Kampuchea Restaurant

Came here on a whim. I’ve got to say I was pretty excited. The ambiance and décor was great and the cocktails were very tasty. It did find it peculiar that there were only…
I never finished this review but just to let you know the place closed down. Probably because it sucked.

Cute ambiance, attentive service. We came her for a girl’s night out and ordered appetizers and entrees to share. For appetizers we got the green mango salad, grilled corn on the cob, crispy pork belly and fried chicken.
The mango salad was good but nothing to write home about, it was just shredded mangoes, red onions, dried shrimp, some lime and fish sauce with fried onions on top. I wasn’t a huge fan of the pork belly, it was crispy on top and fatty in the middle but it was sitting in a sweet honey sauce which I didn’t love. Mango salad and pork belly were my least favorite apps.
My favorite apps were the grilled corn and fried chicken. The grilled corn was delicious, it had a nice smoky flavor and a bit of char on it topped with what tasted like lime and cheese, a bit of mayo and pepper. Sounds heavy but it wasn’t at all. I hate hard crispy greasy fried chicken so I was a bit skeptical but when the dish arrived it was exactly the way I like my fried chicken: light batter, juicy inside. The batter was a salt and pepper batter and came with a slice of lime and some seasoned salt with some dried chili mixed in. Not spicy at all, deliciously seasoned and juicy.
For entrees we all split the cold vermicelli noodles, catfish sandwich, mussels and a side of brussels sprouts. Really liked the vermicelli noodles, mussels and brussels sprouts, didn’t love the catfish. Cold vermicelli noodles were plain but satisfying, came with vegetables, ham, sausage, and egg over easy with a light fish sauce on the bottom, another light dish, mix everything together and you have a little vermicelli noodle salad. The mussels were good as well, your standard onion/​garlic broth with some parsley and the brussels sprouts were sauteed with sausage which was probably the yummiest thing I had.
Overall a good meal in a cute restaurant, the draw back is I could’ve gotten the same type of food at a viet restaurant in Chinatown for half the price although the meal wasn’t expensive it wasn’t amazing either but I would definitely go back for the fried chicken, vermicelli noodles and brussels sprouts which is why I gave a 4 star review.

I sat at the counter again in front of the kitchen. Clean, fast, inexpensive, and amazingly delicious. My taste buds were having orgasms. I had the spicy meatball sandwich and a pilsner. Yum yummm yummmm.

It was an underwhelming dining experience. The place was charming, nicely lit with prompt service. Warm ambiance — If only they could control the unruly music coming out of the iPod in the kitchen. The food was disappointing, at least the one I ordered.
Braised Beef Brisket green papaya & okra, pickled baby carrots and herbs, which came in a small bowl of thick slabs of meat and spicy soup, with four slices of okra and cubes of oddly chewy green papaya and sorry strings of pickled carrots. I was also served a bowl of very dry rice… Ouch.
It seems the smaller dishes and sandwiches are better. Must remember to start small next time. If there is next time.

A very charming restaurant with an eclectic menu. I went for the chilled vermicelli noodles, which included pork, a fried egg, and Chinese sausage. It was an interesting medley of ingredients and fresh, not overbearing flavors. My vegetarian friend also raved about the roasted cauliflower + eggplant sandwich.
But, whatever you do, go there for the drinks! Seriously! They might look small on the surface, but inside there are two drinks in one. It’ll be hard to choose, too. I highly recommend the coconut monsoon — not too sweet but mega coconutty — and the mango drink — I forget its name, but it tastes like drinking pure mango. With alcohol. And with awesome.
The price is high for the quantity, got to admit. But I’m really glad to have finally tried this place out.

This review has been long overdue. I should’ve procrastinated a little less. But any way, I came here for dinner and let’s rewind a little because it was my first time meeting Jocy C, Judy K and their friends from Queens. I actually had another dinner to attend that night, but my friends kept changing their plans that I had chose to join the new people (no longer new anymore hehe) instead. Plus, I’ve never had Cambodian food, so of course I must give it a try.
The ambiance of this restaurant was pretty nice with a bar area on one side of the restaurant and a dining area in the room next to it with an open kitchen. The wooden tables reminds me of tables back in grade school because it had a little compartment to let you put things in.
With a group of 7, we practically ordered almost everything from the menu. But when all the food came, it wasn’t really that much food even though it sounds like it. Relatively all the dishes were pretty small portion and a bit pricey too.
So we ordered many plates to share amongst the 7 of us, which was pretty interesting to split dishes into 7 servings. I mean it’s actually not impossible to split food into 7 – 8 parts, it just requires a non-​dull knife and a pair of steady hands. I mean I think we all make good doctors after cutting the food this way.
Alright enough of my talking and onto the food:
The fried chicken, which was really good with a squeeze of lemon and sprinkled spiced salt.
The grilled corn with coconut flakes and mayo was pretty good, but I have to admit I still like my Mexican corn more.
The crispy pork belly at 4 pieces a plate was okay. I think it’s a hit or miss type of plate. I mean it wasn’t bad, but I’ve had better.
Numpang, which is a Cambodian sandwich. I’ve had plenty shares of banh mi in the past, but I’ve never had a Numpang until that night. We ordered the catfish and an oxtail Numpang. I like the sandwiches a lot. It also comes with sweet potato chips, which even til now I would want to get my hands on those again.
The mussels swimming in a bowl of spicy broth, was pretty good. I must admit the broth was a tad salty, but nothing the baguette wasn’t able to conquer. Dipping the baguette into the broth and then taking a bite actually makes the broth pretty delicious.
House country sausage, it was a sweet sausage with a cinnamon taste, which didn’t taste bad, but I felt it wasn’t too special. I felt like I can get something similar at the market and cook it myself.
Bacon garlic rice, I mean like bacon and I like garlic, so nothing should be wrong with this dish. But I think more garlic and bacon wouldn’t hurt. But overall I do like this dish. My only complaint was the rice was a bit chewy and my jaws were getting tired out from it.
Pong Tie Quoin aka Balut, which I must admit was the most interesting dish of the night. I mean I heard of it before, but never really thought I would be trying it. It was a pretty interesting way of eating it, especially splitting one egg between 3 – 4 people. It’s like who will eat the head and who will have the rest, but I’ll tell you this, I definitely did not want the head. I think I ate the butt with part of the egg white. And dang that egg white part was tough, if I wore dentures I wouldn’t be able to eat it. Um… it had an interesting texture to it — it was a cross between slimy and chewy.
And I have to agree after eating the Cambodian food here, I am left puzzled as to how authentic was the food really? It really seems very Asian Fusion like the other reviewers had pointed out. I’m not sure will I return because I don’t know if I really ate Cambodian food or not. I mean I’m sure I ate some Cambodian style food here, but I would need to try out another Cambodian place to see for myself, what really is Cambodian food.
And I can finally cross this review off from my «to review» list at last. *phew*

So like everyone else on Unilocal who originally thought that this place was authentic Cambodian food and then was surprised at the chi-​chi ness and schwank… I’m getting on their bandwagon too.
Having lived in Cambodia for a few months, I ate amazing local food. AMAZING. Kampuchea is decent food, but NOTHING like Cambodia. I’m pretty sure most of the menu items are not part of a southeast asian diet… just saying.
Highlights:
— That grilled corn is damn good — it’s not Cambodian but its good!
— I ate the bacon numpang, not bad… but I prefer the street-​vendor cheap sandwich version in Phnom Penh any day!
Pricey as are all things hipstered out in the LES, the layout is simple (wooden tables and chairs and benches), service was nice. A good experience but not one that brought me back to Cambodia at all.

I went there with my friend on Sunday. We asked waiter to order every thing on appetizer on the menu expect 2 items. The waiter didn’t take it seriously… we were serious. Also, He didn’t have much knowledge of wine…
Any way, foods were good. We loved the corn and grilled vegetable a lot. I was expecting more since I read more than few really good review.
I would go back there again. Next time, I will order coconut shrimp.

Last friday, the last day of the month, was moving day. I despise the act of physically moving, but who doesn’t? I do, however, remain a true Sagittarius when it comes to new neighbourhoods, new adventures, and of course, new restaurants and places I’ve never been before. After one heck of day, moving up 5 flights of stairs and not eating much of anything (orange juice for breakfast, Vitamin Water for lunch), we headed on over to Kampuchea for dinner. My first visit and I was starved.
We were immediately seated and couldn’t scan their menu any faster. Items that stood out to the group included:
Small Plates:
— Green mango salad with herbs, spices, chili and dried shrimp
— Fried chicken with basil, spice fleur de sel, and lemon with spicy sauce on the side (I can’t recall what it was exactly, as I was busy eating; but what I can say for sure, is that it was pretty darn good. hope that helps)
Large plates:
— Grilled Mackerel with steamed veggies
— Tamarind glazed pork ribs with lime sauce
— Rice vermicelli with Chinese sausage, pork, veggies, and crushed peanuts
We ordered all of our plates first, with a rush order on the salad and fried chicken. While patiently waiting for edible substance, we looked over their drink menu. I was hoping for the Fruli Strawberry Beer from Belgium but since it was unavailable, I passed. Dimitri ordered the San Miguel which I tasted and quite liked, but preferred Melody H.‘s lighter tap. I believed she ordered the Ommegang but now I’m not so sure. In any case, for an Asian fusion restaurant, there weren’t very many Asian beers. I suppose «fusion» explains it all, but even still it was slightly disappointing.
The green mango salad was spicy and refreshing at the same time. The spicy, crunchy, and tart flavours were a great compliment to the fried chicken we were chowing down on.
Of the large plates, the pork ribs were my favourite. Sweet, salty, saucy goodness which had me greedily eyeing the last one, until I realized everyone else had had their fair share. Slow eater? Not normally but I was thankful for that last rib, let’s just say. I savoured that sucker to no end.
We cleaned all plates in record time. Once the food came, the talking stopped. Once we licked those plates clean, it was time to walk it all off. Good evening, friends, good evening.

I actually went to the Norry Bar because of the 2 articles below:
1) Village Voice —
2) Time Out New York —
I got really excited because the only «Cambodian» food I had was at Numpang for sandwiches.
The articles noted above both talk about food… but the food are actually served at Kampuchea… so my review is posted here. Overall, the food was OKAY… it didn’t seem authentic Cambodian to me. I left a little bit hungry, and I STILL have no idea what Cambodian food is except for the Cambodian sandwiches. All of the dishes we got seem Asian Fusion to me… so my food rating is 3 stars.
There were 7 of us (3 others were Unilocal Elites!).
We ordered the following to share:
Small Plates:
1) Grilled Corn — pretty good; reminds me of the grilled corn that I’ve had before the Korean Mad for Chicken in K-​Town.
Pic of Grilled Corn:
Mad for Chicken:
2) Crispy Pork Belly — described on the menu as honey/​cider glazed, scallions, and toasted lemongrass. Yes, it was served as described on the menu and yes, it was crispy. However, the pork was REALLY dry. Boo. This plate costs $ 11… if you look at the picture link below, there’s ONLY 4 pieces. That’s like $ 2.25 a piece. Wtf?
3) Fried Chicken — described on the menu as basil, spiced fleur de sel, and lemon. YUM. This was really good. Very light breading.
4) Pong Tie Quone — fertilized egg with a nearly-​developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. It is served with lime, black pepper, chili, and sea salt. There is also some vinegar as well. Bf and I recently had it first while we were in the Philippines. It was awesome! You basically pour the sauce into the egg and slurp it down. You finish eating the egg by peeling off the shell and then eating some more. The downfall is that this was $ 6! It’s just an EGG… bf and I paid 33 cents (US) in the Philippines.
It is known as Balut in the Philippines. More info here:
5) House Country Sausage — described on the menu as Bev’s pork, «piperade», Piment d’ Esplette. It was pretty good… but too fragrant for me. It was like sausage on estrogen…
Large Plates:
6) Mussels — described on the menu as served with sour & spicy broth, okra, shallots, and toasted baguette for dipping. Good, but only complaint was that the broth was WAY TOO SALTY.
7) Bacon Garlic Rice — with house cured bacon, Thai basil, and crushed Kampot pepper. The Bacon Garlic Rice went well with the House Country Sausage dish. Rice was lightly flavored. Woot.
Cambodian Sandwiches:
8) Numpang with Oxtail, Tamarind, and Honey
9) Numpang with Catfish, Cracked Pepper, Honey, Soy Sauce
Both bf and I liked both Numpang sandwiches. The chips that came with it were REALLY good.
So all in all, if you come, expect the following:
1) Cambodian inspired food… not authentic Cambodian food
2) Portions are small for the price you pay
3) Certain dishes are pretty good (fried chicken, bacon garlic rice, catfish sandwich, and oxtail sandwich)
I would say this place is better to come for their drinks, and then for snacking. Portions are too small to have for dinner, unless you want to end up paying an arm and a leg.
Oh btw, they don’t serve veal meatball anymore like some of the previous Unilocal reviews say. Boo.
Pro — our waitress was really pretty & nice. Woot.

Despite my many years of pigging out throughout NYC and beyond, I have never tried Cambodian food. I don’t even know how Cambodian food looks like. When I was invited to a little gathering of friends at this place, I was naturally excited to have a chance to eat here.
I love the décor of the place and the staff was so very friendly to our group. I also loved the fact that the kitchen and the dining area is in the same room instead of being hidden away. No worries about a dirty kitchen here for sure.
Because it was a group of 7 people, we decided to order a whole bunch of dishes and share it among ourselves. Little did we know how small each order will end up being. With the amount of dishes that we all tried, I will not be as long winded with my description of all the food as I normally would be. Yeah, I could hear the sigh of relief from everyone reading this right now.
Fried chicken: Loved this dish. The spiced seasoned salt for sprinkling on the chicken was amazing.
Grilled corn: I think I found a rival to my beloved Mexican Corn. This was so yummy with shaved coconut flakes all over and covered in chili mayo and chili powder. Sprinkle it with a little lime juice and it’s heaven on a cob.
Crispy pork belly: Pork belly is now everywhere. Normally it’s so soft and buttery. This version tasted decent but it’s slightly dry and chewy. This was my least favorite of all the food that we had that night.
Pong Tie Quone: Also known in the Philippines as Balut. Man, I’ve wanted to try this for the longest time. Part of my quest for strange and exotic food. Had so much fun watching some of others squirm when the egg was opened up to reveal it’s ghastly interior. Heh Heh. That was worth the price of the dish itself. Luckily, there were someone in our group that knew how to eat this (Crack open the top of the egg. Turn it upside down and let it’s juice drip into a shot glass to drink later. Take off the rest of the shell and eat it after sprinkling it with seasoned salt and dipped into a sauce). I actually kind of like it a little.” Whaaaa?” You ask. Yeah, I said I liked it a little. Not a lot mind you. Kind of like a crunchier version of boiled egg with a little squishy center. Expensive at 6 bucks a pop though.
Numpang/​Cambodian sandwiches: We had both the oxtail and catfish. Both very nicely done. Very flavorful fillings and meat mixed with vegetables. I slightly prefer the oxtail
was served with sweet potato chips (tasty) & a pickle spear.
Mussels: Swimming in a sour and spicy broth with a side of accompanying toasted baguette. Tasty and the broth went well with the bread when dipped into it. Just a tad overly salty though.
House country sausage: Strangely smelling of cinnamon or something, the sausage was very juicy and has a nice snap to it but the flavor wasn’t to my liking that much. I think most of the people in our group agree they didn’t really like it either.
Bacon garlic rice: The rice was cooked with cured bacon, Thai basil, and crushed Kampot pepper. The texture of the rice was slightly crunchy. The bacon gave a nice salty contrast to the mild garlic taste in the rice. I know a few people didn’t like this but for some reason I liked this dish a lot.
Overall, I liked more dishes than I disliked. I finally got to try Balut thanks to this place and even liked it a little. Too bad the price is so high for such small portions so despite the great time I had with our little group there, I have to lean more towards a three than a four. With each dish looking like a fusion version of other countries food, I am not even sure that I really have tried Cambodian food. Guess I will have to search for another Cambodian place to compare.
Wewwww. Finally finished my. ahem. shortened review. I better shut up now.

I came for drinks and a couple of small plates. Good selections of beer, but the wine list was a little weak. I had a glass of sauvignon blanc that was 7 or 8 bucks for a glass, it retails for $ 9 a bottle. Fried chicken was mentioned in some reviews, I thought it was ok – but nothing to get excited about. The grilled corn was underdone and a gloppy mess given the abundance of citrus mayo.
Lots of other interesting options in this neighborhood that I would want to explore next time instead…

Overpriced, small portions that aren’t that special. Plus, was a little awkward when the host brought us to our table and it was at a 4-​person table, with another couple sitting there already. I get they were trying to make a large communal table since this 4-​person table was next to another 4-​person table, but really… was a little too close for comfort. We could hear everything going on with the couple (seemed like a first date with the typical Q & As!) and I’m sure we were a little bit too loud for them as well. Staff is nice though. And maybe I would have enjoyed my meal more if we had our own table. The saving grace is their num pang, which I absolutely love. The bread is so soft. But then again, I can just go to union square for that!

This restaurant has a long way before they can call themselves a «Cambodian» restaurant. Sure, it’s a noodle bar, but even their staple dish, the ka’theav (Khmer noodles) is weak and flavorless.
Their staff were poorly attentive and clueless about Cambodia. One can say more than «the country south of China».
Anyways, NYC really needs more authentic tasting Khmer restaurant then this over-​rated, cosmetically enhanced, impostor place called Kampuchea.
PDP
Food critic and 3 year resident of Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Wow… pretty disappointing. Went to Kamupchea tonight for it’s «re-​opening» and boy was it a let down. I am a huge fan of Num Pang, so I really had high hopes for this place.
First of all the communal tables are a little too close for comfort. I’m all about communal a la Le Pain style with the long tables, but putting two deuces at a four person table is just plain awkward. Especially when the waiters serve our dishes to them and vice versa…
We started off with the Crispy Pork Belly and the Mussels. The Mussels were pretty decent — served in a tangy curry style soup. The Crispy Pork Belly however was terrible. Over-​cooked and tough to the core. Dry dry dry.
Then we proceeded to wait a full hour before our other dishes were served. I’m not sure but I think the head chef actually was stoned or something. Boy was he out of it. Looking off into space for most of the night…
And I know because the food service was so slow, my dinner lasted more than 2 hours.
Finally, we were served our Curry Chicken, Mango Salad and Striped Bass. All of which were very mediocre at best. And why would a mango salad take one hour???
Overly spiced, overly salty.
The curry was fine — nothing terrible, but nothing great. On the other hand — the striped bass was awful. Flavorless with a texture that made me think it was reheated in the microwave…
Stay away — maybe it was opening jitters, but hopefully the head chef gets his act together soon or I don’t know how long they will last…
Overall — the wait was just too horrendously long — 30 minutes before the first dishes came out, and then another hour before the second round? I was about ready to walk out and go to the nearest McDonalds!
Waiting for great food is one thing, waiting for below average is a whole other situation…

Woohoo, 100^th reviewer.
I’ve lived around the vicinity of Kampuchea for years now, and finally stepped foot in it today on a rainy day. The seating is kind of cafeteria style, so in the small real estate, they can fit about 50 people in there. Luckily, there was only 1 or 2 parties in there when we got there at 3pm, but as we were leaving at 4pm, it got relatively packed.
Now if I didn’t read the labeling on my chopsticks, I would not have known it was a «noodle bar.» My friends who had gone before me praised the sandwiches, so I always thought of it as a Cambodian sandwich shop.
Well anyway, don’t be silly like us and order any of the noodles, because it’s not worth it! The chicken katiev (noodle soup) just did not hit the spot at all. I will say, however, since it is a recession, they offer a $ 18 lunch prefixe menu where you can get an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Great deal considering the three items cost about $ 26.
The spicy chicken salad was amazingly flavored and well tasting. Again, never had a salad I enjoyed so much. There were peanut bits in it as well. Yummmm… can’t go wrong on that choice.
What did hit the spot and more, was the waiter’s lovely suggestion — COCONUT TIGER SHRIMP SANDWICH. Drool… drool… drool. The highlight of my day or month. I had never tasted anything like it. The sauce was delicious. Shrimp in a baguette? Who would have thought. The baguette was nice and soft, and slabbed with blood-​vessel clogging buttery goodness. One of the best $ 13 sandwiches ever. Mind you, I normally wouldn’t pay that much for a sandwich, but it is a pretty decent sit down casual restaurant.
For dessert we had banana pudding, which was also a very nice choice. It had graham cracker bits in it too which added to the texture. Very good and not overly sweet. Satisfied my sweet tooth craving just right.
Warning to all that even with the emptiness of the restaurant, it took a WHILE to get all of our courses. The longest wait was from the salad to the entrees, which felt like an eternity, probably 20 – 30 minutes. The waiter is really nice though, just not sure why the food took so long to get in my mouth!
Anyhow, pleasant little spot to breakaway from the normal food you can get anywhere around the city.

I like Kampuchea; I’ve been here for dinner in the Winter, for just drinks at the bar, and now dinner in the Summer, and I’ve never been disappointed.
The place is very welcoming: communal tables, huge windows overlooking both Allen and Rivington, the walls painted a nice warm orange. The place has an exposed kitchen, something I REALLY like (half an extra star there!).
Before you try their food, I recommend you try their Bön Om Tuk cocktail: they mix cachaça and ice with brown sugar, lime juice, lime wedges, a pinch of salt, a dash of honey syrup, and the special ingredient: katiev (Cambodian chile paste offered as a garnish and used in soups). This cocktail is ORGASMIC: I can’t get enough of it!
In the winter I love their noodle soup, particularly the pork katiev (flat noodle, pork broth, duroc pork, sautéed pickled mustard greens, dried shrimp, sprouts & herbs) and the oxtail stew (oxtail, sweet basil, carrots, green papaya, okra, stewed tomatoes, shallots, side toasted baguette).
But last time I came here with a friend it was a hot August evening, so I wanted to try something different. We shared the mussels (which were good although I wish they could be a bit more spicy); my friend had tamarind baby back ribs with pickle soy sprouts, cilantro lime sauce; I had chilled rice vermicelli (which are not really chilled but more like room temperature, which I prefer) with grilled pork, Chinese sausage, over easy egg, sprouts & fresh herbs, sautéed shallots, crushed peanut. Although I don’t usually like cold noodle/​pasta dishes, I found myself slurping down every last drop of this wonderful dish.
We also had the banana pudding, which was ok but not particularly inventive (I was sort of expecting that they had spiked in it some katiev…).
The waiting staff is friendly and knowledgeable; their recommendations are usually trustworthy, just like what they would not recommend.
Overall with two drinks, a shared appetizer, an entre, extra bread (I forgot to mention it, but their bread is delicious!) and a shared dessert we spent $ 45/​person.
An added bonus is the location: Kampuchea is strategically located right in front of Marshall Stack, one of my favorite bars

I am not even playing on this one. Of course it’s refined Cambodian but over all the best food you will eat in NY.
The interior design and architecture is beautiful, industrial with comfort. YES, they are shared tables but plenty of space between chairs and besides it’s New York, get over it.
Service is friendly and VERY knowledgeable of the menu and products. cocktails are pricey but different and flavorful (one being spicy as hell).
Noodle soups are big enough to share among 2 – 3, but lets get to what is maybe the most delicious thing EVER! Lets just say «COCONUT TIGER SHRIMP» sandwich!
Listen. . hop on the F, walk, laugh, sit, eat, enjoy, repeat
Seriously, 2 women, 4 rewarding hard nipples for this place, can’t wait for the next pinch

I like this place. It is super close to my bf’s place so after walking by it many times, we finally decided to eat here. It was late on a Sunday night so the place was not crowded at all. The décor was just dark enough and the waitress was attentive and nice. I like the community tables (maybe cause there was no one else at our table) with the wide barstools and modern dishware.
I ordered the chicken soup with rice and it was fiery spicy and delicious. The broth was rich and flavorful. My date had a soup noodle dish and that was also tasty.
I’m definitely coming back here to try other things on the menu!
Note: This place is related to Num Pang so if you want to try the sandwiches for cheaper, you can head there!

You’ve got to try the num pang (sandwiches)…I think they actually might be BETTER than the noodles!
We had the berkshire pork which was garlic glazed with honey dried chilis… to die for! I’m a big fan of slices of freshly cut cucumbers in my sandwiches from being a boy raised in Asia. So, this sandwich hit me deeply… took me way back!
I had the Filet Mignon Katiev (noodle) which is bun rice noodle, beef broth, peppercorn covered filet mignon, braised brisket, chopped tomatoes, sprouts and herbs and it was quite good. I didn’t finish it though ’cause I was craving to try another sandwich.
Overall, great atmosphere and great service. Also, the big cock painted on the side of the building (rooster, not the other thing) was quite funny…