Long Beach. Synonymous with shipping crates, industrial cranes, a port city, and airport. For me, Long Beach is where I'll take the official first steps towards the rest of my life, and as the madness of wedding planning intensifies, my car goes more and more frequently south on the PCH.
Meeting with vendors is supposed to be stressful, but the professional yet laid-back caterers have made it a little more fun. But nothing, even planning my own wedding, is half as exciting as trying new restaurants, some of which must be SoCal's best kept secrets.
Like Little Cambodia. So little it's barely on the map, a minuscule two-block radius of holes-in-the-wall. Phnom Penh, a barely-there noodle house, is one a little hole on the block, casual tables surrounded by suburbia and half a kitchen abutting the dining room.
There are so many Asian men lunching on a random Thursday afternoon, filling all but a couple tables, speaking in fluent French. It must be authentic if this is the clientele, and to be this full, it must be good.
It is not good, it is great right out of the gate. The flaky-fried Knom Sakieu to start, a giant dumpling-turnover-meat-pie hybrid, pastry-esque shell spilling forth dynamic spices of seasoned ground meat. Even better with a dab of sweet hot sauce.
I do exactly what the server says because, well...she would know. She's right on with the Phnom Penh Noodle, the house special. Slim, soft rice noodles cradle all sorts of pork. Different textures of chewy stomach, grainy grounds, bilious liver, and lean meaty slices go well with tender shrimp. Getting it dry adds worthwhile work - the noodles won't go soggy when they're dipped in the big-bone broth.
Same broth in the Mekala, which is a little more well-rounded, and a lot more green. Slices of regular pork mix with lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, and pickled cabbage, cooled down with a pop of mint. Eggs add some protein, peanuts add crunch, and their house-made fish sauce adds a new, refreshing angle to the mix.
I have yet to find something I don't like about Long Beach. The food is affordable and adorable, the restaurants are fun, and the prices are fair. Phnom Penh is my first taste of Little Cambodia, and I wish I hadn't waited so long. There is more to explore, and maybe, just maybe, there will be a Cambodian rehearsal dinner in my future...
No comments:
Post a Comment