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The room is the thing at Yui, the unassuming, almost difficult to find Thai restaurant off Northeast Killingsworth Street. (OK, maybe it was only difficult to find for my Lyft driver, who dropped me off nearly two blocks away, but I digress.)
Situated inside the former DOC space along Northeast 30th Avenue, one of Portland’s most “of the moment” restaurant rows, Yui is surrounded by heavy hitters like Dame, Wilder and Gabbiano’s. The restaurant is not new, having opened in August 2020 for takeout, then reopening for dine-in service in March 2022 after a brief closure. Based on the steady flow of clientele on a Monday night and near-rapturous comments online, the spot clearly has an audience. Despite this, there have been no formal reviews of the restaurant, perhaps due to oversaturation of incredible Thai food in Portland, perhaps not. But I am here to tell you: Go.
The business’s moniker comes from a Thai nickname meaning “chubby cheeks,” given at birth to owner, manager, host, server, bartender and busser Chalunthorn Schaeffer by her mother “Mama” Ta Triamchainon, who runs the entire kitchen. This restaurant is these two women.
The concept of the open kitchen is nothing new, but at Yui, Schaeffer greets you by opening the door directly into Mama’s bustling kitchen—one must pass through her space to get to the dining area. It’s an immediate tone-setter: Something special and personal awaits. On the menu, there’s no pick-your-own protein or six different spice levels to choose from. The elimination of the “choose your own adventure” element we’ve grown so accustomed to with Thai takeout brings new life and specificity to each dish, locking them in the memory with a secure sense of identity.
A notable signature dish is the krapao wagyu kaidao ($21), made with ultra-tender and generously salted minced beef from local Nicky Farms, hunks of Thai eggplant, bell peppers and a fried egg. The pad kee mao ($14) is a solid interpretation of the takeout staple, with tender and near-transparent wide noodles, soft tofu and green beans. Larb moo ($16), made with minced pork, is given a springlike vivacity from an abundance of cilantro, culantro and mint.
Spice wimps like me be cautioned: These dishes pack some heat. But all are built with powerful flavors, adding dimension to what otherwise would be one-note, tongue-numbing offerings. My dining partner, a heat-lover, was even surprised by the intensity of a few bites, which I imagine will be a major selling point for prospective customers. Besides, accouterments like crisp, cool cucumber and aromatic sticky rice balance everything out. Live a little!
Rum cocktails ($13) help cool things down and are unique explosions of herbaceous sweetness, like the Maekhong No. 5 with lime leaves, chile, pineapple juice and almond syrup—landing somewhere between a whiskey sour and a piña colada. The Mama Ta, with lemongrass-infused vodka, mint liqueur and butterfly pea syrup twists flavors you’d expect to find in a soup into something unusually refreshing. Speaking of soup, a specialty and recommendation of the house, the boat noodle soup ($20) is enormous and loaded with meatballs, crispy pork, scallions, and morning glory greens—a rich, aromatic beef broth reminiscent of pho, but with a deeper, fattier flavor.
Despite our ordering most of the menu at once, Mama Ta whipped out dish after dish at superhuman speed. Much of the fun is watching her work, half-hidden by a parted gold curtain that barely separates the kitchen and the dining room. Shumai ($12) are juicy and piping hot and arrive in a little steam bath of chile oil. Sakoo ($8), radish and peanut tapioca dumplings with palm sugar, felt almost dessertlike until I was met with the strong punch of heat and crunch of fried garlic.
The absolute standout dish, which I look forward to returning for, is the Massaman curry nua ($20)—sweet, warming and rich, with rice, braised beef and potatoes so tender they melt in the mouth. Served with some OMG-good roti that evokes the most talked-about restaurants in Portland, I smiled giddily after each bite of the crisp and flaky dipping material. Order extra. Because here, you can. Unlike most restaurants with rules and perspective, with a single person cooking in a semi-interactive environment, you’re not having a $200 tasting menu. That’s the delight of Yui: Cheffy technique and a one-of-a-kind service experience make dinner here one of the most casually transparent, totally comforting meals you can have in Portland right now.
EAT: Yui, 5519 NE 30th Ave., 503-946-9465, yuipdx.com. 4-9 pm Monday-Saturday.
