Restaurant Review
Dear Mom Cafe, Bend’s newest Thai eatery, skillfully crafts traditional dishes with contemporary twists in its trendy space. Owned and operated by the Chalernhinthong family, this vibrant restaurant and its cuisine honor Jattalee Chalernhinthong’s beloved mother and the family’s hometown.
The bright decor features eye-catching wallpaper, colorful velvet chairs and playful neon signs that infuse the space with a joyful energy. The attentive staff warmly escorted us to our table, where we perused a thoughtfully curated menu with a concise selection of dishes, highlighting quality over quantity. The libations menu offered Thai iced tea variations, mocktails, cocktails, and a beer and wine list.
For small plates, we opted for the Midnight Chicken, crispy chicken wings with a succulent interior topped with herbs and a caramelized fish sauce, as well as the Roti and Curry, a flakey Thai-style flatbread that we dipped into a bright and flavorful curry.
For the main course, I ordered the Khao Soi Curry Noodles, a traditional northern Thai dish of egg noodles, rich coconut curry broth, topped with bean sprouts, pickled mustard, raw shallots, crispy wontons, cilantro, spicy garlic chili oil and lime slice, with the option to add tofu or fried chicken. It was filled with flavor, satisfying and spicy (there are no spice levels to choose from here, so expect a bit of an extra kick in some dishes).
My tablemate ordered and thoroughly enjoyed the Spicy Crispy Holy Basil, a delightful mix of roasted vegetables and sweet bell peppers sauteed in mom’s spicy umami sauce, topped with crispy holy basil, bird’s eye chili and a perfectly fried egg, all served over rice with the option to add spicy fried chicken or tofu. The portion sizes were generous, so we could take home some leftovers to savor the goodness of the Dear Mom Cafe experience a little longer.
320 SW Century Dr., #410, Bend
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