Over the weekend I stopped by Nong’s Khao Man Gai for lunch. This place used to be on my regular rotation, I’d stop by once or twice a month. Somehow it fell off the rotation and slipped through the cracks, and I realized it had been years since I had eaten that perfect meal. Time to fix that! I go out so much and try to try all the new places I can, that’s part of the reason and inspiration behind this blog, but sometimes to you have to rediscover the classics. If for some reason you haven’t heard of Nong’s, or you are new to town, or you are from out of town looking for some good eats, get yourself to Nong’s post-haste! Chef Nong has been written up in any number of publications and featured on various tv shows, and is certainly Portland cuisine royalty.

While there are technically a few things on the menu, there is really just one, that is the namesake Khao Man Gai, chicken and rice. It’s simple. Chicken. Rice. Side soup. Sauce. Oooh, that sauce. I have dreams about it. It’s so good it should be bottled up! Oh wait, they already did that. Yes you can buy bottles of the famous sauce. It is literally the best single sauce that I have ever had. A variation of soy sauce that includes fermented soybean, tons of fresh ginger, sugar, garlic and chili peppers. It is heaven. Slather it all over that chicken and rice. I love how thick and textured the sauce is, the ginger really shines through. The best food is often the simplest, done well. Everything here is done extremely well from the chicken to the rice to the sauce to the plating of the dish. Cilantro and cucumber to add some color, pop and texture to the dish. Naturally I get the Piset (large size) for as much deliciousness as possible. Happy Eating!