Sonamu

Location: SW 10th and Washington
Hours: weekdays, lunchtime

Chinese, Korean, Vegetarian and American food. More details coming soon.

Facebook: Sonamu

Noodle House

Location: SW 9th and Washington
Hours: Mon-Sat, 11am-6pm

The Story:

Portland foodies were abuzz a few weeks ago about the opening of Noodle House and now I know why. Hand pulled noodles can really change your perspective of many dishes.

Noodle House is the work of Leung Kwun Hung, the former chef at Du Kuh Bee, a Korean gem in Beaverton. The secret of this cart is the hand pulled noodles, made fresh daily then mixed with your choice of either seafood or a selection of meats and vegetables. The cart’s sign has a great photo of Leung with his arm’s outstretched with fresh noodles from hand to hand as if he was playing cat’s in the cradle. I wonder if the noodles would hold up in that game…

Seafood Noodles from Noodle House

The Seafood Noodle dish comes with baby squid, large calamari rings, shrimp, cabbage, onions and basil. I was amazed at the amount of seafood in this dish and how fresh it tasted and the prep was perfect. The calamari and baby squid were cooked just right so at to not be rubbery, but enjoyable. The noodles, the feature of the dish, were al dente, just how I like them and add in the little bit of fresh basil and I had to force myself to slow down while eating.. A great mix of ingredients make an excellent dish with a piece of handmade flare.

Noodle House is now open at the Alder pod at SW 9th and Washington. The prices for lunch range from $6-$7.99 and the portions match the price. If you have never had hand pulled noodles or even if you have, drop on by Noodle House and give them a try and let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

• Seafood Noodles – noodles with baby squid, calimari rings, shrimp, onions, basil – $7.50
• Teriyaki Beef – beef and vegetables – $7
• Chicken Noodles – noodles with chicken and vegetables – $6.50
• Teriyaki Chicken – chicken with vegetables – $6.50
• Pan Fried Salmon – served with rice and vegetables – $7.99
• Pan Fried Oysters – served with rice and vegetables – $7.99

Hours: Mon-Sat, 11am-6pm
Phone: 503 998 1019

The Baowry

Location: N Charleston and Ivanhoe, St. Johns
Hours: M-F, 11:30-8; S/S, 1-8pm

The Story:

I first discovered The Baowry when they were setting up the cart for their first opening downtown on SW 4th ave. That location at the time was to be the next big cart pod, but it fizzled. The Baowry saw the writing on the wall and moved to north Portland, trying out Crystal Gardens, but settling on a spot all their own in the heart of downtown St. Johns where they are now as of the beginning of the year.

Small bites and snacks to me are one of the reasons I am drawn to street food. While lunch and dinner at the carts has evolved to full meals with everything the FDA wants you to have, you can still put together a great little nosh with a single item from three different carts and it will still be affordable. The Baowry for me offers this type of scenario with their Baos – steamed buns with your choice of filling. When they first opened, the baos were what brought me to the cart. Now that they are established, the menu has expanded to include Banh Mi sandwiches and tacos, all with that Asian twist they started with.

The Baowry Banh Mi

The Banh Mi, a traditional Vietnamese sandwich is one of those cultural icons that you either do right or don’t do at all. There are forums and discussions about the best banh mi in the city with such passion about the bread and ingredients, it proves its a sandwich this city has embraced. For me, the bread is key. Vietnamese style baguettes, traditionally used for the banh mi sandwich, are light and almost fluffy with a crisp and crunchy crust that you can still easily bite through. The Baowry Banh Mi uses such a bun spread with a garlic sauce and topped with linguica, shrimp, crispy sweet carrots, sprouts, cilantro and a hint of lime. A large sandwich served with a house salad and ginger scallion rice is more than enough for one and maybe enough for two to share. The sliced linguicia sausage had that great Portuguese spice to it I had hoped for when I saw it on the menu.  Mixing that with the garlic sauce and the acidity of the lime and cilantro created a blend of robust flavors. An excellent sandwich with leftovers.

Since The Baowry has been open in St. Johns and at their new location, I keep seeing new and exciting menu items pop up on their Twitter feed like confit chicken wings or braised beef short-rib banh mi. Take a trip up north and give The Baowry a try and let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

• Baowry Banh Mi: toasted baguette spread with house made garlic sauce topped with linguica, shrimp, carrots, sprouts, cilantro and a hint of line – $8
• Grilled Bulgogi Beef: thinly sliced Carlton Farms beef marinated in a sweet pear soy sauce, served with kimchee, pickled vegetables, lettuce, rice and peanut butter miso – $8
• Asian Taco Plate: corn tortilla with cabbage, chili-lime-garlic sauce and cilantro – 3 tacos per plate; char sui roast pork or bulgogi beef – $7
• Baos – steamed buns: fluffy steamed Chinese buns with various house-made pickles – 2 buns per plate; char sui roast pork or bulgogi beef – $7

Hours: Monday-Friday, 11:30-8; Saturday/Sunday, 1-8pm
Phone: 503 679 1591
Twitter: @BaowryStJohns

Location: SW Alder, between 10th and 11th
Hours: Monday-Friday, 11am-4pm

The Story:

Over the past month or so we have been able to follow the opening story of The Dump Truck on Twitter, learning about building the cart, sourcing equipment and getting inspections. The challenge was, with the name dumptruckpdx on Twitter, we just couldn’t figure out what they were planning to serve. I thought it would be some crazy eclectic mashup cart serving something like a bacon-wrapped deep fried avocado …. Well, after visiting yesterday, I learned what the dump meant in Dump Truck – dumplings.

The Dump Truck is the partnership of Julia, Reid and John. While living and working in Beijing a few years ago, Julia and Reid met and became huge fans of dumplings, a staple there. As with every food craving, one is drawn to the location where you find comfort and consistency. For Julia, that was a dumpling restaurant close to her home run by Mr. Ma and his wife. After eating every meal daily at Mr. Ma’s restaurant, Julia became close with them, enough so that a menu item is named after Mr.Ma. I guess that’s where she learned the love and craft of dumplings. Since then, Julia and Reid moved back to Portland. Julia began making dumplings for Voicebox Karaoke in NW, saw how well they were selling and decided to open the cart with Reid and John.

One of the first items I heard The Dump Truck was selling was a bacon cheeseburger dumpling. Really? Wow. On the menu the day I visited was that bacon cheeseburger, along with Mr. Ma’s special and Down 2 Earth. With all those flavors available, I opted for a sampler which gave me two of each, with sauces for only $5. The bacon cheeseburger dumpling was interesting. You look at what we know as a potsticker, but it is filled with hamburger, some bacon and cheese. Strange as it may sound, it was quite good and tasted like a little burger in a wrap. My favorite of the sample was Mr Ma’s special – pork with ginger and scallions. I bit in and the ginger and scallions exploded with flavor in my mouth. Pair with the spicy tahini/chili dipping sauce they provide and I noshed them down in a heartbeat.

The Dump Truck is now serving their signature dumplings to the lunch crowd down on SW Alder, between 10th and 11th. They are the bright yellow cart at the end of the row. The cart sits high due to its placement on the lot, but Reid ensured me that they will be building a step so you can order your food without reaching to much. I’m excited about this cart. Dumplings are something new for the Portland food cart scene and if they mix it up as they have already proven with the bacon cheeseburger offering, I see a bright future. Head down there and try some dumplings and let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

• Mr. Ma’s Special: pork, ginger, scallions – 8 for $6
• Down 2 Earth: portabello, rice noodle and ginger – 8 for $6
• Bacon Cheeseburger: yes, bacon cheeseburger – 8 for $6
• Sampler: 2 of each for $5

Hours: Monday-Friday, 11am-4pm
Phone: 503 877 3867
Twitter: @DumpTruckPDX

Location: SW 3rd and Stark

The Story:

I think I can safely say that we have our first Sushi cart along with our first Chinese cart in Portland. Granted, Sushi Tree opened last year with all vegetarian sushi, but PFE Sushi is crafting what we have come to know as traditional sushi – with tuna, eel and salmon.

When I have spoken with others who visit the carts on a regular basis, we discuss what is missing as a food group. Sushi and Chinese food always come up as needed options, yet there is trepidation when imagining raw fish from a cart. I too had that concern, but after seeing PFE Sushi’s cart and watching how clean and precise they are in the prep, my fears were assuaged. The two chefs behind the counter were as professional as any sushi chef I have met at a sit down restaurant. PFE Sushi offers up rolls along with sashimi and an assortment of traditional Chinese dishes like Kunk Pao Chicken, Black Bean Chicken, Brocolli Beef and others.

On their first day open, I decided on the special of the day – a shrimp crunchy roll with shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, crabsticks, and tempura crumbs. Watching the chef make the roll was a hoot. He started by picking out some larger tempura’d shrimp and gesturing to me with a wink implying they were the largest he had. They were positioned strategically with the avocado and crabsticks on nori and rolled up in sticky rice. Once put together, they asked if I wanted it deep fried. Heck yeah! Everything tastes better deep fried, yet this wasn’t in a batter. The hot oil just warmed up the roll and crisped the outer rice shell. The final step was to roll it in the tempura crumbs and slice it up. I normally eat my sushi with a good amount of wasabi mixed into soy sauce. Since I was mobile, I didn’t have the little tray for the sauce, so I skipped it. The rolls didn’t need it. They held their own with a touch of the green heat paste just dabbed on top. I love taking a piece into my mouth and experiencing that sinus clearing burn of the wasabi while chewing on the roll and taking in the numerous flavors. A well made roll.

PFE Sushi and Chinese food is now open in the lot on SW 3rd and Stark. They are the bright red cart located on the back wall of Mother’s between 2nd and 3rd. As stated, they just opened, so may still have some kinks to work out, but watching them make the sushi gave me confidence they knew their game. I’m excited to have a sushi and Chinese food cart downtown. Yet another example of providing the lunch crowd with an affordable high quality product. Check them out next time you are in the area and tell them Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

Steamed rice bento bowls – $3.99

• Broccoli Chicken or Beef
• Kung Pao Chicken
• Cashew Chicken
• Curry Chicken or Beef
• Black Bean Chicken
• Mushroom Chicken

Sushi Menu (imitation crab used; sesame seed in all items)

• California Roll: crabstick, avocado, cucumber – sm. $2.99; lg. $3.99
• Philadelphia Roll: crabstick, cream cheese, avocado – sm. $2.99; lg. $3.99
• Alaskan Roll: salmon, cream cheese, avocado – sm. $3.99; lg. $4.99
• Las Vegas Roll: salmon, cream cheese, avocado, spicy sauce and deep fried – sm. $3.99; lg. $4.99
• Vegetable Roll: green leaf, avocado, cucumber – sm. $2.99; lg. $3.99
• Tuna Roll: tuna, avocado – sm. $3.99; lg. $4.99
• Spicy Tuna Roll: tuna, avocado, spicy sauce – sm. $4.49; lg. $5.49

Sashimi Sushi – price per piece:

• Tuna – $1.30
• Shrimp – $1.30
• Eel – $1.30

Hours: Daily including Saturday, 10am-6pm
Phone: 503 781 6944