Ping

Some people say it’s all in the genes, and with parents like relentless taste-seeker and Pok Pok Executive Chef Andy Ricker and Wieden Kennedy design and marketing superman John Jay, Ping was genetically destined to be both effortlessly attractive and irresistibly edible.

The stork really did bring Andy Ricker & Co. and Chinatown a prize, ’cause Ping’s one beautiful, tasty baby.

Anchoring the corner of NW 4th and NW Couch, in the old Hung Far Low buildling, Ping is also helping breathe new culinary life into Portland’s Chinatown. Created in the image of a late-night Asian watering hole and determined to become a neighborhood hangout versus a foodie destination, Ping’s menu jumps from Singapore to Vietnam to Korea to Macau in a single brown paper page.

Play four-square with the menu’s grilled, steamed, fried, and boiled offerings and you’ll be sharing salted duck egg salad with shallots and Chinese celery, steamed buns stuffed with the same sweet shredded pork that draws a lunchtime crowd at the Pok Pok shack, tender baby octopi skewered, grilled and dripping with chilies and garlic-infused lime juice, deep fried quail marinated in soy, palm sugar and spices.

Wash everything down with one of Ping’s sparkling sweet tart drinking vinegars (soda water-kissed fruit vinegars in unusual flavors like yuzu, plum, pomegranate, and Taiwan lemon), a Pomegranate Gin Rickey, or a cold crisp Singha beer.

Yep, the stork really did bring Andy Ricker & Co. and Chinatown a prize, ’cause Ping’s one beautiful, tasty baby.

Details

Cuisine: Asian

Executive Chef: Andy Ricker

Atmosphere: Lively, hip, friendly little Asian-style pub with a style all its own

Outdoor seating: Yes, narrow wooden benches line the walls along the sidewalk.

Best Seat: I love to sit at the bar

Noise Level: Energetic

Dress Code: Casual

Bring the Kids: No

Bathrooms: Down the hallway to the left of the kitchen

Parking: Parking is metered (Mon-Sat 8am-7pm, Sun 1-7pm) and can be difficult to find. There is a large pay lot nearby if you get frustrated with driving around looking for a spot.

Cocktails: Yes

Beer: Yes

Teetotalers: Try the house drinking vinegars

Ideal Meal: Quail egg skewers, nonya carrot cake, stewed duck leg with wide noodles

Vegetarian Friendly: Yes

Vegan Friendly: Not particularly

Good for the following occasions: Out With Friends, Dining Solo, Casual Date

Reservations: Yes, call or go on OpenTable

Take-Out: Yes

Delivery: No