Feisty Lamb

I was so looking forward to trying this place. Showed up just before 6 on a Friday night (hours posted on website & door: open at 5). Doors were locked. I could see someone inside but she didn’t acknowledge me when I waved. There’s nothing worse than fighting one’s way through traffic on a rainy night to find a place not open. The least that might have helped would have been a sign on the door explaining why they were closed. Better would have been notice on the web site to save me the trip.

The best brunch I ever had. I ordered curry waffles with lamb and the duck egg on the top. I honestly can tell you that I was floored with the creativity and the taste. The waitress was super nice and the chef came out and talk to us about where she buys her ingredients. This place has it all. Great job I will be back.

There’s a place where hustle and heart set you apart. This is where you’ll find it. We walked into the most unassuming restaurant, we left realizing the only thing this place was missing was a Michelin star and a five month waiting list. Call me dramatic, until you been there. You have to get the chef’s tasting menu to even understand the hustle, heart, and passion that goes in to creating each and every dish. By the way your chef is your hostess your bartender and your restaurant manager. She is everything, quite literally. The only thing I left wishing I had more of, was room in my stomach. Bravo, Micha this was exquisite.

The Feisty Lamb is a special place. Unlike a standard restaurant the menu is limited and the staffing is tight but don’t go here for a regular dining experience. When you come schedule some extra time for conversation with the chief Micah she will explain to you her dishes and once you decide it will be well worth the wait as you watch her in the kitchen passionately creating your meal. We also enjoyed drinks and desert all that I would recommend.

This place is a hard one to rate. its food is fantastic no doubt, but the service is a lot to be desired for. They seem perenially uinderstaffed which doesnt bode well. And they sometimes take ages to get your food as well. All that being said, whatever I’ve had from the kitchen has tasted delicious be it the malwa pudding, the shaksuka or bobotie. i really hope this place sorts out the kinks and stays put.

I’m writing this review, because I have never had such a unique experience at a restaurant before. Allow me to explain…
A friend and I were visiting for the weekend and scheduled a late dinner at the Feisty Lamb. We strolled in a little after 9, which was technically closing time, and Micah, the owner and chef, told us not to worry and insisted we stay for dinner (um, this original NYer was shocked at how AMAZING that was — in NY, we would have definitely received the boot).
She walked us through the entire menu (no chef has ever walked me through the menu — ever), which all sounded absolutely delicious, and then headed into the kitchen to prep and cook. The smells wafting from the kitchen were outrageously aromatic and caused my mouth to water each time before the food hit our table.
To say the food was exceptional does not do it justice. The taste, the fresh and unique ingredients (Micah purchases her food locally from farmers markets in /​near the area) and the fusion of flavors were insanely divine.
But…what stood and impressed me even more is Micah’s love of /​for ingredients and cooking. The best way to describe it is truly «cooking with love.» And this may sound corny — and trust — I am not a corny person, but it comes across so strong that it would be remiss of me to not say it.
If I lived in Portland, I would be there once a week — guaranteed. So for all of you lucky Unilocalers who do live there (or those that are visiting), the Feisty Lamb is a definite MUST.

The Feisty Lamb hosts a truly delightful experience. Though I did not have the opportunity to try the food, it comes highly recommended from trusted sources; I can easily attest to the cocktails and environment. The chef owner served to me a Gin Fizzy, featuring pomegranate, basil, and mint, and it blew my mind on all levels: visual presentation, aromatics, and of course flavor. She fosters a very personable experience, evident in everything from preparing and serving every dish to interacting with her guests — it truly felt like I was a guest in her home. The décor is whimsical and inviting, let alone adorable and gorgeous, with patterned umbrellas, eclectic furniture, and amazing artwork throughout (her sister is a great photographer!) Her daughter is maybe the coolest kid on the planet and already an accomplished artist, let alone just a sheer pleasure to talk to. Thank you for being such a gracious host!

Was in Portland for the weekend and by far Feisty Lamb was the best dinner. Portland doesn’t do late dinners around 9pm, but Micah let us in and it was as if we had our own chefs table. It was the best experience and the food was amazing! I’m a HUGE pappardelle fan and it is very rare to get homemade pasta — a must try! We also got the lamb belly, chicken curry and we had the most amazing dessert. Everything was so delicious with the best flavors! You must go to Feisty Lamb for the best meal in Portland.

I would rather keep this restaurant to myself — it is THAT GOOD. The one word to aptly describe this place is «heaven». We went here for dinner at the recommendation of a friend. She told us it was amazing — the food, the chef, the experience — everything. However, I have been told that about a lot of restaurants in Portland and not one has really lived up to its reputation. Until now. Wow. Every single bite was shockingly good. Even the wine list, although short, was good. Don’t go here if you want a quick meal or if you are in a hurry. McDonalds is down the street for that. Go here if you love a good meal and the experience that goes with it. You will not regret it. I promise.

The best brunch experience ever, and, no lines!!! Almost afraid of posting this for fear of well deserved crowds…
We had the Cortaditos, carrot cake waffle, squash latkes & shakshuka. Each and everything was stellar. A feast for all senses!
Will have to come back for their dinner service!

Had a great dinner at this place.
I was a new experience for me to have the chef her self to discuss the menu with me.
What ever ur name chef! THANK YOU!

I am very confused. When is it ok to leave people waiting an hour and 15 minutes for their food without acknowledging it? No apology. No bread to fill our bellies. Nothing but cup after cup of coffee in an empty restaurant as we wait for our food.
We walked into a nearly empty restaurant at 11 am on Saturday for brunch. A party of 5, they brought 2 battered menus, and apologized that they didn’t have more. A crowded restaurant running out of menus is one thing, but this place was a ghost town with only one other table seated. How does that make any sense? What would they have done if another group of customers came in?
Regardless, the menu looked pretty awesome. So we ordered, and the waitress carefully explained how the food would come out as it was ready, not all together. That’s how chef likes to do things, she explained. What she didn’t explain is that chef likes to take her sweet time – 1 hour and 15 minutes after ordering, to be precise. The food came out pretty much all at the same time. It wasn’t bad, not exceptional either, but it didn’t really matter at that point. I was 5 cups of coffee and two mediocre cocktails deep when the food finally arrived. A small, elegant breakfast sandwich; one fried egg, some micro greens, a nice sauce, and some bland lamb bacon. Unless you just slaughtered the lamb and cured the meat to order, this should have taken 5 minutes to make. And there was no acknowledgement, no apology. Seriously? This is straight out of an episode of Portlandia. Ridiculous.

I would have liked nothing more than to storm in raving about this place — it’s the quintessential Portland sprung-​up-​overnight-​hole-​in-​the-​wall that looks like absolutely nothing from the outside and is an amazing wonderland of earnest, friendly quirkiness inside.
But the food is just OK, especially at the prices they’re asking.
If you have a particular fondness for lamb dishes (you monster!) then I could see it. If you want nothing more than to deliberately to take visiters someplace that could literally be a set piece for Portlandia then you could justify a trip.
Otherwise, I really can’t recommend it. I’d go into further detail but take a look at Trung T.‘s review. I would co-​sign that review and don’t have much more to add.

Heaven on earth. Unfortunately Unilocal makes me write here. I wish I could just feed you the food from here. I literally flew to Portland to hang out with Micah as she had my favorite restaurant in Miami and my culinary life has not been the same since she left us high and hungry
I could walk you through the brilliance and uniqueness of my meal, I could tell you all about the savory homemade lamb bacon egg Sammie or the greatest shakshuka you never imagied could be so amazing, We could also discuss the carrot cake waffle that changed what I expect a waffle to be forever… but i’m not
I’m going to post a few pictures that I took on snapchat and implore you, if you think your palate is even half sophisticated to go check out your new favorite restaurant for the first time. Amazing amazing amazing

A new cute place for brunch. The interior was nice and the back courtyard was cozy, fun and inviting. The service was slow and the wait staff never once looked at me, only at my companion. She even commented that it was odd behavior.
I had the mushroom toast and lamb bacon with a duck egg. It was composed and looked elegant on the plate. Unfortunately the egg was over cooked on the bottom (tough and crispy) and under cooked on the top (egg white was not set). But what was most unpleasant was the over use of black pepper, that was the only thing I could taste. Maybe this is just part of the growing pains of opening a new restaurant.

…you know those holy grail food moments where your eyes go unfocused, and time stands still while all you can think about are the wonderful flavors harmonizing in your mouth? Those moments are allllll up in here. Dammit, now you know.
FYI — South Africans don’t take crap. If you’ve ever been there and lived to tell about it, you’d get it. Spoiled snarky customers probably won’t fit in here. Pro-​tip — if the place is packed and there’s one server, dust off your patience or go somewhere else. Just eat what the woman made because dammit it’s perfect.
THANK YOU FEISTY LAMB GODDESS

This review is going to be a little strange because it was honestly the worst service I’ve had in a while, BUT I get the impression the place is quite new and they were just understaffed. There weren’t any paper towels in the bathroom, as if they hadn’t thought of that yet. I like this place despite the service and oversights. We went there for brunch on Sunday and it just seemed like they were caught off guard by how much business they had. My bloody mary was one of the best bloody marys I’ve ever had, and my lamb shoulder and eggs (served like steak and eggs, only with lamb) was really great. The coffee was good, but it came out a bit cold because of the backlog of stuff to be brought out by the server.
Really great place and I hope they do well, but the staffing issue is going to have to get fixed.
Oh, don’t go there with any special requests because the chef either doesn’t care or doesn’t have the ability to make changes on the fly; it’s coming out the way it comes out. I was with a lactose intolerant friend and another friend with an allergy to onions and garlic, but there was no way to modify anything. At least that’s the way the server made us feel.
It took about two hours from the time we walked in to the time we left with a solid hour:15 of waiting for various things wondering if we’d been forgotten. The server wasn’t very apologetic about anything. She had a very, «it is what it is, if you don’t like it don’t come back» sort of attitude about it all.

Let’s get down to it.
If you are looking for a big portion breakfast brunch place, this isn’t for you. Now, the portions were medium as far as size. I’d say it’s a light breakfast type place. We got the clafouti which was good. The lamb sarmie (sandwich) was tasty. The coffee is awesome, but small servings, like espresso. The décor was very cool. The service was nice, but informal from the owner. For me, I like a big breakfast type brunch. The food was good but more fancy type. So, I’d recommend it if you are looking for a cute place with some eclectic ingredients. Everything is locally sourced. It didn’t floor me, sometimes fancy inclusions don’t do it for me, but don’t let it stop you. Give it a shot and see what you think. It’s.one of those you’ll either go back definitely, or not. Enjoy.

Very stark décor that you can’t not notice. Bright, pastel colored walls with huge framed posters hanging against them. A ceiling full of colorful, inverted umbrellas. A wall full of open suitcases with varied flavors of tea. I could go on …
The «regular» coffee is brewed table side via a beaker like contraption that’s sure to ring in memories of high school chemistry lab. Excellent, excellent coffee.
Had the lamb bacon sarmi. Essentially an open faced sandwich with generous strips of lamb bacon and colorful veggies. The complex flavor profile from all the veggies along with the crunch of the peppers and the fatty texture of the bacon makes for a gastronomic delight. May not be enough food by itself, depending on hunger. But absolutely delicious.
Tried the shakshuka. Best shakshuka I’ve had. Period. The secret may lie in the chef’s homemade harissa.
Had the malva cake. Sponge cake soaked in amaretto liqueur, served with rooibos ice cream and caramel on top. Can’t really go wrong with that combo, can you?
The extra bit that makes this a true five star place — they were playing Beatles from old vinyl on a vinyl player. Portland in the truest sense.

My mom and I came here today (Friday) around lunchtime, and were extremely pleased with our experience.
The food strikes a South African chord and everything but the bread is made from scratch by the owner. Her daughter was incredibly sweet, and kept our pups company while we enjoyed our coffee on the funky and charming patio. The owner was very knowledgeable and didn’t hesitate to share her South African culture when we had questions about the food and seasonings (which were incredibly delicious, by the way).
My mom had the shakshouka and I had the lamb bacon sarmie. The shakshouka was seasoned really well with delicious feta sprinkled on top of a perfectly runny egg. The owner even brought out the spices for us to get a smell of them. My bacon sarmie was incredibly soft and moist, with a really pleasant lamb flavor from the bacon. I enjoyed it so much I don’t know if I could bring myself to order anything else. We finished with the bread pudding topped with rooibos gelato. It was really delicious. I couldn’t believe she makes the gelato herself. I could eat a bucket of it.
On top of the great food, there are so many little details that make this place awesome. The laid back feel, the assorted vintage flatware, even the tables and chairs. It is open yet intimate, a great place to enjoy a meal and the company of others.
Last, I hope the owner isn’t paying too much attention to the single one star review. If that guy couldn’t wait just a couple of minutes for some incredibly delicious coffee, maybe he should have walked to Starbucks down the road. This new restaurant is great, it’s too bad he was staring at the timer on his phone so much that he couldn’t enjoy it. He has only posted two reviews on Unilocal,and they’re both one star. Sour grapes.
We will most definitely be back.