yum E-San Thai Cuisine
8233 N Denver Ave.
(503) 517-0683

A downtown favorite that branched out to Northwest and now NoPo, E-San is owned by Mao and Ting Pathammavong whose take on Thai is light and tasty. Boasting a full-service bar, two kinds of Asian beer and fresh coconut juice straight out of the opened shell, E-San’s digs are open and inviting. All the requisite Thai dishes are here: curries, stir fries, noodles, salads and soups, and E-San not only cooks up flavorful dishes but throws in artful presentation as well. Starting with the sleeping prawn ($8.50), an appetizer of prawns individually wrapped in wonton skin, deep fried and served with sweet and sour, our appetites were whet by this succulent teaser cooked to perfection. The pineapple fried rice with your choice of meats or tofu is made with pineapple freshly scooped from its outer skin and chopped into juicy chunks (no canned pineapple here) and served in half of the pineapple ($9.50). Have it with lean thin-sliced pork for a sinful combination. The Pad Thai noodles were yummy, not overly sweet or too peanutty ($9), and the Tom Kha, a coconut soup with mushrooms, onions, kaffir leaves and chicken ($8), was rich and nicely balanced without the stringent bitter bite that some restaurants seem unable to avoid.