Saigon Spicy Chicken Wings - Thien Nghi's - SW 3rd and Stark

During my recent visit to Yo-Yo and Lefty's, I noticed a cart I'd not seen before, parked right next to it, Thien Nghi's - They prominently offered beef and chicken Phở, and I'd been discussing Phở with my wife recently, trying to get her to try it.
I figured I'd check this cart out next, and today, I did...

Despite all this talk of Phở, the Spicy Saigon Chicken Wings were calling my name. (Well, not literally, that would be creepy.)

It's reasonably safe to say I'm a "hot wings enthusiast" - I love spicy chicken wings, usually the hotter the better.

Thien Nghi's offers their wings 3 for $3.50, served with some cucumber and tomato slices. I ordered six, because I know how I get when I have wings in front of me.

They are fried wings, yet the breading is light and they aren't greasy at all. The flavor is spectacular. A little hint of sweetness alongside a great combination of herbs, not too spicy, not too mild. Nice chunks of sliced garlic gloves abound, which I found to be a perfect touch. There is a cup of sauce served on the side to dip in if you like it hotter, and I made sure to make use of it.

Check out their menu here.
Bento, Phở, egg rolls, crepes, and those awesome wings - if their other food is anything like these wings, you're in for a treat. I'll certainly be back.

I finished up all six of my wings, the cucumber slices, and the tomato... and... I could eat more of these wings... though I probably shouldn't.

T & P's Chinese Cuisine - SW 5th and Oak, North Side

Today, I had a conference call to attend, right at lunchtime, on short notice - so I had to run and grab something fast. Since I've spent most of this week eating from carts on the North side of the pod on SW 5th, I figured - why not continue the pattern?

This is the one cart on the North side on Oak I have yet to try, located next to Sin Wagon, which I wrote about yesterday.

I also haven't eaten Chinese food in almost 5 years. Partially because the last time wasn't very impressive, and also because I tend to favor Thai food, of which there is plenty to be had from carts in Portland.

My former measure of the worth of a Chinese restaurant was always based on their Kung Pao Chicken, so that's what I ordered.

T&P's is a fairly new cart, maybe two weeks or so. They offer a pretty standard set of Chinese dishes, with beef, chicken, tofu, or fish. No pork on the menu. There were some salt and pepper fish dishes, and a beef and shrimp teriyaki that looked interesting. Proudly displayed is a sign stating "No MSG."

The food is prepped on the fly with woks, and they'll spice it to your liking. They offer fried or white rice with the rice based dishes, and the non-crispy type of Chow Mein noodles.

Also, most of their dishes are under $5 each, which is below average these days.

Now, as for the Kung Pao Chicken -- delicious. The vegetables are crispy, it's got a good kick to it, the sauce is how I like it, savory, not sweet. One of the reasons I've avoided Chinese food is the sweetness in a lot of the sauces. Not the case here.... and I have missed Kung Pao.

Western versions of this dish lack the peppercorn variety used in China, partially due to a rather lengthy ban on their import due to a tree disease they could carry. The ban was lifted in 2005, and now I think I'd like to see if I can find a place that uses those instead - as, apparently, the flavor is quite distinct, and I would like to know how the 'true' version of my favorite Chinese dish tastes.

Thanks, T&P Chinese Cuisine, for re-awakening my desire for Chinese food. :)