Whiskey Soda Lounge – Portland

Dinner was supposed to be at Pok Pok, but unsurprisingly there was a wait to be seated. That is okay, the unofficial waiting space is the Whiskey Soda Lounge across the street.  The appetizers are the same menu as are most of the cocktails. Pok Pok will call over to say the table is ready.

We were expecting a long wait, so we ordered drinks and appetizers, including one of the items Pok Pok is most known for – the Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings.  Anyone who is already a fan of fish sauce knows how foul it smells in the bottle, yet how addictively mouth watering it becomes when added to food.  In the chicken wings they are irresistible. Wow, so good! The wings are hot to the touch, but we ate them with burning fingers and mouths.

Also on order was simple shrimp chips, or koropok. It brought me back to living a few months in Brunei…

Our cocktails, well, those were taking a while and our number was called up at Pok Pok before they’d even arrived. Thanks to the memorandum of understanding between the two business, the drinks were struck off the bill and we quickly scooted back across the street, umbrellas in hand.

Whiskey Soda Lounge (SE, Clinton)
3131 SE Division St
Portland, OR 97202
whiskeysodalounge.com