ANYONE WHO TRACKS our local food scene on Instagram has seen hints of the not-so-secret soup club, Humidity PDX. Started last winter by Dogwood Distilling’s Jasin Hope, event planner Natalia Toral, and Mae’s Maya Lovelace, it’s an informal way for some of Portland’s industry cool kids to get together on late Friday mornings to “enjoy the ritual of soup.”

“It all started with a conversation Maya, Natalia, and I had,” Jasin says. “We were always eating great soup.”

The other soi-disant “noodle thugs” include a rotating crew of local talent: Pizza Jerk’s Tommy Habetz and Tyler Hauptman, Mae’s Zach Lefler, photographer Kari Young (AKA Meatballssmama), and Bit House’s Jesse Card and Karen Lujan all make regular appearances, with a few other folks popping in from time to time. They mainly stick to Vietnamese joints on Sandy or 82nd, but occasionally make it down to the SE industrial neighborhoods for ramen.

Want to live that #souplyfe? Here are just a few of the bowls consumed by Humidity PDX.

Pho An Sandy: #64 (Bún Mang Vit)

Branch out from ph and try something different! The bún mang vit (duck and bamboo noodle soup) is a face-warming bowl of duck broth with vermicelli noodles, steamed and shredded duck, bamboo shoots, and vegetables, served with shredded cabbage, cilantro, peanuts, plus sliced raw onion and fried garlic for proper kissing breath. 6236 NE Sandy

MeKha: #37 (Mì Quang)

I’ve gushed like a schoolgirl about MeKha’s 11B with soup before, but don’t forget to flip over the menu for the house specialties. The central Vietnamese-style mì Quang is a bowl of pork broth fragrant with turmeric, chopstick-defying wide rice noodles, cubed jicama, prawns, and sliced pork, and then topped with giant fried rice cracker-boats flecked with black sesame seeds and filled with chile flakes and peanuts. Warning: It is impossible to not make a mess while eating this, so wear an old shirt. 6846 NE Sandy

So Good Taste Noodle House: Super Bowl A

Can’t decide between the duck or pork wonton soup? No problem! You can have both, in a giant bowl with wontons and noodles. The noodles have that proper lye-twinged funk that you want in a Hong Kong-style noodle house. And hey! There’s even a halved baby bok choy in there to make it a well-balanced meal. 8220 SE Harrison

Mekong Bistro: #SL43 (Som-Law Maju Kreung)

This is Khmer cooking at its best, bringing the Cambodian countryside to the table. The som-law maju kreung, or watercress sour soup, is dank and fragrant, flavored with lemongrass, kefir lime, tamarind for sourness, plus water spinach and your choice of beef or pork. There’re no noodles in this one, but you won’t miss them. 8200 NE Siskiyou, Suite 107

Bún Bò Hue Dông Ba 3: #1 (Bún Bò Hue)

Don’t even bother looking at the menu here—you want the signature dish: lemongrassy broth with thick rice noodles, sliced and shredded beef, pork shank, and sliced pork loaf (sort of like mild lunch meat), plus a cube of coagulated pig’s blood and pig’s foot. Thinly sliced banana blossoms provide a dense, grassy crunch. Important: Don’t agree to everything in the bowl if you don’t really want it! I was politely scolded by the owner for asking for the works and leaving a single bite of blood cube and the pig’s foot in my bowl (in my defense, I was too full to eat it all). 3246 NE 82nd

Hà VL: Bún Cari Gà (Chicken Curry Noodle)

You have to come on Wednesday for this soup, as Hà VL has a daily rotation. Out of all of their soups, though, this one hits me right in the feels: hunks of tender bone-in chicken with potatoes, carrots, and lemongrass with vermicelli noodles in a coconut-creamy yellow curry chicken broth, with lots of lettuce, bean sprouts, and herbs to sprinkle in for freshness and texture. Bonus: You might spot a wild Ricker in his natural habitat. 2738 SE 82nd, #102

Marukin Ramen: Tonkotsu Red

Like Hà VL, Marukin runs each soup in a daily rotation, so come on the right day to get what you want. You’ll have to show up on Tuesdays or Fridays (Mondays/Saturdays for the vegan version) for this one. The long-simmered pork marrow broth is creamy like mother’s milk, with a feisty slick of chile oil to wake you up. Bouncy noodles, a halved perfect egg, slices of char siu, and finely sliced scallions are the expectation with ramen—but ohhh, that broth. 609 SE Ankeny, Suite A

PaaDee: Ba Mhee “Pitsanulok”

This one is not on the regular rotation for the #humiditypdx crew, but considering they’re all friends with owner Earl Ninsom, it should be. Also, to wit: chewy egg noodles; spicy, lime-y pork broth; pork three ways (cubed pork belly, ground pork, and sliced char siu); crushed peanuts; and finely sliced green beans. 6 SE 28th