Remembering Cambodia

Mixed memories of Cambodia course through this young and vibrant tribute to the street food of Southeast Asia.

Ratha Chau, who, with most of his family, fled Cambodia when he was 1, has revisited his homeland several times. He is best-known as the buttoned-up manager of Fleur de Sel, then the shirtsleeved floor boss who launched Ribot. Taking a page from his childhood, he now commands the open kitchen of Kampuchea as owner-chef.

Flanked by a chef de cuisine, Mr. Chau supervises a fascinating menu of hits and near-misses.
But who has the expertise to accurately judge Cambodian--or Kampuchean--cooking? Mr. Chau says the cuisine has no benchmark in New York. The question becomes: Do you like what you're eating? The answer: Most of the time.

Kampuchea is the ancient Khmer name of the often troubled nation. Notorious Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot renamed Cambodia Democratic Kampuchea as he exterminated 1.5 million of its inhabitants.

The only threat to guests at the Lower East Side restaurant is the fierce noise level born of a full house seated amid hard surfaces: pressed-tin ceiling, bare wood floors, uncovered tabletops and glass walls open to the street. Soothing and smoothing the way is an attractive, personable staff--that's Mrs. Chau on the door--all of whom "work from their heart," Mr. Chau says.

Small tables, wooden benches and drink menus printed in Mead notebooks express recollections of early school days. But top-notch drinks like blackberry margaritas and "grilled" Bloody Marys, spiked with wasabi and ginger, are definitely not kid stuff.

Guests begin with such Cambodian "share" plates ($7 to $12) as grilled sweet corn coated with coconut, mayo and chili; a pickle plate of zestily spiced watermelon rind, daikon, cabbage, cucumber and soy sprouts; or honey-glazed crispy cubes of pork belly. Other shares are chicken, tofu salad, seared sweetbreads, and a spicy and sour treatment of mussels.

Four savory crepe options ($11 to $12) feature vegetables, chicken, pork or shrimp cooked after marinating in tuk trey, a mixture of fish sauce, vinegar, lime juice, sugar and garlic. The items are build-it-yourself packages that diners wrap in lettuce leaves and dip in a sauce containing crushed peanuts. Though flavorful, the crepes require considerable finesse with chopsticks.

Num pang ($9 to $13) are sandwiches made with toasted baguettes that come with pickled vegetables and chili mayo. Pulled oxtail in spicy tamarind-basil sauce is terrific, hoisin-laced pork meatballs with rice and light tomato sauce a solid runner-up.

Small plates from the grill ($9 to $12) include tamarind- and honey-glazed baby back ribs that fall from the bone at the touch, as well as lip-smacking organic chicken wings in a five-spice chili sauce.

Ten meal-sized soups, stews and cold noodle dishes ($14 to $17) compose the heart of the menu.
The broth in Phnom Penh katiev, a noodle soup with a bit of everything--shrimp, chicken, pork and duck--seemed flat and out of place. Ditto the bwah moun, in which jasmine rice, chicken, tiger shrimp, lime juice, Thai chili and other elements foundered in less than felicitous broth.

The overall read is that diners can have a lot of culinary discovery and fun at Kampuchea without embracing the noodles. There was also a long wait between early courses and the uneven mains.

Knowing what we now know, we'd return to try other grills, like lemongrass quail with lime-black pepper sauce or ginger-rubbed freshwater prawns. And perhaps order more num pangs, including pulled catfish with honey, shallots and peppercorns.

A lot of thought went into the beverage selection. Excellent wine matches include Gr�ner Veltliner and Riesling, and beers from Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and the Philippines are available.