An annoying thing about Gado Gado, an otherwise loveable Hollywood neighborhood restaurant from a pair of Portland, Maine, transplants, was the indie Indonesian’s habit of changing its menu too fast. On my first visit, the best bite was the Columbia River crawfish in a buttery broth spiced with Sichuan chiles and Old Bay seasoning you could soak up with a huge hunk of charred Hawaiian bread. Two weeks later, it was gone.
Guess what? The same restless energy that could frustrate fans proved tailor-made for the pandemic. Less than one month into Oregon’s initial shutdown, Thomas and Mariah Pisha-Duffly were ready to roll out Oma’s Takeaway, a self-described “Asian stoner food” pop-up with blood sausage dan dan noodles and creamy bang bang shrimp served to-go from a tent set up in the restaurant’s Northeast Portland parking lot.