Asaase Ital Palace

has anyone eaten anywhere similar?

This is a 3.5 star review. That review is not for the quality of the food. The quality is outstanding. I’ll get to that in a bit. My small issue is that the portion could have been a bit larger. Now there is a good chance my portion was smaller because I got there late in the day and she didn’t have much left in the way of food. I’ll come back again though because the food is really good.
Saying that, yes, you should come here early. The menu is rather large and for a person like me who likes to eat, I love having so many choices of things I’ve never had before. I didn’t this time because I didn’t get there until after 5. This was my first time venturing out to the PSU food carts and walking around, this place caught my eye because you don’t really see this kind of food too often in this town. If you do, I’d like to know about it because I’m looking in the wrong places.
First off I was greeted by the owner with a big smile and a sample of one of her fruit smoothies. Yum yum. The next order of business was her telling me what she had left. I decided to go with the special of the day which was chick peas in a coconut curry sauce. Once I was able to dive in, the flavors were amazing. I am definitely a meat eater, but I don’t have a problem with the vegetarian side of things.
One other note which is not relevant at all. While I was waiting for my food, I noticed a picture of the owner with a Brooklyn (NY) shirt inside the cart. I asked her if she was from there and she said she was. My family is all from Brooklyn as well, so we spoke about the east coast for a bit. It is still nice to meet people out here that are from the other side of the country.

completely, hopelessly addicted. after 3 visits in 8 days… it’s clear the rest of the PSU foodcarts will need to step up their game. don’t sleep on the spicy soy meats and fabulous soy fish.
oh yeah, gwan come early mon’ — lawdamercy it gets crowded at lunch!

Awesome Veggie/​Vegan cart by PSU. I don’t care who you are, their jerk chick-​un will kick your butt. It was far and away the best meat substitute I’ve ever eaten, and I would kill to know how to make it myself. I also had some plantains, an eternal fave, and I look forward to the rest of the menu.

they’re all vegan now!!!
woo-​hoo!!!
so many tasty things to choose from on their menu!
i plan on going back many times.
the small portions are usually PLENTY of food for me (and i eat a lot).
the smoothie i had was super delicious.
the one time time i went, they were out of a few items and only had one person working. since it was my day off, i wasn’t worried about waiting.
the woman working seemed a little stressed, so hopefully they’ll have additional help soon… especially considering the popularity of this place is increasing.
i’m soooooo thankful that portland has a vegan-​friendly Caribbean cart now. i hope the trend spreads. because theres a lot of times where i crave this kind of food, but can’t easily teleport myself to seattle or DC.
AND: they encourage you to bring your own reusable containers!
some places act like it’s inconveniencing them when you do, but A.I. appreciates it!
if i could hug one cart in portland, it would probably be this one.

Well, this was a slightly frustrating food cart for me to try.
I heard about Asaase Ital Palace when I was walking to the MAX stop one day and a guy with dreads all wrapped up on the top of his head handed me a flier with the full menu. Upon reviewing the delicious looking food on said flier i was determined to give this place a try.
The first time I went to try Asaase I was excited to give Caribbean food a try for the first time. I had a bit of an appetite worked up and every moment I got closer to the block of food carts I got a little hungrier in anticipation.
They were closed for the week.
Apparently there was a reggae festival that week that they were attending, «Rise Up». Okay, I thought, I’ll just try back next week.
The next week it happened again. I got to the food carts, and this time they were at the Northwest Reggae Festival. Damn it!
The third week we rounded the corner and could hear their generator going, and we were ecstatic. Finally, we were going to be able to try this cuisine that neither my girlfriend and I had tried before.
I proceeded to order the Red Red with jerk fish, and my girlfriend got the Ites Gold and Green plate, also adding the jerk fish. It was delicious. The tomato sauce that covered my food was unlike any tomato sauce I’d ever had before. I was also impressed with the flavor of the faux fish. While the texture wasn’t really there, the flavor seemed dead on, as far as I could remember. The fried plantains that came with the Red Red were also delicious. I hadn’t had fried plantains before, and the mingling of flavors was amazing.
I’ll definitely be going back to try more of their food, I’m especially interested in trying the jerk chicken, and if they hadn’t had two weeks of not being open, they probably would have gotten that fifth star from me.

Okay, it’s done. Five stars. They’ve forever won their place in my heart.
Having slept through my alarm clock and dashed out the house sans breakfast this morning (and sans packed lunch), I was facing an empty-​stomached first half of the work day. Having ached and churned my way through that, I was craving something hearty and delicious. When the need strikes, nothing can fill that void quite like Asaase.
Ran over right as the clock struck noon, hoping to finally try their Waakye. Unfortunately, they were on the dregs of their pot of waakye, rendering me totally unable to satisfy my need for it. I went to a different standby — the Red-​Red. I received a portion of Red-​Red, all the remaining Waakye, and a piece of veggie fish. I was handed the box and told «because you’re special to us.»
On a gray day in the middle of summer, this simple sentiment left me floating back to my office.
In short, the food is delicious, the owners are kind, and the vibes are kind. Five enthusiastic stars.

How many days has it been since Kody reviewed this cart on the 9^th of July (and I got confused when I first wrote this, Petra actually nabbed the FTR, but I didn’t see the listing until the 9^th!)? 15 days? Ok, so I’ve been waiting anxiously to try the food from Asaase Ital Palace for at least 15 days, and today was finally the day.
As a background, I’ve spent a little time in the Caribbean: the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and Caribbean Yucutan coast, and I LOVE Caribbean food. In fact, a well-​made Peas and Rice ranks up there amongst my favorite dishes ever, and anything made with coconut is my friend.
So as I sat and read Kody’s review in rapt attention, I got excited. Some of my favorite food, served via one of my favorite distribution methods (food cart)? Aw yeah. Plus, as far as I know, there’s no Caribbean food in Portland at all, let alone Ital food. So the combination is an exciting one for me. Now while I do appreciate the copious amounts of fish in typical Carib fare, I am also down with the Ital style.
I finally made a special trip down to the PSU food carts today to get irie with some peas and rice… and… no peas and rice today. :(Sadness. I quizzed the proprietor, and he said that rather than a Jamaican style peas or a Bahamian style, his peas are an African style (I have no idea what this means). I’m still looking forward to trying them. Believe me, once you’ve had a proper peas and rice, you’ll never be the same again.
But how sad can I be when it’s about 75 in the shade, I’m standing across the counter from someone exuding good vibrations, and some cheerful African music is playing in the background? Not sad at all. So many other amazing-​looking options are displayed on the fresh menu. Red beans over rice with greens, fried plantains, palm nut soup, ground nut soup, red red, chick-​un drumettes, jerk fish (fake fish), and an assortment of fresh veggie juices and smoothies? Oh yeah.
I opted for the #3 — red beans, greens, and rice… and the guy running the stand threw in a chicken drumette for me to try. There are two sizes offered, Small ($ 6) and Large ($ 9). I opted for the large, which is a LOT to pay for beans and rice for lunch (I know how much that costs, I make a much less tasty version myself), but what looks small is actually too much for me to eat. I think the $ 6 portion would probably have been enough… maybe a little light. So the price is really the only thing holding this review from 5-​stars.
The chicken drumette was tasty, with a little lemongrass «bone» in the middle. Great seasoning, and a pretty good texture (for vegan chicken). It’s not so chickeny as to be «scary» for vegans, and not chickeny enough to pass for someone who eats the stuff on a regular basis, but it’s still quite good on it’s own.
The beans/​greens/​rice dish was REALLY good. Lots of subtle flavors in the beans and greens, served over a buttery yellow rice (also vegan, but it tasted buttery, which is awesome). So many spices involved that are a mystery to me, but so tasty. I wish I had known about the hot sauce that I’m now reading about in other reviews. I can only assume that they use the more Carib-​style Scotch Bonnet peppers (Habañero) rather than the American-​style cayenne. The habañero flavor combined with coconut and beans is one of my favorite flavor combos of all time. Those peppers carry with them an amazingly complex depth of sweetness, peppery goodness, and searing spice. It’s hard to describe.
Overall, I couldn’t finish my $ 9 portion (which, for the price, was a good thing), but it didn’t leave me with enough for a second full meal. That said, the ingredients were very high quality, and the meal left me feeling a lot healthier for having eaten it. I think a lot of the value you’re going to get for the price here lies in the fact that this food is vegan and has amazing flavors, and that it’s so much more whole and healthy than other cart food.
There are some days where I want something cheap and big. On those days, I grab a burrito or something similar, and while I’m full for less, I’m also feeling the after-​burrito slump. To the contrary, today my body felt thankful after this healthier-​than-​normal food. Plus, where the hell else in Portland are you going to find Caribbean food… and ital food at that?!?
I’m a total fan of this place. Based on what I had today, I’m willing to pay more than average cart prices for this stuff. I am really looking forward to trying the palm nut soup and other options. And please… pass the peas (and rice). I can’t wait.

I am always excited about new places to eat vegan food near PSU, so obviously I am thrilled by the existence of this cart. One can only eat so much Chipotle between classes.
I went for the first time today and got the Greens and Gold platter with some fried plantain and a sambusa. It’s not the cheapest food cart out there (not like Just Thai or Bombay Chaat House where $ 5 gets you enough for three meals), but it’s reasonable and delicious. The fried plantain was perfect. The red beans were mildly seasoned but so good. I would had loved more greens and less rice, but I am a greens fiend. The sambusa might have been my favorite thing. Though a little greasy, it was tasty, crispy and filled with well-​seasoned lentils
My friend got the jerk chicken, and I tried a bite. If I liked black pepper I’m sure I would have liked it. I’m intrigued by their smoothies and juices and will try them sometime when I have more cash. I know I’ll be back soon– probably several times a week, actually.

easily one of my favorite food carts in downtown, on the grounds:
1. it is, as far as i know, the only vegan african place in portland, let alone among carts.
2. the cooks are tremendously kind, fun, and generous. while waiting, they showered me with samples of their smoothies and soups.
3. the food is prepared with true care, bold spices, and many innovative touches. my mom, an avowed non-​veggie, loved it.
4. the jerk chick-​un is easily the best un-​meat I’ve had in four years of veggie life. I may be underexposed, but this chickun is tender, crisp on the outside, and deeply infused with lemongrass, pepper, and jerk seasoning.
I’m going to go ahead and say it: this place deserves VEGAN PILGRIMAGE STATUS. so get on down!

I had the small Ites-​Gold & Greens Plate and a their special was a side of jerked veggie fish for an extra $ 2. Order without the honey for vegan. The couple running the cart are very nice. I’ll be back soon to try some of the other items.
I enjoyed it and it filled me up, probably would have even without the fish.
Nice addition to the Portland veggie cart/​restaurant scene.

A vegetarian African Caribbean food cart! I’m so proud of the PSU food cart pod for diversifying. As I approached the cart, I crossed my fingers for plantains and wasn’t disappointed.
The first thing you’re going to notice about the menu is how expensive it is. Not that it isn’t justified, but I hope this cart doesn’t have to move downtown because the students aren’t going to pony up $ 6 for a not-​quite-​enough meal. Their price-​to-​substance ratio is my sole reason for not giving this place five stars.
I ordered the Red-​Red: black-​eyed peas, tomato sauce, palm oil, fried plantains and gari (I think this is the grit-​like cassava powder). This was really, really good, I’m not kidding you. I would have to order the large portions for $ 9 to get full, but I supplemented my meal with one Ital Sambusa ($ 2) and that made it filling enough.
Oh, my god these dishes were really good. The plantains aren’t how I remember them from Suriname, but sweeter and soft in the middle, crispy on the outside. Yum! The savory dishes are rich in flavor. I could eat this stuff every day.
My colleague got the Jerk Veggie Chick-​un, which I didn’t get to sample, but I like how clever they were to use the lemongrass to look like the bone of chicken drumsticks.
A very unique cart. Glad to have it around. Can’t wait to come back when I feel like spending a bit more on lunch than normal. The people here are so nice and sweet that I want to be friends with them. You’ll know what I’m talking about as soon as you try this place out.