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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Food Ping!

Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Tue, Feb 24, 2009 at 9:56 AM

Last night I had dinner at Ping, the just-opened sister establishment of the beloved Pok Pok. Maybe it was the fact that I just finished a fast, but I thoroughly enjoyed (most of) the food—dare I say that I liked it better than Pok Pok? I just might. It may also have to do with the fact that I sat facing the window onto NW 4th avenue and was imagining a big shiny Uwajimaya grocery store across the street the whole time. The Whiskey Soda Lounge on the east side has a reputably delicious drink menu, and the standard appears to carry over to Ping, where I started with a pomegranate gin cocktail on my server's suggestion, made with drinking vinegar, a light, cooling, almost seasonally inappropriate choice, but quite delicious. It also quickly became apparent how appropriate the name "Ping" is, since so much of the food is teensy tiny little ping-y stuff. This started with the appetizer miang kham, a small tray of thick betel leaves flanked by little piles of finely minced, tiny food: peanuts, ginger, shallot, Thai peppers, coconut, tiny fried shrimp, lime, and a lightly spicy palm sugar sauce. The woman who brought it showed us how to makes little cones out of the leaves and fill them up with pinches of the other ingredients. It was cute, entertaining finger food. Next came a couple vegetable skewers, both recommendable: one of lightly sea-salted Korean chiles, which weren't too brutal on the heat, and a red potato with spicy mayonnaise sauce that was simple and delicious. The strangest thing to come to the table was the salted duck egg salad—definitely think more egg than salad, and very very salty. Luckily my dining companion and I are both salt fiends, but if you're not the type to crave salt right out of the shaker, it might be a bit much. The only real disappointment was the yam mama ramen, but I partly blame myself for knowingly ordering something off a menu that says in plain language "Thai instant ramen soup noodles doctored..." This is such a better idea at home, and not worth the restaurant price point. Or just go to Biwa. Has anyone else been in? Thoughts?

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Note to self: It is rarely, if ever, necessary to pay someone to cook instant ramen for you.

 

Comments (9) RSS

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1
check bopvi for our adventure to ping last week

http://www.bopvi.com/2009/02/dining-out-pi…

*check around the blog for guest appearances by one of your very own interns...
Posted by kyx on February 24, 2009 at 10:51 AM · Report
2
it was incredibly mediocre. really really really disappointing and I am a huge fan of pok pok. the weird two skewer rule, the lack of flavor, the instant ramen noodles, all of it left a lot to be desired.
Posted by mmm on February 24, 2009 at 10:55 AM · Report
3
oh wait, there was one good thing: the shochu was fantastic.
Posted by mmm on February 24, 2009 at 10:58 AM · Report
4
the quail eggs wrapped in bacon were pretty much unmatched by anything on the menu.

make sure you get them crispy

and yes...the shochu...oh the shochu

http://www.hecklewood.com/wp-content/uploa…
Posted by kyx on February 24, 2009 at 11:00 AM · Report
5
I am so eager to check this place out.

How big is it? Busy? Spendy? The menu on the site unhelpfully omits prices.
Posted by Alison Hallett on February 24, 2009 at 1:15 PM · Report
6
Alison, it can definitely add up. For food and drink, me and my roommate broke the $100 mark pretty easily (queue jake's comments about my sinful heritage...). It's essentially really good barfood, so it's possible to get in and out for under $20, but also just as easy to spend the whole night and realize that your wallet is empty. Personally, I enjoyed the food, but am not planning to go back soon. If I was in the mood for a full meal, I'd hit 2pok; if I want copious drinking and amazing barfood, I'll hit tanuki. YMMV, obvs.
Posted by A CAT, probably on February 24, 2009 at 2:35 PM · Report
7
I put up a pretty in-depth report on my first meal -- with pictures -- here:

http://www.portlandfood.org/index.php?s=&s…

A friend and I spent about $80, including drinks, and ate too much. I think you have to try hard to go over $30/person. I think it's a little more expensive than Pok Pok or Toro Bravo, I'd say, ounce for ounce. Especially if you emphasize the kushiyaki, which at $2.50 a skewer can certainly add up if you're not supplementing it with something more starchy.

I've been telling people it's Biwa with a Malaysian-Thai accent. And it's comparable in price. I usually spend $20-30 at Biwa unless I'm just careful and have some ramen, a pork belly skewer, and some kim-chi.
Posted by extramsg on February 24, 2009 at 8:21 PM · Report
8
"For food and drink, me and my roommate broke the $100 mark pretty easily (queue jake's comments about my sinful heritage...). "

Huzzah, Weston!
Posted by jake on February 25, 2009 at 4:54 AM · Report
9
Thanks, Jake. That took a while.
Posted by A CAT, probably on February 25, 2009 at 1:03 PM · Report

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