Toki (sometimes Toki PDX or Toki Restaurant) is a

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

restaurant in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

Description

Toki is a

restaurant in

downtown Portland Downtown Portland is the city center of Portland, Oregon, United States. It is on the west bank of the Willamette River in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and where most of the city's high-rise buildings are found. ...

, "spun off" from Han Oak and specializing in bao bun burgers and "snacky"

brunch Brunch is a meal eaten between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., sometimes accompanied by alcoholic drinks (typically champagne or a cocktail). The meal originated in the British hunt breakfast. The word ''brunch'' is a portmanteau of ''breakfast'' a ...

specials. The menu is an expanded version of Han Oak's and includes

bibimbap Bibimbap * ( , from Korean , literally "mixed rice"), sometimes romanized as bi bim bap or bi bim bop, is a Korean rice dish. The term "bibim" means "mixing" and "bap" refers to cooked rice. ''Bibimbap'' is served as a bowl of warm white rice ...

bulgogi ''Bulgogi'' (불고기; ; from Korean language, Korean ''bul-gogi'' ), literally "fire meat", is a ''Gui (food), gui'' (구이; Korean-style grilled or roasted dish) made of thin, marination, marinated slices of meat, most commonly beef, gri ...

dumpling Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, fi ...

gimbap ''Gimbap'' (), also romanized as kimbap, is a Korean dish made from cooked rice and ingredients such as vegetables, fish, and meats that are rolled in '' gim''—dried sheets of seaweed—and served in bite-sized slices. * The origins of gim ...

Korean fried chicken Korean fried chicken, usually called ''chikin'' (, from the English "chicken") in Korea, refers to a variety of fried chicken dishes created in South Korea, including the basic ''huraideu-chicken'' (, from the English "fried chicken") and spicy ...

noodle Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures (for example, Chinese noodles, Filipino noodles, Indo ...

s, and a steamed bao burger. There are three varieties of Korean fried chicken: Korean-style hot chili oil, sweet garlic soy glaze, and Han Oak's "essence of instant ramen" seasoning blend intended to taste like

instant noodle Instant noodles, or instant ramen, is a type of food consisting of noodles sold in a precooked and dried block with flavoring powder and/or seasoning oil. The dried noodle block was originally created by flash frying cooked noodles, and this is ...

flavor packets. According to ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...

'', the Gim-bap Supreme "takes its inspiration from both

Taco Bell Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includi ...

and the

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

"wrap" trend, in which a

tortilla A tortilla (, ) is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread originally made from maize hominy meal, and now also from wheat flour. The Aztecs and other Nahuatl speakers called tortillas ''tlaxcalli'' (). First made by the indigenous peoples of Me ...

is partially cut into four quadrants, topped with four different ingredients, folded into layers, and griddled". The Buldak-ra-Bboki has been described as a "creative mashup" of

buldak ''Buldak'' () or fire chicken is a heavily spiced, barbecued chicken dish. The literal meaning of the name is "fire chicken", where ''bul'' means "fire" and ''dak'' translates to "chicken." History ''Buldak'' became popular in South Korea du ...

and

tteokbokki (), or simmered rice cake, is a popular Korean food made from small-sized (long, white, cylinder-shaped rice cakes) called (; "rice cake noodles") or commonly (; " rice cakes"). * Eomuk (fish cakes), boiled eggs, and scallions are some commo ...

. The brunch menu has doughnuts and

breakfast sandwich A breakfast sandwich is any sandwich filled with foods associated with breakfast. Breakfast sandwiches are served at fast food restaurants and delicatessens, sold in supermarkets, or commonly made at home. Different types of breakfast sandwich inc ...

es, including a bao bun with

everything bagel An everything bagel is a type of bagel baked with a mix of toppings. The exact ingredients vary, but recipes may include caraway seeds, garlic flakes, onion flakes, poppy seeds, sesame seeds and salt. The bagels are made with regular dough and t ...

seasoning, koji-cured

pork belly Pork belly or belly pork is a boneless and fatty cut of meat from the belly of a pig. Pork belly is particularly popular in Hispanic, Chinese, Danish, Norwegian, Korean, Thai and Filipino cuisine. Regional dishes France In Alsatian ...

or a sausage patty, egg, and cheese.

Dalgona coffee Dalgona coffee, also known as hand beaten coffee (Chinese: ), is a beverage originating from Macau made by whipping equal parts instant coffee powder, sugar, and hot water until it becomes creamy and then adding it to cold or hot milk. Occasio ...

is also served.

History

Peter Cho, chef and owner of the Korean restaurant Han Oak, and partner Sun Young Park opened Toki in January 2021, in the space which previously housed Tasty n Alder. Initially, the business operated via

take-out A take-out or takeout (U.S., Canada, and the Philippines); carry-out or to-go (Scotland and some dialects in the U.S. and Canada); takeaway (England, Wales, Australia, Lebanon, South Africa, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and occasionally in Nort ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Michael Russell of ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'' has said Toki was "fueled by tasty TikTok trends".

Reception

In 2021, Michael Russell included Toki in ''The Oregonian'''s list of "Portland’s best new restaurants of 2021 (and 2020)" and recommended "noodles, dumplings, the lunch doshirak with mackerel and fried chicken in all its forms". He later included the restaurant in ''

'''s 2023 list of Portland's ten best new brunches. Toki was included in several ''

Eater Portland ''Eater'' is a food website by Vox Media. It was co-founded by Lockhart Steele and Ben Leventhal in 2005, and originally focused on dining and nightlife in New York City. Eater launched a national site in 2009, and covered nearly 20 cities by ...

'' lists in 2021: Alex Frane included the restaurant in "17 Spots to Grab Amazing Breakfast Sandwiches", Nick Woo and Nick Townsend included the Korean fried chicken in "14 Real-Deal Fried Chicken Spots in Portland", and Zoe Baillargeon included the Buldak-ra-Bboki in "Where to Find the Cheesiest Dishes in Portland and Beyond". Additionally, the website's Brooke Jackson-Glidden said Toki "has become a must-visit spot for downtown brunch". The business was included in ''Eater Portland'''s 2022 overview of "Where to Eat and Drink in Downtown Portland". ''

Portland Monthly ''Portland Monthly'' (also referred to as ''Portland Monthly Magazine'') is a monthly news and general interest magazine which covers food, politics, business, design, events and culture in Portland, Oregon. The magazine was co-founded in 2003 b ...

'' included the pork belly breakfast sandwich in a 2021 list of "11 Breakfast Sandwiches to Get You out of Bed". The magazine's Katherine Chew Hamilton also included the restaurant in an overview of the city's best fried chicken. ''Portland Monthly'' included the omurice in a 2022 list of "The 12 Best Breakfasts in Portland". In 2023, Cho was one of 18 Portland industry professionals deemed "rising stars" by the restaurant resource and trade publication ''StarChefs''.

References

External links

* {{Restaurants in Portland, Oregon 2021 establishments in Oregon Asian restaurants in Portland, Oregon Korean restaurants in the United States Korean-American culture in Portland, Oregon Restaurants established in 2021 Southwest Portland, Oregon

Description

History

Reception

See also

References

External links