440 NE 131st Place, Argay
Portland for all its renown as a foodie city has a surprising dearth of great authentic Chinese restaurants. Portland has more Thai restaurants than Chinese restaurants but by good fortune or by design, I have yet to run into an unsatisfactory Thai restaurant whereas I've encountered a number of Chinese restaurants that made the ball and chain seem like Joel Robuchon.
Heavenly Thai is located on a desolate stretch of Sandy and hidden in a seemingly run down strip mall. The exterior is utilitarian but the interior is an unexpected and inviting contrast. Despite its location, Heavenly Thai appears to have a loyal customer base as attested by the regulars who came during lunch hour.
Pad See Ew is an acid test of the chef's Muay Thai. It takes Bryan Mills skills to make great pad thai and pad see ew on demand. Greatness comes at the expense of many errors. The best comes perfectly balanced, a dish of springiness, softness, agreeable textures, heat, savoriness, seasoning, and elusive wok hay.
I ordered it medium heat and it was sufficient to activate the sweat glands. The vegetables were a bit under cooked, tossed in too late. The chicken lacked marination and seasoning, also seemingly tossed in rather than stirred fried alone to brown. The dish was a mix of motley ingredients rather than an orchestrated ensemble. The wide rice noodles were soft, springy, and well seasoned with soy sauce and the best part of the dish. Overall, it was an acceptable rendition but seemed Americanized to suit the western palate. Heavenly Thai does provide Godzilla sized food portions.
Service: ★★1/2
Probability of making an out of the way return: 0%
Probability of returning if in the area: 15%
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