E-san Thai Cuisine Food Cart - Portland

This place is awesome. Super fresh, bright, spicy-sweet-savory delicious. Snappy vegetables. Good heat if you ask for it. None of that over-sweet, under-seasoned, cornstarchy stuff you get at most Thai places cooking for an American clientele. Great stuff. Wish I lived nearby and could come all the time.

I ordered the Pad See Ew twice in just three days because it was absolutely delicious. The owners were incredibly friendly, the park is lovely, and I savored every bite they served me, as each one was even more delightful than the last.

First, I noticed that they don't offer lime, which seemed a bit odd, but I figured it wasn’t a major issue. Unfortunately, the service was terrible. I understand that on a hot day, cooking can be challenging. Now, about the food—this was, without a doubt, one of the worst versions of Pad Thai I've ever had. Honestly, I'm not sure I'd even classify it as Pad Thai. There was no aroma of spices or fish sauce, which I found very strange. I decided to give it a chance, but it turned out to be incredibly bland. I didn't want to waste it, so I ate it, but it was far from what I wanted or expected. I really tried to be optimistic about my experience, but the food just wasn't good, and one of the staff members was quite rude and abrupt.

I visited this restaurant while attending a convention, hoping to find a decent meal since there are limited dining options nearby. Unfortunately, my experience with the NEXT treatment was disappointing due to poor service. The food was just mediocre considering the price—my Pad Thai was a small portion and quite dry. There was no option to customize the dressing, either. Overall, it wasn't a great food truck experience, and I wouldn't recommend it. It seemed like they were more focused on making the most of their limited operating hours rather than providing quality service.

So good that I had it two days in a row during a week in PDX. Extraordinary flavor punch!