The dining room is a popular place for lunch meetings

Featured Business
Thai Lily Restaurant
by Virginia Bruce

One of the best Thai restaurants in the area is right here in Cedar Mill, tucked away in the Cedar Mill Place shopping center at the southwest corner of Cornell & Murray. Thai Lily was bought about five years ago by Diep Tran and her husband, Huyen Dao. Diep is the chef, and Huyen manages the business and dining room.

They came to the US from Thailand in 1989. Diep’s father was an American citizen who was living in Thailand, so they were able to get an immigration visa. They were sponsored by a Lutheran church in southeast Portland, and they still live in that area with their two teenage daughters, who sometimes help out in the dining room and kitchen.

Diep learned to cook at home, and once they were living here, she started working at Beau Thai Restaurant in northwest Portland, where she worked for nearly 20 years. When the business was sold, she and Huyen had saved up enough money to purchase the Cedar Mill restaurant.

Chef Diep Tran chops fresh vegetables that are served with most dishes

They didn’t change the menu, but they improved the quality of the food and the service. If you haven’t visited the restaurant for a few years, it’s time to come back and try the delicious fresh dishes, based on Thai, Vietnamese and Laotian cuisine.

Almost everything on the menu can be prepared with a choice of vegetarian (with or without tofu), pork, beef, chicken or seafood (shrimp or squid). And they’re happy to accommodate your taste from spicy to mild.

For lunch, nineteen different dishes are available with a choice of veggie, meat or seafood—prices range from $6.50-$9.00. Lunch is served weekdays from 11:30 am – 2:30 pm. There are plenty of tables and the service is quick and friendly.

Dinner hours are 4:30-9 pm Monday-Thursday; 4:30-9:30 Friday, and they’re open Saturday noon-9:30 pm. They’re closed on Sundays. Most of the dinner menu ranges from $8.95 to $11 depending on which variation you order.

Starters include salad rolls—fresh vegetables and rice noodles wrapped in rice paper skins—and Spring rolls—basically the same thing but deep-fried—both served with a sweet and sour sauce and ground peanuts; satay chicken skewers; and shrimp tempura among other offerings.

Many salads are available and are very popular as a main dish for lunch. These include Larb, which is cooked ground chicken, beef or pork and fresh vegetables served with mint leaves, spices and lime juice; other choices include a grilled beef and a grilled chicken salad.

Seven noodle dishes include the popular and spicy Evil Jungle Noodle, and the famous Pad Thai. Ten stir-fried dishes have various combinations of spices, vegetables and meat and are served with steamed rice. Six curries—green, yellow, two types of red, Mussaman and PaNang style dishes with vegetables are available in vegetarian and meat varieties. These are served in a bowl to spoon over your rice.

The specialty selection starts off with Thai BBQ chicken and includes their wonderful Garlic Shrimp (a generous serving of huge prawns for $16.50) and the amazing and delicately spiced Sizzling Eggplant.

For dessert they have sweet rice with mango and also coconut ice cream. Beverages include sodas, Thai Iced tea and coffee, a small selection of wine, and beers, both Thai and local.

About 60% of their business is take out. Many customers call from work and pick up dinner on the way home. Thai Lily can also provide food for parties, and recently provided the delicious Pad Thai that we enjoyed at the CMBA holiday social luncheon. There were no leftovers because it was so popular!

Huyen Dao says that the Thai Lily difference is the high quality of the foods they use. They get only the best jasmine rice from Thailand, and top-quality meats and seafood from local suppliers, along with frequent deliveries of fresh vegetables and the special herbs that make Thai cuisine special—lemongrass, ginger, galangal (a Thai variant on ginger), Kaffir lime leaves, and star anise. Diep Tran prepares the sauces with her own special touches in the tiny kitchen just off the dining room, aided by a cousin or two when she needs help.

They make seasonal specialties also, including salmon, halibut and crab dishes when they’re in season. Check the bulletin board for the changing menu of specials.

They joined the CMBA a couple of years ago, but don’t get to attend our monthly lunch meetings because they’re too busy with customers. They occasionally advertise in the local coupon flyers and also in the Entertainment coupon books. They get great reviews on CitySearch and other web review sites—only the oldest posts reflect the problems with the previous owners’ service and food.

They get a lot of customers from the nearby businesses on Science Park Drive, including ESI and Columbia Sportswear, where word-of-mouth (no pun intended!) spreads quickly for delicious and affordable food.

They have been thinking about expanding to get more kitchen and dining space, but haven’t yet found the right location, but they’re determined to stay in Cedar Mill so they can keep their many regular customers happy.

You can view the whole menu on their website, thaililyrestaurant.com. Call them to order takeout at 503-643-0555 or come by the restaurant for a taste of the exotic right here in Cedar Mill, at 13490 NW Cornell.

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