cake like.  All of this was served warm and went really well with the generous amount of butter.  You could ask for more if you wanted.

For myself, I started my meal with a small Wedge Salad sporting a quarter of an iceberg lettuce.  It had the usual items like bacon, blue cheese and blue cheese dressing.  Although this wasn't the biggest version of a wedge salad, it was more than enough, especially for lunch and the multiple courses with bread.  I found the lettuce to be crisp while the tomato was ripe.  That bacon was meaty while the amount of blue cheese was just enough for sharpness.

Viv went for the Manhattan-style Clam Chowder that featured a fairly decent broth.  It probably needed a bit more brininess, but there was no mistaking what type of soup we were drinking.  There was enough veggies and clams to make this hearty.  This was a bowl of chowder and not a cup.  Once again, they did not skimp despite the pricing of this 3-course meal.

For my main, I opted for the Chicken Paillard only because I wanted something different than Viv's choice.  The best way to describe this dish would be that it was "fine". The chicken breast itself was lightly grilled and a bit dry. The outside texture wasn't slightly crispy as it should be.  It pretty much ate like a plain grilled piece of chicken with very little flavor (lemon helped though).  The side of green beans were solid though being still a bit crunchy while being cooked through.

Viv had the Sliced Filet Mignon, which was pretty good, especially for the price.  The meat was closer to medium, but still tender and well-seared.  It was served with crispy roasted potatoes and buttery sauteed mushrooms.   On the side, it came with a red wine sauce that had A1 vibes.  Hence, it was thick, tangy and sweet.  If you wanted to spend some more money for a whole 8 oz filet mignon, it would be a $22.00 surcharge.

I was rather impressed with the size of the NY-style Cheesecake slice.  In addition in being large, the cheesecake itself was pretty good.  In true NY-style fashion, it was dense and rich with lots of smooth cream chese goodness.  However, at the same time, it wasn't so dense that you could kill someone with it.  Lots of cream cheese flavor while being accented by the strawberry sauce and some whipped cream.

Viv had the Key Lime Pie and it was a bit similar to a lemon meringue pie, expect with much less meringue and a noticeably more tangy flavor.   We found this to be a bit on the denser side, almost like a cheesecake.  However, it didn't eat heavy due to the light and tangy sweetness.  Overall, the 3-course lunch at Gallagher's isn't going to blow your socks off.  However, the food is more than acceptable given the pricing.  They do not skimp on the portions either.  If you had an extra lunch slot to fill while in NYC, give Gallagher's a try.

The Good:

- Super reasonable price on their 3-course lunch

- More than enough food

- Service was pretty good

The Bad:

- Food is generally good for the price, but I thought my chicken was meh

- There is a lineup to get in, even with reservations, so it becomes a bit chaotic

Le Veau D'or

Here we were at an oldie but goodie in Le Veau D'or in NYC.  Established in 1937, it has been dishing up traditional French cuisine until its 5-year hiatus starting in 2019.  Thankfully, after the pandemic and other things, the place reopened in 2024 under the direction of chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr.  We stopped by for their lunch menu which included 2 courses for $85.00.

Yah, I'm not normally talking about complimentary Bread these days, but this has to be pointed out because many places charge for bread now.  They kept refilling our bread tray as we were progressing through the meal.  It was some pretty standard stuff, but it did come plenty of butter and went well with my appie.

Now about that appie, I predictably went for the Tripes à la Mode.  Honestly, this looked more like a main than a starter.  It was chock full of tender strips of honeycomb tripe.  There was a tinge of gaminess, which was delicious to me.  However, the tripe had soak up all of the delicious braising jus.  There was rich sweetness from the carrots and onions while some earthiness came through as well.

Viv ended up with something much lighter than what I had in the Mackerel au Vin Blanc.  This was so colorful and beautifully-plated that it was a shame to eat it.  Well, we didn't just look at it, we ate it!  This was tasty and appetizing with bright acidity and herbaecousness.  Such a refreshing combination of crunchy cucumbers, tangy pickled onions and of course, meaty and intensely taste of the sea.

She followed that light appetizer with the Steak Frites with beurre maître d'hôtel.  The uniformly seared steak had a slightly crispy crust on the outside.  It was well-seasoned and also aided by the butter.  We requested medium-rare and it came out perfect.  Being well-rested, the meat was juicy and hence naturally meaty. 

Loved that they served the Frites on the side as it came in a large portion and stayed crispy until the end.  As you can see in the picture above, they were rather uniform which meant there was consistency with the texture and cook on them.  Crispy as mentioned with plenty of fluffy potato in the middle.  This was, of course, served with some aioli.

I went off the menu and had their daily feature in the Skate Wing.  This was pan-fried until there was a crispy sear on both sides.  This had all things great about skate wing where the meat was tender, slightly gelatinous with a chew, yet still plenty silky.  This was prepared with a brown butter sauce with capers that had a passing resemblance to piccata.  This was further exemplified by the balancing acidity.

Despite being really full from the dishes we had, we couldn't pass up dessert.  We decided on the Mousse au Chocolat since it was the "lightest" option.  Of course, the mousse was still pretty rich and creamy.  It had measured sweetness, hence, the chocolate did come through impactfully.  For textural contrast, we found a crunchy tuile on top.  Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Le Veau D'or.  It offered up a traditional French bistro experience with generous portions.  Definitely reminded me of some places we visited in Paris.

The Good:

- Delicious

- Large portions

- Classic, non-fussy experience

The Bad:

- A touch expensive compared to other similar restaurants