Long Beach's Cambodia Town Reference
Long Beach's Cambodia Town is the largest Cambodian community outside Cambodia itself — the result of resettlement after the Khmer Rouge era and a neighbourhood that has built one of the most distinctive culinary corridors in Southern California. Phnom Penh on Cherry Avenue is one of the rooms that anchors that tradition.
The cooking is traditional Cambodian at its most direct: amok, kuy teav, num banh chok, the noodle and curry dishes that define the cuisine. The room is unfussy; the staff are direct; the regulars are loyal.
What to Order
Amok — the steamed coconut-curry fish in banana leaves, properly executed. Kuy teav, the rice-noodle soup. Lok lak, the marinated beef with lime-pepper dipping sauce. The dishes are unfussy and well-made.
The Format
The room is small, comfortable, and entirely without affect. The crowd is overwhelmingly local; the energy is the steady rhythm of a working neighbourhood restaurant.
Best Occasion: Solo Dining
Phnom Penh is one of Long Beach's most natural solo-dining rooms. The format is unintimidating; the staff handle a single cover gracefully; the price point sits in the bracket where a solo diner can eat well without feeling extravagant.