Tambayan

I was so excited when I saw the name Tambayan in this little food truck area, but was sorely disappointed. Here’s why:
The word: Tambayan is Tagalog of A Place To Hang Out. A Place Of Gathering.
There’s no benches near their truck. Yes, the seating area is nearby, but how am I and my friends supposed to congregate in that area if there’s no benches?
The person working here is, not only not Filipino, but doesn’t speak the language as well, which brings down the experience a notch. Also, she does not bring the Filipino warmth and or friendliness that we are known for.
The food is meh. Granted, I only ordered Halo-​halo, but still. It was around $ 4 of bland shaved ice milk, with sparse ingredients. The ube (supposed to be purple yam) ice cream tasted old and not ube at all. It tasted just like stale vanilla that is colored purple.
I don’t think I will be going back, and no, I don’t recommend this to Filipinos missing some Filipino foods. Drive down to Beaverton and look for Inasal Food truck. No halo-​halo, but way better food and way friendlier people.
I gave them 1 star for location.

Up until this week, I had never had Filipino food. Not that I haven’t had the chance, but I just didn’t go explore it. I grew up in New Jersey and for some reason we had a high concentration of Filipinos at my school. I was exposed to some but just didn’t find my food curious side until later in life.
Now in Portland, I’ve had food from Guam, Dim Sum, Korean and Russian food. All items I’ve never tried and want more of. Now I’ve had Filipino food and I want to try more.
At the food carts on Division in the 20s is where Tambayan resides and I’ve passed there a few times and I thought why not give it a try. They have some soup options, chicken and pork. They ran out of pork on this day (nothing like being busy) so Chicken Adobo was my choice. It comes with rice and noodles. The food itself is not spicy. The chicken was on the bone and a bit on the sweet side with a little bit of vinegar. The meat was very tender and just came off the bone with a pry of the fork. The noodles and rice were good, simple accompaniments with bits of veggies throughout. Like most Asian type cuisines, they give you quite a bit of food and the price won’t break you. It was quite a pleasant experience and one I will enjoy again.
The woman working the cart was very friendly and got the food out as fast as she could. She did say that the chicken took longer to cook. That would lead me to believe that the food is made to order and not just sitting around. That’s good, and the food showed that.
Try something new. Enjoy.

Tasty. We live a 10 minute walk from these food carts. We hope to try them all. I ordered spring rolls, menudo and halo halo for dessert. All of it was delicious. I’d like to try the other items. I wish they had more options to try. Definitely worth trying. If it’s your first time, try the chicken adobo and spring rolls. Call ahead to see if they’re open. They have varying opening times.

Wow, this is really awesome food! The pork adobe is the best I’ve had in Portland… not there are a lot of go-​to Filipino restaurants in this city. But this adobe rocks (see photo).

Discovering the small Filipino food stand Tambayan among the Food Truck village on Division a few blocks from Pok Pok and Salt & Straw was surprisingly satisfying.
First and foremost, the friendly butterfly working inside was pretty chipper on a rainy Portland night. She’s a local and sure seems to love her job … even if it is alone in a small box kitchen for hours on end. Whoever hired her deserves major kudos cause she was the perfect blend of helpfulness and happiness with a sprinkle of patience.
Olivia Z. and me split an order of Shanghai Rolls ($ 4) that weren’t really Shanghai-​style (and probably not Filipino either), but they were still a-​ok. A small cup of the thin and tasty fried rolls were piping hot (burned my tongue a bit) and tasty. I’d easily get them again; however, it’s more likely I’ll try the Adobo next time I’m strolling by on Division Street.

Really good pork adobo. Very well cooked, flavorful, succulent pork. The jade noodle salad was also very tasty. Will definitely come back again to try out other items on the menu

Filipino food. a new discovery for me and I’m a fan with the very first bite. Its a cart in the corner of the new Tidbit cart pod on Division, head out there right away and try the Chicken Adobo. you will not regret it!