Sen Yai Noodles

Pok Pok’s Andy R does it again. This lovely spot has the salty, spicy, sour flavor profiles we all love about Pok Pok in noodle form. Their special which has been on the board for a while I am low key obsessed with. Yum.

I really… was hoping for a lot more. A lot more. In quite a few ways.
To start, we were so excited because this place is part of the PokPok chain and, I mean, I’ve heard great things. It started of well, seems like a cool hip thai place on the inside, playing cultural music and tv shows.
Sipped on some thai tea and thai beer while we waited and that was great.
Our noodles came and… it was like nothing. I got the friend ramen noodles and… it was about the same amount as comes in an actual ramen cup! (Maybe a little more with the veggies, but really, not too much.) It was also really soggy and saucy. The noodles were kind of coming apart. The taste was alright, idk not my cup of tea.
The Phat Sii Ew came with even less noodles. Needless to say my boyfriend was not happy. It wasn’t even enough food for me to eat and I don’t each much. I ALWAYS have left overs. And I would have been hungry eating that. With that, it was really good flavor wise. But not filling or satisfying at all.
At the end of the day, great service, good drinks, okay food, and not enough portion wise. We will not be back. Maybe we came on an off day?

A bit pricey; but the taste is very different from other noodle places
Highly recommend the laksa. The first item on the menu is great too.
We had two other stir fries, one of them was good. The other was more or less pad Thai

Sen Yai was underwhelming, especially with the high expectations from being in the Pok Pok family. The phat sii ew was standard and needed some salt. The laksa (it’s a special on the board but I think they always offer it) was hearty with quite a bit of protein, but also needed some extras (like sambal and fish sauce).
Service was slow, especially to take our orders. Interior is very casual. No wait on Saturday at 12pm. There are ~8 parking spots outside the restaurant.

Our service was just lovely. Our waiter was attentive and explained just what we needed him to, but wasn’t intrusive. My husband got the pad thai w/​shrimp, which was delicious, among the best I’ve had, and I got the boat noodles, which were perfect for a cold, rainy night and for getting over a cold. The braised beef was insanely tasty, and the broth had a wonderful assertive flavor. The portion sizes were perfectly fine. What’s with the negative reviews? Are people walking in with a chip on their shoulders because it’s Andy Ricker? My soup cost 2 or 3 bucks more than it would have in a typical phở restaurant, but it was so worth it.

I’ve been to Sen Yai noodle house often and I feel like the snooty service and high prices outweigh the tastiness of the food.
Our recent server had a bad case of superiority, as she re-​pronounced everything we ordered in a hipster tone (as if we were mispronouncing everything): and her instructions on how to eat a noodle dish that I’ve had many times before was «We suggest to diners who are about to eat this dish that they mix it up first.» This was a sauceless wide fried noodle dish. The suggestion seemed unnecessary.
They’re noodles, people. This is not high-​end cuisine. Paying $ 3.75 for a small bao is a wallet gouge! At Sen Yai, I get tasty but basic noodle dishes and pay roughly 20% more for the privilege of being served by someone who thinks they’re better than me.

Pok pok has many good reviews and lots of customers, so we figured the noodle version would be good. With many empty tables, we thought we’d be seated right away. Wrong. After signing in with two people ahead of us, we waited by four empty tables for ten minutes, only to be seated at said empty tables.
At any rate, my MaMa Phat ramen was sooooooo salty it was almost inedible. I ate it anyway. The veggies with it were good, so they must have been prepared seperately from the noodles. This was confirmed with the waitress. I paid extra for prawns, and got 6 shrimp. Like the ones from a «shrimp platter «from costco. Not prawns.
My wife’s dish… I forgot the name… was pretty good. Basically like Phở with its cilantro and noodles. But more than double the price and half the size of comparable Phở.
Anyway.for the price i expected something amazing. This place is average at best. The prices aren’t. Staff was friendly.

#81
We arrived at Sen Yai after hearing about it ALL DAY LONG! When your friends tell you something is this good, and they promise me San Francisco has NOTHING on this spot, well, I just had to try it.
Steve greeted us at the door. There were plenty of tables outside, but they were all full, so we opted to sit inside rather than wait. I think that when it is not raining in Portland, all the natives take up the outside seating ;)
There was authentic music playing over the speakers, the place was set up for small groups and larger crowds, and the smell of food permeated the air. I was getting really hungry.
We sat at a table in the window and I noticed the four-​sauce accouterment carousel on the table, along with a metal soupspoon dispenser and a chopstick holder. Everything was clean, and well stocked.
Steve came to the table and offered us beverages while I perused the complex menu. Steve also took the time to describe the carousel of sauces and accouterments to my companions and me. One was pure cane sugar, then small peppers in a fish sauce, regular hot peppers and finally crushed chili flakes. I decided to go for the Naam Gek Hoi chrysanthemum tea, while my friend had a martini – served in a metal martini glass. How cool. The tea was thick and colorful, but truly delicious.
Next, we decided to order some starters: little shrimp/​fish cakes and Phak Khanaa Naam Man Hoi. This was stir-​fried Chinese broccoli with a delicious oyster sauce. There was definitely a little spice on this dish and I loved it! It is pretty rare I do not have to add hot sauce to my food, thank you Sen Yai.
Then we ordered our meals to share:
Kuaytiaw Naam Kai
Kai Kaphrao Kahi Dao
Ramen noodles
The Kuaytiaw Naam Kai was splendid! I had them add ramen to my soup. There was a bit of cilantro atop the steaming soup and small scallions to really bring the flavors alive. The bean sprouts were probably my favorite part of this dish. The Kai Kaphrao Khai Dao was like something I have never tasted. It was spicy, very spicy but not so much so that it was unenjoyably. No, this chef hit the nail on the head for those of us who enjoy really spicy foods. The plate was served alongside of a bed of sticky jasmine rice with a fried egg atop that you could smash with your chopsticks to make the rice moist and add to the chicken dish. The fish sauce and chili really made the dish.
After tasting the Kai Kaphrao Khai Dao I understood why Steve opted to ask if we were aware of the heat level of the dish. I remember thinking to myself, «Steve, I am from NOLA, my pacifiers were dipped in Tabasco,» but once I tasted the food, I understood Steve’s concern ;)
Thanks for the absolutely amazing service Steve and the wonderful food.
Stephani Smiles for Sen Yai ;)

We had a wonderful time! Our server (darn it, I didn’t get her name, but she was very sweet-​tempered with long dark hair in a side braid) was so accommodating and really set a standard for service. Answered all our questions and requests and provided us with a dinner experience that we will be back for. We started with some steamed pork buns, which were the perfect texture and so flavorful. I forget what my manfriend had, mostly because I was happily distracted by my delicious ramen. I love the sauces/​spices/​goodstuff that is on the table, cause I really like a spicy/​fermented flavor to my taste.
Glad to have such a yummy, brothy place to eat in my neighborhood with a friendly face to go with it.

Some of the best customer service I have ever had and delicious food.
I had ordered takeout online and had ordered a drink. When I picked up the food, both of us forgot the drink. As soon as I got home, I remembered and called. They told me to come back the next day and they would give me a gift certificate to make up for it. I forgot completely about this and the next time I came in, almost 3 weeks later, they brought it up and gave me a free drink!

I took a friend from out of town here for dinner about a month ago. I have never received such awful, aggressive, and belittling service in my life. The gentleman (all I can remember was he had two nose piercings) was actually aggressive! And when we sat for 25 minutes (not exaggerating) and then asked where our Sodas were (no mixed drinks, just fountain drinks) we were given an eye roll by a female waitress and told that the bar was «very busy». When we asked for silverware (which took them 5 – 10 minutes to deliver while our food was getting cold outside) the waiter mentioned before responded «well, usually people use the chopsticks, but I guess I can get you some silverware». Listen, being a server means getting me a fork when I (very politely) ask for a fork, and not making me feel foolish for wanting one.
The owner needs to get new serving staff asap. I used to come here several times a month and will never return because of this awful experience. It was embarrassing to bring a friend from out of town and be treated like we were an annoyance and inconvenience. Just ridiculous.

Great food and drinks, and an awesome outdoor atmosphere.
Our waitress Emily was out-​of-​this-​world amazing. Friendly, helpful, attentive, funny, knowledgable and recommended four awesome entrees. She kept our drinks filled and it was the best service of our whole weekend in Portland.
Ba Mii and Kaphrao were table favorites and the Mango Alexander cocktail was delicious.
We will definitely come back on our next visit to Portland.

Horrible service! A completely different experience than Pok Pok. When we arrived, the hostess pointed us to the table without giving us a menu or actually walking us to the table. We were also unattended to for ten minutes until I asked a passing waitress for a menu and a new table since the hostess sat us at the outside table right in front of the door. It was just not a good seat because people are constantly coming in and out of the restaurant. The waitress then took us to a table inside but didn’t say anything to us until she came back 10 minutes later to take our order. She could’ve let us know the special on the board or take our drink requests but she did neither.
My wife order the khan phat byy. When the dish arrived, the waitress nearly dropped the entire plate. Of course because she nearly dropped it, the food sort of shifted on the plate, so presentation wise it looks pretty awful. The egg yoke broke and was off on the side. On top of all that, the entrée was lukewarm as if it had been sitting on the counter for 5 minutes. Flavor wise it was ok. Not nearly as spicy as advertised. I ordered the laksa and that didn’t show up until my wife is nearly done with her food. Flavor is ok but portion is small. Overall it was just not a good dining experience. If you are ok with small portions with average flavors but awful service then you might enjoy this place. Otherwise just wait and go to the sister restaurant Pok Pok next door where food and service are both much better.

Meh 2.5−3.0 ish. It was just ok. The service was great and very helpful in suggestions. The portions were lunch size even during the supper hour so it is great for small appetites. I had the beef boat noodles. They were ok. My Mr had the vegetarian on choy stir fry with the jasmine rice. It was ok nothing to write home about. The flavors were just not as robust as my palate demands.
I have to be honest in saying that I probably wouldn’t bother coming here again unless I had to do so. Like say if I was meeting up with friends. There are so many other great and flavor packed Thai eateries in the Portland metro area. So many that this pork-​centric place is very easy to overlook. Been here, done that! …time to move along… Sorry Andy…

Laksa. Delicious.
I’ve heard they don’t have it written on the menu, and it may or may not be on the board. But just ask for it. Thai-​malay comfort food at its very best.
Their cocktails are very interesting too and go extremely well with the food. I got the spicy bloody mary which went well with the Laksa.

Sen Yai reminds me of the kind of noodle soup I used to have back home in Indonesia. I ordered the ba mii tom yum muu, soup style. It’s like an everything noodle bowl: pork, meatballs, cracklings, oodles of noodles… a bit of everything, topped with fried garlic. It’s a bit sweet and a whole lot of comforting.
It’s hard to compare Sen Yai to anything else. Though there are some overlaps between the menu items here and your typical Thai food dishes, you won’t find most of the dishes here anywhere else. Service was slow even though the place was not all that busy. It was a big place with an outdoor patio, and I only saw 2 servers who seemed to double as hosts as well. Ambiance was very casual, this would be a great spot for lunch or mid-​afternoon snack.
Not to be missed if you’re from SE Asia and miss comfort food of the motherland. We didn’t get to try the drinks, but looks like they had some really interesting, adventurous concoctions. This is an Andy Ricker restaurant and I wish they served the Pok Pok signature chicken wings, because let’s be honest, the chicken wings are why there is always a 2-​hour wait at Pok Pok.

If you want to eat at a Andy Ricker restaurant but you don’t want to deal with the zoo of Pok Pok, this is a great alternative. I’ve been here for both lunch and dinner and the wait is reasonable (if non-​existent if you catch it just right). The menu has some items that you may find in a typical American Thai restaurant but there will definitely be things that you will not be familiar with (and that’s a good thing.)
The standout in the noodle dishes is of course the Phat Sii Ew — the wide rice noodles with pork, broccoli and egg. This is always the dish I have to like before I consider a Thai place worthy and this version stood up to the test.
As far as the rice dishes, I’d recommend the Khao Muu Daeng. Again a simple dish and the ingredients (pork, gravy, gailan) are perfect over rice.
For you bun fans, the pork one is of course the best choice (do you see a trend here?) and is a perfect snack to get you ready for your main course.
Bonus: the drink menu is really good, with great choices even if you’re not drinking alcohol.

We have now been to all of Andy Ricker’s eateries on Division Street in Portland. Sen Yai, totally different from Pok Pok up the street, but just as amazing. The menu is mainly soups (think phở), stir fried noodles (think sukiyaki minus the soup), and rice dishes (think don buri). Prices are reasonable and a good value.
Three of us ordered the phat si ew ($ 11): wide rice noodles, pork, Chinese broccoli, egg and black soy sauce stir-​fried in a very hot wok. Very simple but the flavor did not disappoint. Being Portland, the beer & cocktail selection was great too. We also ordered a Cha Boraan ($ 4.50): Thai tea with sweetened condensed milk (very much like Vietnamese coffee), very, very sweet but powerful.
We chose to sit outside on the patio, covered with umbrellas, since it was a sunny day and we had a toddler and newborn in our group The wait staff were friendly and very accommodating and even made up a little bowl of plain stir-​fried ramen for our young munchkin diner. Unlike Andy Ricker’s other restaurants up the street, Sen Yai has a parking lot! If you’ve tried to eat at Pok Pok or the Whiskey Soda Lounge, you know the hassle of trying to find street parking in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Definitely going back!

Been here a handful of times and my foods been great each time. The portions are enough to satisfy and some dishes will either give you a food baby or a nice lunch for the next day.
The flavors are sweet, salty, sour, and spicy to balances levels and i can really tell they’ve packed a lot of flavor and layers into everything. I havnt had really authentic Thai food so I’m not sure where this stands on the spectrum but for me it’s pretty darn good.
The restaurant is quite small so you may find yourself sitting to the left, right, or smack dab between two groups on a busy night. The waiting area is kind of awkward as well as its very tiny and narrow. When people come in and out of the restaurant be ready to scoot here and there.
If you don’t mind a crowded, busy atmosphere this place has great service and delicious food. For me got alittle anxious about the space but once my food came out that feeling soon faded.

Good lunch, busy place even on Monday! If you like noodles it is really good. Today we had Kuaytiaw Phat (wide rice noodles 2 inches square with Thai broccoli, egg & soy) along with Ba Mii Tam Yam Muu (wheat noodles, pork chunks, onions soup style). Best to just take a look at the pics to see how tasty it looks. I prefer Pok Pok down the street, however, as my go-​to-​Thai favorite (same owner).