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Home/Asian Dumplings/Portland Food Carts: Mama Chow’s Kitchen

Portland Food Carts: Mama Chow’s Kitchen

Portland Food Carts: Mama Chow's Kitchen Location: SW 2nd Avenue & Stark
Facebook: Mama Chow’s Kitchen
Twitter: @MamaCsKitchen

If there’s one dish in the universe that I never tire of, it’s Wonton Soup. But not just any run-of-the-mill Wonton Soup with week-old broth and three or four mushy wontons. There’s way too much of that sorry slop around.

No way. I want Wonton Soup that’s worth walking a couple of miles for, anticipation mounting with each step. I make Wonton Soup myself, so mediocre won’t cut it.

I want the broth to be fresh, clean, full-flavored, and well-seasoned. Maybe even a little spicy.

I want a ridiculously large number of silky, plump, succulent, savory, pork and shrimp filled wontons.

Portland Food Carts: Mama Chow's Kitchen And if there are a few vegetables thrown in to appease that finger wagging voice in my head that loves to ruin every indulgent meal, so much the better. Make it perfectly steamed baby bok choy, and all resistance evaporates.

Enter Mama Chow’s Kitchen, the food cart brainchild of ebullient chef and culinary entrepreneur, Jeff Chow, with an able assist from his mother, Lalie Chow, who is famous for her life affirming, soul lifting Wonton Soup.

Portland Food Carts: Mama Chow's Kitchen Jeff and Lalie’s Wonton Soup is so far beyond ordinary that you may find yourself looking for excuses to eat it three times a week.

You know, like you just happen to be walking down SW 2nd and Stark between 11-3 on a weekday. You haven’t had lunch. You’re starving. You have only $7.00 in your pocket.

Portland Food Carts: Mama Chow's Kitchen And for some unfathomable reason, this unlikely sequence of events happens every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Only on Friday you buy an extra bowl of soup to tide you over the weekend.

And by this point, you are also regularly ordering the crisp, succulent, tender, sweet, and savory Lollipop Chicken Wings. You know, for an appetizer.

Portland Food Carts: Mama Chow's Kitchen And the deceptively simple but also incredibly delicious Garlic Noodles. Because, well, noodles are known to increase happiness. And happiness will make you a better human being. Which will benefit the entire world.

Portland Food Carts: Mama Chow's Kitchen Just look at Mena there behind the counter. She gives that genuine, heartwarming smile to everyone who ventures up to her window. She’s changing the world, one customer at a time. Because she’s happy.

And I’m sure it’s all because of Mama Chow’s Kitchen and their inspired Wonton Soup.

Portland Food Carts: Mama Chow's Kitchen

Cookin’ with Gas (inspiration from around the web)

  • Food Carts Portland: Mama Chows Kitchen
  • Mama Chow’s Kitchen Food Cart – A Brief Glimpse at This Brand New Portland Food Cart! | Portland Food Cart Adventures
  • Mama Chows & Uncle Tsang’s | Willamette Week
  • Map of Portland Food Carts
  • Pechluck’s Food Adventures: Mama Chow’s Kitchen
  • Eater PDX: Mama Chow’s Kitchen
  • The Portland Mercury: Wonton Desire

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Written by:
Susan S. Bradley
Published on:
January 1, 2014

Categories: Asian Dumplings, Asian-Inspired, Food Carts, Portland Eats, RestaurantsTags: Asian soup, Dining, food cart, Portland, Portland food carts, Portland restaurants, Soup

About Susan S. Bradley

Intrepid cook, food writer, culinary instructor, creator of the LunaCafe blog, author of Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking, and former director of the Northwest Culinary Academy.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marlynn

    September 4, 2014 at 8:37 am

    I keep hearing about this place. Must try it! Love your photos. Thanks for sharing!

    • Susan S. Bradley

      September 9, 2014 at 4:46 am

      Thanks Marlynn! 🙂

  2. Lauren

    September 2, 2014 at 9:59 am

    I haven’t been to this one yet! I will have to hit it up next time I am in that area. Great post!

    • Susan S. Bradley

      September 9, 2014 at 4:46 am

      Thanks Lauren! 🙂

  3. Pech

    September 1, 2014 at 3:35 pm

    I am a big fan of Mama Chow’s Kitchen as well! I was lured in by those garlic noodles and lollipop chicken, but was surprised how plump and juicy those wontons were, they really are the best wontons I have ever had! And I will not admit how fast I can scarf those garlic noodles down.

  4. Pech

    September 1, 2014 at 3:35 pm

    I am a big fan of Mama Chow’s Kitchen as well! I was lured in by those garlic noodles and lollipop chicken, but was surprised how plump and juicy those wontons were, they really are the best wontons I have ever had! And I will not admit how fast I can scarf those garlic noodles down.

    • Susan S. Bradley

      September 9, 2014 at 4:56 am

      Pech, it’s tempting to order all three dishes at once, but the won ton soup is so filling. What a great place. Jeff Chow has a home run with this food cart.

  5. Rick Rosenzweig

    August 27, 2014 at 11:08 am

    Susan,

    What a fine presentation of Mama Chow’s Kitchen and the people that run it! Your photos, as always are wonderful, along with your great sense of humor!

    That’s the first time I’ve ever heard of chicken wings as an appetizer for soup! And the Garlic Noodles sound delicious. I haven’t been to Portland for some time, but next time I come up there I’ll look for Mama Chow’s…and hope to have more than $7 in my pocket!

    I’m happy to see that Portland is rapidly becoming a haven for culinary creativity!

    Rick Rosenzweig
    Sedona, Arizona

    • Susan S. Bradley

      September 9, 2014 at 4:52 am

      Thank you, Rick, very kind. 🙂 Portland is an amazing food city. So many new restaurants opening each month that it’s hard to keep up with them.

Trackbacks

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Susan S. Bradley

Intrepid cook, food writer, culinary instructor, creator of the LunaCafe blog, author of Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking, and former director of the Northwest Culinary Academy. Read More…

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