Latest news with #PokPok
Eater
4 days ago
- Business
- Eater
The Langbaan Team Will Open a Thai Restaurant (Potentially) in Pok Pok's SE Division Building
is the regional editor for Eater's Northern California/Pacific Northwest sites, writing about restaurant and bar trends, upcoming openings, and pop-ups for the San Francisco Bay Area, Portland, Seattle, and Denver. Fans of blind items may have been tickled to see an article from the Oregonian tease a possible new restaurant from the James Beard Award-winning Langbaan team, but it appears the news is true: Chef Akkapong 'Earl' Ninsom confirms that he, along with Eric Nelson and chef Sam Smith of Yaowarat, will open a new restaurant dubbed OK Chicken & Khaosoi. 'Our vision is to bring a Northern Thai dining experience back to Portland — something the city has been missing since early in the pandemic,' Ninsom writes in an email to Eater. While that news in itself is worthy of excitement, exactly where the restaurant may set up shop is, in itself, a surprise. While the team is still in the lease negotiation process, if all goes well, they will take over the former Pok Pok space at 3226 SE Division Street. A tentative opening date of winter 2025 is set. (Again, if things work out with the space.) 'We feel the location — with its existing Northern Thai feel and history — would be a perfect fit for the concept we're exploring,' Ninsom writes in an email to Eater. The exterior of Pok Pok, as seen on June 17, 2020. Bloomberg via Getty Images Ninsom shares that the team is exploring a restaurant 'that balances fun and approachability with a practical, sustainable model.' What that means is counter-service or bar-style ordering, with a simple order sheet for diners to fill out, before settling into a table. Ninsom points to this model as something the team has seen in their previous research trips. 'As for the concept itself — Northern Thai flavors, late-night energy, possibly with karaoke — we see it as a way to fill a gap while also creating a place that feels vibrant but operationally efficient,' Ninsom writes. 'It's still early, so we don't have firm timelines (hoping for this winter if all goes as planned).' Meanwhile, food reporters have been trying to parse out more details via the new restaurant's Instagram page. Ninsom, Nelson, and Smith highlighted some of the dishes they sampled on a recent trip, which the Oregonian reports was 'a research trip specifically to study Northern Thai cuisine, which had [been] Pok Pok's specialty.' Parsing through the photos, the Oregonian specifically pointed to a Pok Pok-like whole roasted chicken; the photos also tease laab muang, or Northern Thai-style laab, as well as som tum, and other dishes. The winner khao soi bowl of the trip, highlighted on the Instagram page, points to a Muslim version from Khao Soi Lung Surin in the Chiang Mai village of Doi Pui, per the caption. The team is already testing the namesake khao soi at Yaowarat's staff meal (of which all staff meals are diligently catalogued on @yaowaratpdx_staff_meal). Looks like you'll have to join the Yaowarat team to get an early taste, suggests Nelson, or wait patiently for the grand opening. Eater Portland All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
CNET
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
Gain Lifetime Access to Pok Pok's Montessori Games for Kids for Just $60 Right Now
Tech devices are par for the course in our lives today, but with concerns over how screen time can effect the youngest in our households, finding age-appropriate apps and games can be a challenge. If you've been looking for an educational app that can keep your child entertained during long road trips, while also offering them some extra learning, then check out this lifetime subscription to Pok Pok for just $60 at StackSocial right now. Usually $46 per month or $7 a week, you could save a ton by buying into the lifetime plan. Pok Pok is inspired by the Montessori method and was created for children between the ages of 2 and 8. The app is ad-free and includes games that encourage young children to sharpen their STEM, problem-solving, numbers and language skills. The Montessori method was invented by Dr. Maria Montessori and focuses on helping children learn at their own pace through their own experiences. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. Pok Pok designs its apps to be gentle and calming for kids through in-house animation and voice recording. These games don't feature levels so children can focus on their own discoveries. The lifetime subscription provides a license for up to 10 devices, which is perfect for homes with multiple children. Keep in mind that you need to check your system requirements to ensure your device supports this app. Looking for more kid-friendly apps but not sure if this deal is for you? Check out our list of the best kid-friendly phone apps. And for some physical play, we've also gathered up best toys for kids in 2025. Why this deal matters With apps designed for kids between the ages of 2 and 8, Pok Pok's apps can help nurture your child's learning for years, while also providing a guilt-free way for you to offer them screen time if you need to do so. This massive discount makes now a great time to nab this deal.
Time Magazine
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025: Pok Pok
By design, online games get kids hooked on hyperstimulation: a "continuous stream of music, annoying voices that say 'good job,' and here's a reward and a sparkling unicorn on top," says Esther Huybreghts, co-founder and chief creative officer of Pok Pok. The Toronto-based startup's app, which the company describes as 'non-addictive' and inspired by Montessori, is quieter, providing children aged 2 to 8 with an unstructured, ungamified digital 'playroom,' where kids can freely explore different fun settings. Downloaded more than one million times globally in 2024, Pok Pok designs app play spaces with support from a roster of experts; astronaut and mom Kellie Gerardi helped with a new one released in January called Space, for instance. "The kids' digital landscape was 90% candy when we arrived," says co-founder and CEO Melissa Cash. "We just want to bring some nutrients." In the last year, Pok Pok grew its subscriber base ninefold while making the app now available on Android and Amazon Fire devices.
Los Angeles Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
One of L.A.'s most exciting new Chinese restaurants lands in Mandarin Plaza
In Chinatown's newest restaurant, mapo tofu inspires steak tartare, pillowy gnudi are made with tofu (not ricotta) and medallions of table-side-sauced lamb saddle evoke Sichuan's cumin-spiced lamb skewers. Firstborn fills the long-empty former Pok Pok space in Mandarin Plaza with subtle Chinese touches, including jade-green tiles and a window to the kitchen reminiscent of what one might spot in a Beijing neighborhood hutong, or alley. Chef-owner Anthony Wang — who cooked at restaurants such as Destroyer, Auburn and Ink — is exploring the identity of Chinese American cuisine in a manner both true to history and to his own story. 'I've always wanted to explore Chinese cuisine, but I didn't realize how little I understood until I really started this project,' Wang said. 'For the first time in my career I can take a deep dive and look at the expansiveness and the history and culture of not just Chinese food [of mainland China], but also Chinese food in this country and how it's grown and developed over the past 100-plus years.' One of the first cuisines he began toexplore was Sichuan, traveling to Chengdu in 2018 and tracing the origins of its famous chiles and spice — and then researching even further, to a time before the spice trade reached the region. But Firstborn is just as much a reflection of Wang growing up first-generation in Georgia. His sweetbreads in pig trotter ragu evoke his memories of eating pork knuckle at his grandmother's house. The house-made chile crisp that tops the chef's signature fried chicken carries a smoky heat and fruity note via the secret ingredient of Morita chiles, marrying the fragrance of Sichuan and Mexican cuisines in a nod to L.A. His parents emigrated from Beijing in 1989 due to the protests and violence in Tiananmen Square. The family landed in Miami, then a desert of Chinese food and ingredients. Wang's mother began to get creative, substituting American items to whip up the modernized Chinese cuisine that Wang and his sister, Lulu, ate through their childhood: dishes like a kind of beef Bourguignon with Sichuan peppercorn and star anise. Wang thinks of it as 'new Chinese American cooking,' which also makes its way to the bar. Beverage director Kenzo Han (Steep LA, the Varnish) built an 'East meets West' menu that also lifts inspiration from the kitchen, with options such as an osmanthus and fermented rice sour, a sesame old-fashioned, a baiju-and-tea negroni, and a springy martini that involves house-made celery oil and carrot eau de vie. Nonalcoholic concoctions include hojicha orange milk punch and an adzuki swizzle. For dessert, pastry chef Jaime Craten (formerly of Vespertine, Destroyer and Meteora) balances sweet and savory with lighter options like almond tofu with citrus, jujubee and osmanthus, or chamomile custard that's topped with a refreshing apple-and-cucumber granita with a kinako shortbread cookie. Wang calls it an honor to debut his restaurant in Chinatown — adding to the legacy of the area's century of Chinese businesses — and to continue to explore what the cuisine means in the neighborhood, in the U.S. and in China. 'For me,' Wang said, 'It's a journey. This restaurant's open now, but this is something that I think we're just starting with, and it's something that I really want to continue exploring not just throughout this restaurant but throughout my entire life.' Firstborn is open Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10:30 p.m. 978 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, (213) 537-0142, Beverly Hills' steak-centric Matu now has a westward sibling in Matu Kai, which follows up the 2021 restaurant with some of its greatest hits and a slew of new dishes. Like Matu, Brentwood's new Matu Kai specializes in Wagyu: Plancha-cooked filets, wood-fired rib-eyes, picanhas, New York strips and more are prepared in the semi-open kitchen, sparks and flames often flying. These steaks can be ordered a la carte or in a set menu, though many of the newer items can be found a la carte. Look for fresh Uovo maltagliati in a rib-eye ragu, Wagyu meatballs in pomodoro, crying tiger Wagyu tenderloin satay and more. Like its sibling restaurant, Matu Kai also offers the popular Wagyu cheesesteak sandwich, which is available only at the bar. Matu Kai is open Monday to Thursday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m. 11777 San Vicente Blvd., Suite 134, Los Angeles, (310) 810-2501, A Chicago sandwich shop rife with cultural and familial inspiration recently debuted at the base of the Platform complex in Culver City, with panini-pressed stacks that can include tabouleh, chile crunch, harissa mayonnaise and more. Chef-owner Mitchell Jamra blends his Lebanese roots into some of the flavors of All Too Well, a quick-casual sandwich offshoot of his Mexican-Lebanese restaurant in Chicago, Evette's. All Too Well, while named for the Taylor Swift song, is inspired not by the singer-songwriter but Jamra's family and his long lineage of Chicago deli owners that traces back to the 1920s. The chef's first Los Angeles restaurant offers the Chicago location's most popular items such as the Bombay Chulet, which layers turkey, prosciutto garlic mayo, arugula, stracciatella, fried onion, chile crunch and fig jam, as well as the L.A.-only secret-menu Tunaverse, which tops tuna salad with a red pepper spread that blends ajvar with muhammara. All Too Well debuted as a one-year pop-up within Platform, but Jamra tells The Times that he has plans to stay in Los Angeles far beyond that. 'I'm bonded with the city now,' he said via email, 'and we are in for the long haul!' All Too Well is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 8850 W. Washington Blvd., Suite 101, Culver City, The popular chicken-focused offshoot of Los Feliz mainstay Kismet can now be found in Pasadena. At the latest outpost of Kismet Rotisserie, which sits at the border of Altadena, the whole pasture-raised, non-GMO chickens spin slowly behind the counter, the seasonal vegetables come primarily sourced from local farmers markets, and everything is made in-house. Chef-owners Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramer offer rotisserie-chicken plates with sides such as roasted vegetables in tahini; smashed cucumbers in caraway vinaigrette; schmaltzy roasted potatoes; and hummus with freshly baked pita, along with salads, fresh-squeezed juice, bone broth, kids' meals, cookies and pudding cups. Unique to the Pasadena menu is a new, collaborative monthly sandwich special, where proceeds benefit the local chapter of education nonprofit Families Forward. This month find a spicy Niçoise pita sandwich made with Fishwife; in June look for an Italian sandwich from local chef and 'The Bear' culinary producer Courtney Storer. Kismet Rotisserie's newest outpost offers catering, a quick-and-casual format, and indoor and outdoor seating. Kismet Rotisserie is open in Pasadena daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 1974 Lincoln Ave., Pasadena, (323) 412-4400, Kristin Colazas Rodriguez began Colossus out of her home in 2018. Now she operates four outposts spread across San Pedro and Long Beach, and the latest features a full cafe menu, a bakery case flush with croissants and pastries, and an evening-only pizza program just off the San Pedro harbor. The newest Colossus recently debuted at the base of the Vivo Apartments complex, serving morning items such as the signature croissant breakfast sandwich with house-made sweet potato hot sauce, lunch and lighter bites like salad Lyonnaise with fresh croutons, and dinner such as meatballs in gravy, sourdough gnocchi and a range of daily pizzas (in Long Beach, the pizzas are available on weekends only). Whole loaves of bread and pantry goods such as tinned fish, dried heirloom beans and jars of jam are also on offer, and beer and wine are in the works. Colossus is open off of the San Pedro harbor Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 511 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro, (213) 444-0077, A weeklong celebration of Latin cuisine kicked off Tuesday with hundreds of participating restaurants — and many offering special items and set menus. Dine Latino Restaurant Week, an initiative spearheaded by the national Latino Restaurant Assn., runs through May 18 and includes more than 200 restaurants spread from Camarillo through L.A. County, as far east as San Bernardino and Riverside, and as far south as Costa Mesa; even a few San Diego restaurants are joining the event, as is one operation in San Jose. The event aims to support Latino-owned restaurants reflecting a range of nationalities and cuisines, including Mexican, Brazilian, Ecuadorian, Colombian, Salvadoran, Peruvian and beyond. Find a map of participating restaurants here, with more businesses to be added.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Grab This Lifetime Pok Pok Subscription While It's a Massive 76% Off at StackSocial
Tech is a pervasive part of our lives, and it makes sense that even our youngest might want in. That's why finding age-appropriate tech and apps can be a great way to keep your child occupied while providing them with more educational resources. If you've looking for an educational app that can keep your child entertained during long road trips while also offering them some extra learning mixed in, then check out this lifetime subscription to Pok Pok for just $60 right now. That saves you $190, or 76% at StackSocial. Though there's no deadline for this deal, we suggest acting fast as these deals often end without notice. Pok Pok is inspired by Montessori and was created for children between the ages of 2 and 8 years of age. The app is ad-free and includes games that encourage young children to sharpen their STEM, problem-solving, numbers and language skills. The Montessori method was invented by Dr. Maria Montessori and focuses on helping children learn at their own pace through their own experiences. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. Pok Pok designs its apps to be gentle and calming for kids through in-house animation and voice recording. These games don't feature levels so children can focus on their own discoveries. The lifetime subscription provides a license for up to 10 devices, which is perfect for homes with multiple children. Keep in mind that you need to check your system requirements to ensure your device is capable of supporting this app. Looking for more kid-friendly apps but not sure if this deal is for you? Check out our list of the best kid-friendly phone apps. And for some physical play, we've also gathered up best toys for kids in 2025. Pok Pok's lifetime subscription typically costs $250, but this deal brings it down to a low of $60. With apps designed for kids between the ages of 2 and 8, Pok Pok's apps can help nurture your child's learning for years to come while also providing a guilt-free way for you to offer them screen time if you need. This 76% discount makes now a great time to nab this deal.
