Stop 21: E-San's Yellow Curry

After being closed for a few weeks of vacation, last Friday E-San was open for business.  I had actually been to this cart before to buy some of their fresh spring rolls for the ridiculously low price of $2.50 or something unbelievable like that.

E-San was the third and final Thai stop for this stretch of carts.  The cart is actually the mini version of a restaurant with two additional locations in Portland (in actualy buildings, as far as i can tell.)  I am a big thai fan, but I have actually found that since I got preggo, it is just not my jam in the way that it used to be.  I am sure this will change as soon as I am back to myself, but for now it is preventing me from just going with the flow when the people taking orders offer their recommendations - which was this case again this time around.  The young lady recommended Pad See Ew, but I was just not feeling noodles.  When I asked her what else she liked, she recommended Gang Garee, yellow curry with carrots, potato, onions, red peppers and chicken.  That sounded much more like something I could get behind, so I ordred it along with brown rice.  I elected to go for mild.

As per usual, the meal was HUGE.  Tons of rice (which was normal brown rice, not the purple rice one often gets with Thai food.)  The curry was really frangrant and had just a tiny tiny hint of spiciness, which was a lovely color to offset the traditional sweetness of yellow curry.  The veggies were a tad on the soft side, but the chicken was absolutely perfect - tender and delicious.

So. Much. Curry.

At this point, however,  I have to confess that my ability to articulate the nuances and subtleties of flavor may have been inhibited by my burning my tongue as I tried to inhale my lunch (so smooth).  I am always so hungry and ready to tear into whatever I have purchased, that I don't wait a moment before I dive in.  With some trucks, my food has actually gotten cold on the six block walk back.  But not with curry - that stuff is HOT!  And I have zero patience (clearly.)

Having now been to three different Thai carts almost right next to each other, I unfortunately can't really say which one is the "best" or the one to go to for this or that dish.  I enjoyed each of my Thai lunches, so it is sort of a toss up.  But you can be confident in getting a solid lunch from E-San!

E-San Thai Cuisine:   Cards are a .50 Charge!
Gang Garee $7.00 (+ tip)

Stop # 16: Curry on a Rainy Day

Folks, this one is for you.  Because it was very much due to knowing I had a blog post to write that I was willing to trek down to the trucks at all today.  It has been RAIN-NY up in here for the past few days and the forecast is promising more of the same all the way through the extended ten day forecast.  Harumph.  Well, it would be unfair to say that I hadn't been warned when I left California and relocated to the Pacific Northwest that rain and I were destined to get really, very deeply and truly well acquainted.

I made my way through the downpour and found that I Like Thai, the truck that had been closed last week, was up and running.  So Thai lunch it was!  The truck was super cute, with a bright red sign and a hand written menu describing the vegetables included in each dish.  Pretty standard Thai fare - noodle dishes, stir fried dishes with rice and curries.  You select your protein, which as this truck is described as "hen-pig-cow-shrimp-tofu".  Call it what it is, I suppose!

I asked the young lady for her recommendations.  However, I already sort of knew what I wanted, so when she said Pad Kee Mao and Sweet Basil with Rice, I broke my own rules and ordered the Panang Curry with chicken.  With the rain and still being on the mend from a cold, I wanted something hot and creamy.  I was given the option of white or brown rice and went with the brown.  Love having that choice.

Yay Veggies!

When my order was ready, I was handed a small paper bag that I hustled back to the office.  For an extremely low price, this was A LOT of food.  I ended up not being able to finish it (only the second truck so far where that has been the case!)  The curry was as warm and creamy as I'd hoped, however the flavors were a little subdued - I didn't get a really strong hit of curry spice.  And the vegetables were a smidge overdone - I like them really cripsy.  But it was a nice, south east asian comfort lunch that I thoroughly enjoyed - and will again tomorrow (yay leftovers!)





I Like Thai
Panang Curry with Chicken: $5 (+ tip)
CASH ONLY

That is A LOT of Curry