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Bhuna
Best for: Meaty Kashmiri specialties and kohlrabi and collards that remains our favorite dish here.
704 NW 21st Ave., 971-865-2176, bhunarestaurant.com. 11 am-9 pm Tuesday-Thursday, 11 am-11 pm Friday-Saturday, 11 am-9 pm Sunday. $-$$.
Bhuna's cook and co-owner, Deepak Kaul, is a renegade restaurateur, like so many children of immigrants whose parents expected their offspring to embrace a learned profession over lowly kitchen work. After a couple decades in the industry, Kaul has presumably set his parents straight: He may not be a doctor, but damn, he can whip up a nice curry. Bhuna is a boon to the Portland area's small but vital group of worthwhile Indian restaurants. Those with a carnivorous bent will be pleased to know the restaurant's emphasis on Kashimiri specialities means adequate meaty choices. The pinnacle is rogan josh ($15), which features chunks of tender lamb that really tastes like lamb in a rambunctious sauce, elaborately spiced, unsparing with chile heat, tempered with yogurt and flecked with cardamom seeds. The Chettinad chicken ($13) is far milder but still gets plenty of flavor from a garlic- and ginger-enhanced coconut milk-based sauce. Bhuna acquits vegetarianism ably, highlighted by Kashmiri kohlrabi and collards ($11). I can't improve on the comments offered by former WW critic Matthew Korfhage describing this dish during Bhuna's pop-up days. After extolling the umami-depth and "leeklike smoothness" of the asafetida that joins chiles and garam masala spice blend as a base, he described the collards as "all funk and comfort, the feeling of easing into a '70s couch cushion." MICHAEL C. ZUSMAN.
Bollywood Theater
Best for: Street food faves borrowed from the subcontinent in an ultra-casual, kitsch-filled dining room.
3010 SE Division St., 503-477-6699, 2039 NE Alberta St., 971-200-4711, bollywoodtheaterpdx.com. 11 am-10 pm daily. $$.
Chef Troy MacLarty's twin restaurants have become the pre-eminent urban Indian food hot spots in Portland, especially beloved by the younger demographic who don't mind lining up to order at the counter. But make no mistake: Plenty of local Indians appreciate MacLarty's efforts as well. Not too bad for a Westerner whose culinary roots trace to the legendary Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., and locally, Lovely Hula Hands and the long-gone Family Supper/Gotham Building Tavern. But after seven years of Bollywood and many inspirational trips abroad, MacLarty's affinity for the snack and street foods of the Indian subcontinent cannot be doubted. Try the golden-fried lamb samosas ($9.50), two plump dumplings in which spiced potato and peas join the meat inside. Tomato-raisin and mint chutney come with. Several curries, such as pork vindaloo or dal and coconut curry, are on the menu, too. They're available either on their own ($11.75-$14.75) or as part of a thali meal ($17.50-$20.50) that includes saffron rice, bountifully layered paratha flatbread and several condiments. Nothing is too spicy here, so no need to worry about unwelcome aftereffects. MICHAEL C. ZUSMAN.
Dil Se Indian Cuisine
Best for: Crisp, arm-length "pancaaaaakes!"
1201 SW Jefferson St., 503-804-5619. 11:30 am-2:30 pm and 5-9:30 pm Tuesday-Sunday. $-$$.
Dil Se serves standard Indian fare like chicken tikka masala ($13) and curry ($14-$16) at prices affordable enough to keep the tables full of hungover students from nearby Portland State University and a steady stream of Grubhub drivers rotating through the restaurant. But the real attraction here are the dosas, rice-and-lentil crepes as long as your forearm partnered with peanut and tomato chutney as well as sambar, a spicy lentil stew. Even served plain ($9), these hot, fragrant and crispy discs of fermented batter are irresistible—even to picky toddlers, who will grab handfuls while shouting, "Pancake!" before dipping them in a yogurt-based raitha. The lamb keema dosa ($18) was moist, mildly spicy and hearty; it'll make you want to join the cheering: "Pancaaaaake!" ADRIENNE SO.
Magna
Best for: Crispy pata, a celebration of deep-fried pork on a banana leaf-lined platter.
2525 SE Clinton St., 503-395-8542. 5-9 pm Tuesday-Saturday. $-$$.
Carlo Lamagna has been stoking Portland's desire for exquisitely made Filipino food for almost a decade, ever since he first began quietly adding dishes like lumpia and deep-fried egg rolls to the menu at Clyde Common. Now the Philippines-born chef is shining a spotlight on his home country with a new restaurant, Magna. The small, welcoming cafe is a loving ode to the hodgepodge of cultural influences (Spain, China, the U.S.) and flavors (sweet, sour) that make up Filipino cuisine. While classics like sinigang ($17) and chicken inasal ($15) are fresh, flavorful re-creations of dishes that you might find in any Filipino kitchen, the showstopper is the crispy pata special that's available some weekends (price varies). A deep-fried shell envelops a knob of tender, succulent pig foot. It arrives on an imposing platter lined with banana leaves atop a bed of garlic fried rice, pickled julienned vegetables, and spiced vinegar. Each bite is the perfect mix of crispy, salty, savory and tart. Use your fork, or tear at it with your fingers if you can't hold yourself back. ADRIENNE SO.
Top Burmese
Best for: Samosas and a tea leaf salad to help stave off hunger pangs at your desk.
413 NW 21st Ave., 503-208-3682, topburmese.com. 11 am-2 pm and 5-9 pm Tuesday-Sunday. $.
Leading up to its opening in February 2019, Top Burmese co-founder Kalvin Mylint made frequent mention that his forthcoming establishment would be a "virtual restaurant." Considering the sheer volume of takeout joints and delivery apps, the concept isn't quite as space-aged as Mylint puts on. Still, it takes gusto to accept the fact that customers would rather grab their food and go than hang out in a dining room. That's not to say you can't eat at Top Burmese—there is a humble pair of stainless steel prep tables and wooden stools—but what the space lacks in ambience it more than makes up for in kitchen size, allowing Top Burmese to crank out a handful of fantastic dishes with ruthless efficiency. A good place to start is the la phet thoke ($12.50), a signature Burmese cabbage salad dusted with roasted peanuts, seeds and served with a ramekin of fermented tea leaves that go a long way to liven up a simple dish. After that, one of the five noodle dishes should be your meal's centerpiece. The nan gyi thoke, or chicken noodle salad ($8.50), is the best value and offers the boldest flavors on the menu, with a heaping pile of warm rice noodles serving as the bed for a hard-boiled egg, chunky chicken curry sauce, fried garlic and a generous dusting of highly addictive tamarind powder. But if all you want is a hot and quick snack to stave off hunger at your desk, the golden-brown, meat-free samosas ($7.50) and the tea leaf salad are an ostensibly healthy and convenient way to get through the day. PETE COTTELL.
Wajan
Best for: Trying a dish rarely seen outside its native Southeast Asian environment.
4611 E Burnside St., 503-206-5916, wajanpdx.com. 5-9 pm Monday, Wednesday-Friday, noon-9 pm Saturday-Sunday. $.
"Selamat Makan," reads the sign in the dining room at Wajan, an Indonesian newcomer to Portland's kaleidoscopic restaurant scene. The phrase translates to "bon appétit'—or, in rough English, "good eating." It turns out the sign isn't really necessary. The truth of that statement is self-evident. For the uninitiated, an order of nasi campur ($13) or nasi uduk ($14) is a must. Each is a sampler that surrounds a mound of rice ("nasi") with a variety of flavors. The base campur, for example, which is mildly spiced and can be served vegan, adds a pile of flavor-packed cubes of tempeh, grated coconut, a couple of wedges of curried jackfruit with the texture of artichoke heart and a showy rice cracker. Optional meaty additions to both combo plates include beef rendang ($4.50), which is braised low and slow with coconut milk and spices until the liquid is more like a dark cocoa-colored paste. Those ready for the advanced course have plenty of options. For a dish rarely seen outside its native South and Southeast Asian environs, a starter of rujak serut ($7.50) should be mandatory. Raw fruits and vegetables—pineapple, jackfruit, cuke slices and more—are anointed with palm sugar syrup and ground peanuts for an ensemble of sweet, tart, soft and crunchy. MICHAEL C. ZUSMAN.