Nong’s Khao Man Gai, Portland
609 SE Ankeny St C, Portland, OR 97214
Nong’s Khao Man Gai is part of a small building near the Portland convention center. It shares a space with a ramen restaurant and a sandwich restaurant but has plenty of space for you to eat in or outside. It is conveniently located in the heart of the east side with plenty of places to visit.
A Glimpse into Nong’s Khao Mon Gai
When you walk into Nong’s, you are hit with the feint hint of chicken broth in the air. It feels welcoming and warm, like a hug from an old friend. The menu is immediately to your left when you walk in and offers only a few items. A few khao man gai variations, a chicken and peanut sauce, some soup and a few appetizers. We’re here for the khao man gai, and I am getting the big plate!
The Food
Khao man gai is Hainanese style food. It does have roots in other countries as well and each of those countries has slight variations. Khao man gai is a beautifully simmer chicken dish that is gently cooked until it is ridiculously tender. But it’s not just about the chicken, the rice is the queen of the dish to the king of chicken and we all know the queen makes the rules. The rice is cooked with the broth the chicken was cooked in. You KNOW the rice going to have a ton of flavor when it’s cooked like this and Nong’s doesn’t miss here.
Khao Man Gai: What we came here for and what you will come here for. The khao man gai is made with chicken breast. Throw away what you know about chicken breast because this chicken is so tender it almost falls apart. The chicken is lightly flavored with hints of onion, garlic, and black pepper. The plate is stacked with chicken breast with what feels like a pound of meat. Under all of that chicken is a big pile of white rice cooked with the chicken broth made to cook the chicken breast. It is lightly seasoned and cooked perfectly. There is not a mushy or soft grain on the plate. The rice isn’t greasy or oily and has a light fluffy texture to it. I ordered a side of peanut sauce that is rich, salty, and filled with umami. I highly recommend you grab a side of the peanut sauce but the real star is the nong’s sauce.
Nong’s sauce is spicy, salty, savory, garlicy, acidic, and is poured over EVERYTHING. The sauce amps up every flavor so well that you don’t want to eat this food without it. Sure, the chicken and rice are great but as soon as you put the Nong’s sauce on the chicken and rice it brings the dish to an entirely different level. I highly recommend going all in with the sauce and even buying a bottle to go.
The Price
Everything we had came out to about $37 before tip. This is a LOT of food for that price in Portland.
Your Turn to Decide
Nong’s is going to be somewhere I stop when I bring new friends to town and when I want a huge healthy meal before an event at the convention center. Eat here.
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