Tasty bites await at two local eateries
By Al Rivers ‘25
The summer is coming up, so I'm here to offer two new food places that might be new to you, including an Indonesian restaurant and a Scottish one.
Wajan serves snacks, appetizers, main dishes, drinks and desserts. It is open noon - 2:30 p.m. and 4:00-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, and noon- 8:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
Wajan is a traditional Indonesian restaurant located on East Burnside, nestled on the edge of the Laurelhurst and Mount Tabor neighborhoods. The casual decor of bamboo, wood, and Indonesian trinkets belies the deeply complex and flavorful food. That’s true of Indonesia, land of 17,000 islands, myriad languages, and varied cuisines with a common theme of spices.
Feny, Wajan’s chef, takes on the complex task of layering spices in her comforting and brilliant home cooking in dishes such as Beef Rendang. This dish, for example, is cooked slowly for 24 hours, with most of the Spice Islands’ ingredients in it - cloves, salam leaf, fresh coconut, coriander seed, and more. Wajans’s traditional cuisine includes Chef Feny’s family favorites, recipes her mother cooked for her perfected over time.
The restaurant offers tasty drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Arak, a hard liquor made from tapping palm trees, is occasionally available, as well as many interesting cocktails that use the unique flavors of the archipelago nation. There are plenty of delicious non-alcoholic beverages available, for example, an avocado chocolate shake, a malty hot chocolate called Milo, and, my personal favorite, Es Cendol. Really, a refreshing street food refreshment, it is made with green "worms" made of rice flour colored with pandan leaf, creating a jelly (similar to boba) in coconut milk, ice and palm sugar syrup.
My family and I frequent this restaurant as often as we can. Some of our favorites include Sate Ayam, chicken skewers marinated in sweet soy sauce, char-broiled and served with peanut sauce and flash-pickled vegetables. Bakmie is another favorite. It is a soup made with wheat noodles, diced pork and shitake mushrooms in a delicate and yet rich bone broth, topped off with yu choy, bean sprouts, and green onions. It has a tangy flavor that makes this dish marvelous. Feny’s fried chicken is the city’s best - crunchy and moist inside, served of course with chili.
This restaurant is fantastic for takeout and in-person dining, including outdoor covered and heated seating. Perfect for the summer, since they offer great outdoor meals, salads and cold drinks. Ayo! As they say in Indonesian. Mari makan! Let’s eat! What's stopping you from enjoying authentic Indonesian food?
If you are looking for a place near Catlin, why not try The Flying Scotsman? Some juniors and seniors enjoy lunch breaks at the BG Food Cartel already. I encourage you to pair your Pretea -a popular boba place located there- with delicious Scottish Fish and Chips!
The Frying Scotsman offers Scottish-style battered cod or halibut, thick-cut fries, mushy peas, curry sauce, and even fried Mars Bars. It is superb! You can imagine eating this meal in Edinburgh, Scotland, as if the food transported you. James King, the chef and owner, makes his chips the way his mom does, thick-cut like any Scots would want, soft and fluffy on the inside and served alongside a curry sauce or the famous mushy peas.
The fish is always cooked perfectly - flaky and moist. King pours his heart into making these dishes and is generous with his portions. Always high quality and never poorly executed, his fish and chips are the heights of this classic dish.
“It is hands down the best fish and chips in Oregon,” raved Marc Rivers, one of King’ biggest fans. Over the years, my family has gotten to know King. He is dedicated to making the best quality food and strives to make it authentic, as well as delicious.
One Yelp reviewer wrote, “This is the best fish and chips I have had since I lived in Ireland! The snapper was perfectly cooked, the chips were the perfect consistency for putting malt vinegar on (the ONLY way to eat them), and the coleslaw was fantastic.” Cindy P. added, “As for the owner, dude is a Scotsman and doesn't do the fake niceness Americans are used to. He is going to snag your order and slang your food. I love it as it is a true Scottish experience.”
King offers the absolute best fish and chips you can get in Oregon. No one comes close to making these fish and chips. That is unless you go to England, but that's quite a trip for a lunch break.