Angkor Cambodian Bistro

NYC doesn't have a ton of Cambodian food, so when we first read a year or so ago about the opening of Angkor Cambodian Bistro on the Upper East Side, we knew we had to try it. It may have taken us longer than we would have liked to get there, but we were so happy that we finally made it.

We started out with two appetizers, the first of which was nem nuong, described as Khmer style barbecue pork hash. We had a similar type of pork preparation in summer rolls at a Vietnamese restaurant in Vegas which we absolutely loved, but here there were six meatballs grilled on skewers and served with a peanut dipping sauce. They were really good, soft, and full of pork and seasoning. The peanut sauce tasted good as well, but it wasn't fully necessary as the meatballs themselves had so much flavor.

The other appetizer we got were the Khmer fish cakes, deep fried cakes filled with fish, shrimp, string beans, and curry powder. These reminded us of tod mun pla, Thai fish cakes, except that compared with all the Thai fish cakes we've had in the past, these had so much more flavor, lots of herbs and spices. The slaw was a small batch of pickled radishes and carrots, and the sauce was a sweet chili sauce. As with the meatballs, the fish cakes were delicious with or without the sauce and slaw, but together the slaw added a freshness and crunch to match the soft fish cakes.

We decided to try some noodles, going with the "famous Cambodia noodle dish" of kuythiew, described as "rice stick noodles sautéed with shrimp, scallion, eggs, dried bean curd, crushed peanuts, and bean sprouts in tamarind sauce." Unlike similar noodle dishes put out by some Thai places, this one had sweetness to it from the tamarind sauce but it wasn't overly sweet which was nice. We've had similar dishes at other Southeast Asian restaurants, but this was an extremely tasty rendition.

The star of the night and the one thing that we knew without a doubt that we were going to order before we walked in the door (unless they were out of it) was the baked amok. Traditionally amok is a fish curry steamed in banana leaves, but the versions they offered here were baked or grilled. The baked seemed to be pretty close to the traditional steaming, and the amok had the mousse-like texture that it is known for. The flavors were amazing, and wrapped inside the creamy fish curry with its red curry sauce and coconut cream were prawns and scallops, as well as what seemed to be basil and kaffir lime. Texturally, we haven't really had anything quite like it and it was so good. It was rich and creamy tasting, and the fish was so soft. The kaffir lime leaves and basil added herbal freshness and a really clean element.

The baked amok came with a small portion of rice on the side (we chose brown) and some vegetables stewed in a similar red curry sauce (okra, zucchini, and ribbons of carrots). This was a really complete meal on its own, and we pondered how we could come here and try new things when we were going to want to get the baked amok every time.

There were some interesting sounding desserts, like a sticky rice and corn pudding or mango sticky rice, but we were so full and so happy with the baked amok that we didn't really even consider dessert. It was a successful first dinner at Angkor, and we would love to go back again sometime soon.

Cardoz Num Pang

Num Pang, the fantastic Cambodian sandwich place M has written about before (here and here), has a series called "Guest Chefs Give Back" where they invite chefs to design a sandwich, with a portion of the proceeds going to charity.  We love trying these sandwiches (like the chicken salad one designed by ABC Kitchen which we never got around to writing about) and the current one is the "Cardoz Num Pang" designed by Floyd Cardoz (chef at North End Grill, another place we've visited, but never written about).

The Cardoz sandwich consists of black pepper braised lamb with pickled red cabbage, chili yogurt, and mint, in addition to all the other good stuff that comes on your usual Num Pang sandwich - cucumbers, pickled carrots, cilantro and chili mayo.

The lamb was fairly gamey which A likes. M usually isn't a fan of that, but didn't really notice it that much here (maybe it was overpowered by the spices and toppings). We both really liked this sandwich. The spices on the lamb (which reminded M a bit of the lamb tofu stew they have at Chinese restaurants) and the chili yogurt were a beautiful combination and really highlighted Chef Cardoz's training and styling. The pickled red cabbage added a nice sourness. The standard Num Pang vegetables added their standard crunch and were finished off with their toasty bread.

The Cardoz Num Pang is only around until October 12th, so if you want to try it, you should go soon! We recommend it!

Peaches and Bacon

It's summer and for many people summer means peaches.  Num Pang (previously written about here) is celebrating summer with a seasonal special - a grilled summer peach sandwich, only available at their midtown location. 

The peach sandwich consists of a grilled peach, hand-cut bacon, a guinness maple glaze, sauteed scallions (I thought I also saw leeks) and jalapenos.  There's also the usual cucumbers, carrots, cilantro and chili mayo on the soft but sturdy baguette.

I had initially gone there for the Khmer sausage again, but they were sold out.  I surprised myself by getting the peach and bacon instead of a fish sandwich since I'm not a huge fan of fruit on sandwiches or bacon (I know that's an unacceptable statement for many people).  But I had heard good things about the peach sandwich when it was around last year and decided to go for it.

The sandwich was incredibly messy but it was delicious.  It was an explosion of flavors and covered every part of the taste spectrum.  There was sweet (the peach rings), salty (the bacon, which wasn't the crispy thin breakfast bacon I was expecting but thicker slices of meat), spicy (the jalapenos, product of a hot dry summer, were way hotter than I thought they would be), creamy (the chili mayo mixed with the soft peaches), crunchy (carrots and cucumber), lightness (everything but the bacon).  Mixed together, it was really good.  I hope the sandwich sticks around for a few more weeks so A and I can go back and get it together.  So delicious.

Khmer Sausage Sandwich

I was over in Midtown East today running errands which put me close to Num Pang, the Cambodian sandwich shop with its second location near Grand Central.  I had been there once before when I tried one of their chicken sandwiches, but my office isn't close by so I haven't had a chance to try the rest of the menu yet.

Today I went there intending to get the grilled Spanish mackerel and leeks sandwich, or possibly the peppercorn catfish.  Instead I ended up with a spur-of-the-moment purchase of the grilled Khmer sausage sandwich and, while I bet the fish sandwiches would also have been great, I'm so happy with that choice.

The sandwich - closed and open - with a gorgeous Palau background

The grilled Khmer sausage sandwich comes with the sausage, which is made by Brooklyn Bangers, and Asian slaw, along with the usual accompaniments of cucumber, pickled carrots, cilantro and chili mayo.

Closer look at the sandwich

The sandwich was delicious (if you haven't already guessed that from the gushing above).  I loved the flavor of the sausage.  I asked someone when I was there what kind of meat was in the sausage.  They weren't sure, but it was so good that I'm not sure I even care what's in it anymore.  The most interesting thing to me about the sausage was the texture.  I was expecting something dense and with a casing, like kielbasa, but instead it was just ground meat in a loose sausage form.  Kind of like kofta.  I loved the texture of the sausage and felt like it worked so well with the other ingredients - the crunchy and refreshing cucumber, slaw and carrots, the creamy chili mayo, the fragrant cilantro, and the bread which was crispy on the outside but so soft and chewy on the inside.  It was a great sandwich.

Khmer sausage is soft and delicious!

If I worked near Num Pang, I think I would be there all the time, trying out all the sandwiches and sides.  But I think I would always be tempted by the Khmer sausage.  So good.