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A New Dessert Shop Is Bringing Thai-Style Soy Milk to Portland

Thai food is ubiquitous throughout Portland, but few area Thai restaurants dare to offer desserts beyond mango and sticky rice. Pat and Art Tantipattanawong are filling a sweet void in the city's Thai scene with Nam Tao Huu, which just became the first Thai dessert shop in Portland. Intriguingly, the business centers on just one of many facets of Thailand's sweets culture: soy milk. 'Nam Tao Huu' translates to soy milk, a beverage that merges breakfast with dessert in Thai culture. Street stalls in Thailand sell creamy versions of it in the mornings; soy milk can be customized with sweeteners like palm sugar and simple syrup and toppings like ginkgo seeds and grass jelly. It's typically served alongside patongo (Chinese donuts). This aspect of Thai desserts is influenced by Chinese immigrants, explains Pat. They can be credited for introducing soy-influenced treats like tofu puddings and slushies to Thailand. Pat loved drinking soy milk as a child in Thailand, and these memories stayed with her through her time in Portland's restaurant world. She worked at Red Onion before opening Tara Thai just down the street from Nam Tao Huu, which is in the former Blue Star Donuts building. 'I grew up with Chinese culture, and we drank it as a protein milk in the morning,' she recalls. 'When you go to morning markets in Thailand, you see them everywhere. Everyone has it. My family served me that almost every day before school.' Pat and Art have a commercial soy milk machine, which they will use to make soy milk for creamy treats like slushies and tofu pudding sweetened with fresh berries and ginger syrup. You can also order plain soy milk, accompanied, if you like, by sweet and salty airy Chinese donuts — dunkable in condensed milk or pandan custard. Another popular Thai dessert on their menu is pillowy toasted milk bread served with the same condiment options. Silken tofu puddings and slushies can come with toppings like ginkgo seeds, grass jelly, and Job's tears, which lend a light chew. The emphasis is on the texture of these toppings rather than their sweetness. There's also an extensive drink menu of familiar items like Thai tea, Milos, and matchas infused with the soy milk. Patrons new to East Asian drink culture may also want to try the longan and jujube iced teas, options that introduce more textural elements to these refreshing beverages. The Tantipattanawongs chose soy milk because they wanted to offer something not too dissimilar from boba drinks — which everyone knows — but which is generally healthier since it has less sugar. 'Nowadays, there are healthy trends in Portland, and lots of vegan, gluten-free, and lactose-free people,' says Pat. '[With Nam Tao Huu], those customers can have these kinds of drinks too.' Nam Tao Huu is now open at 921 NW 23rd Avenue. See More: Portland Restaurant News Portland Restaurant Openings