At a certain point in my meal at Gado Gado, I wondered when it would hit the limit of how flavorful a dish could be. The Portland, Oregon restaurant’s decor is colorful — full of patterns and prints that match the intensely flavored plates coming out of the kitchen. The outdoor patio has multiple mismatched carpets and bright tablecloths. And still, the food, especially the curries, took center stage.
During every trip back to my hometown of Portland, I go with my parents to try a new restaurant. Gado Gado is in my old neighborhood of Hollywood, a pocket of density in Portland’s more spread-out Eastside. Before the neighborhood filled with hip new restaurants, my only option was an outpost of my favorite affordable local chain, The Whole Bowl.
We ordered Oma’s clove scented rice, bakwan sayur (a green papaya and cabbage fritter), roti canai with blistered tomato curry, and the English pea and asparagus green curry. Everything was full of flavor, but the two curries stood out, especially the green. The roti canai came with a warm flatbread that was moist and flaky enough to fall apart, while the tomato curry had deep umami character and a lift of acidity. The green curry was full of shiitake mushrooms, pickled ground cherries, pea tendrils, and a fermented ramp salsa verde. Every bite of it was well-balanced, with a bright pea-soup freshness, light spice, and a subtle coconut undertone. It was complex, profoundly flavorful, and unlike any other curry I’ve ever had.
About Gado Gado
Gado Gado means “mix mix” in Indonesian and is a salad of veggies and eggs with peanut sauce (which is not on the menu here). Owned by Thomas and Mariah Pisha-Duffly, the concept grows out of the cooking of Thomas’s mother, who is Dutch-Chinese by way of Indonesia. The food reflects this varied heritage, with rijsttafel — a classic Dutch-Indonesian “rice table” set menu of seafood and veggie dishes. Menu items like Chinese sausage and shrimp siu mai and English pea and asparagus green curry showcase this multicultural influence…