Lao and Thai cuisine at Portland's Little Bloom

Meira Gebel

A silver food truck named "Little Bloom Lao and Thai Cuisine" is parked next to a building, displaying a colorful menu and open signs, with string lights overhead and another food truck nearby. — Some of your best meals can come from the smallest pods on wheels. Photo: Meira Gebel/Axios

Located on the south end of N Mississippi Avenue, tucked off the main drag in a nondescript food pod is some of the best Lao and Thai food you can find in Portland.

The menu: Little Bloom offers a small, but vibrant selection of foods chef Hongthong "Dhom" Chinyavong grew up making in the Laos countryside — including gai nam khao (crispy rice salad), panang curry, laap gai (finely chopped chicken in lettuce cups) and a variety of noodle dishes.

Best bites: I decided to order some of the most popular items to get a baseline since it was my first time visiting. As a big fan of pad kee mao (or "drunken noodles"), I was delighted by the spice level and depth of flavor, combined with crunchy veggies, like broccoli, carrot and red pepper.

The pad thai, a classic for a reason, was super spot on and comforting, served in a giant portion — enough for lunch the next day, too.
Yes, but: I was blown away by the dessert. Imagine mango sticky rice rolled up then deep fried and drizzled with sweet, coconut milk. Delicious.

The bottom line: With reasonable prices and made-to-order dishes, Little Bloom is now a staple in my weeknight dinner routine.

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Lao and Thai cuisine at Portland's Little Bloom

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