Hat Yai

I wish I took a photo of all the wonderful food! I'll update with a photo if I find one. Service: I had Hat Yai cater for us, and was in constant communication with Alan Akwai, the founder (I believe?). I reached out 2.5-3 weeks ahead of time and went over my order with him over e-mail. This was a catering done for about 25-30 attendees and we had a lot of yummy leftovers. Alan was extremely accommodating to changing of timing of when we would like the food. A few days prior he sent an e-mail with a confirmation for day and time, and the day of we were in constant communication via text to ensure that our food was delivered. He came in with two huge thermal packaged food containers with our order. Our food was warm and perfect by the time we had our late lunch/early dinner. He set everything up in the kitchen, which included the orders in foil trays, serving containers, and little note cards with the name of the dish. Food: Menu itself is gluten free except for Muu Hong and Roti. There are various vegan and vegetarian options. With these various orders came jasmine rice, sticky rice, cucumber salad, and a really lovely pickled veggies platter. The sides really highlighted and matched well with all of the dishes. 1) Small Whole Chicken 2) Small leg quarter. The chicken was crispy and juicy. Great with and without the sauce that comes with it. Crispy shallots on top gave another added texture that was nice. Would definitely order again. 3) Small Muu Hong. Pork belly was delicious. A sweet, and gingery sauce with nicely rendered pork belly. If there are any leftovers, it is very good to fry in a cast iron. 4) Small Brisket Curry 5) House Curry 6) Small Vegan Curry. All very flavorful. Brisket curry was just a little spicy for some of the guests, but as someone who likes spice it was very mild. Of the three curries the house curry had a wonderful flavor. I could eat that on plain rice or roti and would be content. Would highly recommend the house curry. 7) Large Roti. Crispy and airy. Slightly sweet. Goes really well with the house curry. 8) Mushroom skewers. Really generous portions of what I believe are king oyster mushrooms, but I could be wrong. 3 big chunks per skewer. 9) Coconut Mango Horchata. Best that I've ever had. All the food was amazing, but this was maybe my favorite thing? Great balance of flavors. Viscosity similar to a mango lassi. Atmosphere: N/A. All in all, I would definitely cater from this place again and head out to their restaurant for when I'm in Portland. For awhile I wasn't sure if we had enough food, but it was definitely more than enough with the amount of people we had. Fair amount of leftovers and if there is extra jasmine rice, the next day fried rice you make will be incredible.

I can't say enough good things about my experience, and it's all thanks to Devin! His exceptional service was hands down the main reason I'll be coming back. Devin's attention to detail and genuine care made the visit truly memorable. Oh, and let's not forget the amazing gluten-free deep-fried chicken—it was absolutely delicious! But honestly, Devin's warm and welcoming attitude sealed the deal for me. Highly recommend!