The hum baos with pork jam have landed. So have the chai custard tarts and banana leaf-wrapped sweet rice seasoned with—what else?—Jacobsen Sea Salt. As Eat Beat first reported, Boke Bowl West is mashing up Hong Kong’s dim sum tradition with Portland’s rule-breaking creativity. After months in the R&D lab, the new weekend-only Boke Sum brunch menu launches December 13 and 14, 11am–3pm.  

Traditional dim sum carts will rattle through the modern-pop aisles holding little plates of things savory and sweet, steamed and fried and wok-seared, each priced $4-6. But flavors, say Fleming, will fly in their own direction, matched by playful cocktails, including a Bloody Mary garnished with Boke's signature fried chicken and a house-bottled carbonated gin fizz.

Boke Sum is one of three willfully inauthentic Asian brunches to launch in recent weeks, following Smallwares and Bamboo Izakaya into playful weekend territory in a city overstuffed with biscuits and gravy. “We wanted to do dim sum, but our way,” says Fleming. “This is our answer to Asian comfort bites. I also love that communal aspect of dining; that fun. We’ll do even more playful stuff as it evolves.”

Eat Beat has a first look at the new menu, though some dish are subject to change.

Boke Sum’s launch menu

Fried: Boke wings, Tapioca mung bean fritter Gouchang mayo (v, gf), Green beans and XO sauce 

Steamed: 

• Shrimp rice noodle w/ sweet soy (gf)
• Char sui pork noodle w/ sweet soy
• Miso mushrooms w/ sweet soy (gf)
• Sui mei, veggie (V)
• Sui mei, pork and shrimp
• Hum bow, curried squash and cilantro (v)
• Hum bow, braised pork, pork jam and kim chi
• Har gow, w/ shrimp and pea shoot
• Lotus wrapped, spicy black bean pork w/ crawfish (this weekend)
• Lotus wrapped, veggie-squash, shroom, black bean sauce (v, gf)
• Tofu skin-house tofu, sprouted mung bean, sprouts, tips, tamari

Wok: Pea tips w/ garlic and fermented black bean (v, gf) and Chinese greens w/ oyster sauce

Seared:

• Turnip cake-daikon radish w/ ham, wild shrooms, xo sauce
• Turnip cake-daikon radish w/ veggie-black bean squash (v, gf)
• Potsticker, pork and cabbage

Special:

• Chix ‘n waffles (cornmeal chicken w/ yeasty rice cake and thong choy sauce)
• Smoked black bean spare ribs
• Sweet rice w/ mung bean paste in banana leaves with Jacobsen salt and honey (v, gf) 

Sweet:

• Profiteroles w/ banana cream and tamarind caramel
• Assorted custard tarts (ginger, chai, coconut/almond)
• Sesame balls w/ red bean paste (v, gf)

Boke Bowl West
1200 NW 18th Ave
503-719-5698
Saturday and Sunday, beginning Dec 13, 11am–3pm