Reviewing Friendship Kitchen: “Việt inspired cocktails & innovative cuisine” in Portland.
Friendship Kitchen is a local Portland restaurant that serves elevated Vietnamese comfort food. For this review, I took my friends to Friendship Kitchen and asked them what they thought. Here is what they had to say.
What do you think of the food at Friendship Kitchen?
Friend 1:
“The drinks? Legendary.”
“The Passionate Lover, 10/10.” [He drank it so fast I couldn’t even get a picture.]
“They say that Redbull gives you wings, but they’re wrong, it’s really the seared beef.”
Friend 2:
“I ordered shaken beef. It’s very good, very savory. I really like the sauce. It mixes well with the rice and veggies, and the veggies are also good. Which is nice because I am bad at making veggies on my own.”
Friend 3:
“The egg rolls were really good, fried to perfection, and really crispy.”
What do you think of the service at Friendship Kitchen?
Friend 1:
“They put the friend in Friendship Kitchen.”
Friend 2:
“Very friendly.”
Friend 3:
“Really love the service here, they always make you feel really welcome.”
What do you think about the atmosphere at Friendship Kitchen?
Friend 1:
“If it’s raining sideways, maybe get takeout, but otherwise really great. Oh, and the food came out really quick, tell them that.”
[This restaurant has majority outdoor seating with a few spots inside.]
Friend 2:
“They have some like nice outdoorsy music. Very lively.”
Friend 3: “It’s fun! It’s perfect for all seasons since they have overhead cover for rain and outdoor heaters.”
I agree with my friends; Friendship Kitchen is a fantastic restaurant. We are lucky to have them in Portland. The food is gorgeous and tastes great.
We tried the shaken beef, Bún bò Huế (BBH soup), eggrolls, and salt and pepper squid. The shaken beef was the best dish. It was $19 and
the beef was cooked to perfection. It consists of pan-seared beef tenderloin chunks glazed with umami sesame sauce, then tossed with onions, bell peppers, and happiness and served with rice. I definitely recommend ordering this dish.
Of the drinks, we tried three:
- Love Language: Thai tea, simple syrup, lemon, and whiskey.
- Passionate Lover: Tequila, passionfruit, coconut water, and lime.
- MILF: Rum, lychee purée, coconut cream, lime, and simple syrup garnished with a lime slice.
Of these three, the Passionate Lover is the absolute best.
I also really like the model they have of going up to the counter and ordering, then paying all at once. You can then hang out for as long as you need and leave when you want. It made for a great atmosphere overall. The service was also truly incredible, and everyone was super friendly. I appreciated how quickly the food came out; it was remarkably fast! All in all, this is an excellent restaurant, especially on a warm summer night. I give it 10/10 stars.