When I first moved to Oregon I lived way outside of Portland in a town called Tigard. It’s a really featureless place really and there’s not a lot there to make it stand out. It did however, have one of my favorite spots to grab a quick and inexpensive bite to eat. The local H Mart. H Mart is a chain of Asian grocery stores that include food courts. This particular one has Korean, Vietnamese, and Thai. As far as I’m concerned, it also is the best value for both Thai and Korean food in the entire town. I haven’t tried the Vietnamese yet and I think I’ll have to soon.
I usually get the curry, since I don’t eat nearly enough vegetables and this is one of the best ways to sneak them past me. I usually get Panang style curry because I like the different flavors but I’ve tried a few others there and they’re all delicious. It’s a big steaming bowl served with a pile of rice and for about $8 it will fill me up all day, sometimes two meals even.
My other favorite spot is the Korean food. Korean food is one of my favorite things. But in Portland there aren’t many cheap spots to get it so you’re usually left going to pricier places. While they’re good, you never really feel like you got a good value. H Mart doesn’t have that problem. You get a nice big plate of food for $11, more than enough to fill up anyone. I usually get the Pork Bulgogi, which I realize isn’t traditional but it’s just so good. It comes with rice, miso, and all the Korean trimmings.
I’ll write this again when I try the Vietnamese place. It looks delicious as well.
