Scene - Phnom Penh Noodle

Media Credit: Dale Johnson
Pork and meatball noodle soup

Media Credit: Dale Johnson

Dale Johnson

Issue date: 12/7/09

Section: Scene

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

We can all use some home cooking from time to time, a meal that fills us up far beyond capacity, letting us focus on the rest of our busy life rather than our empty stomachs. And what better home cooked meal than a hearty porridge or stew that warms us up on the inside as the temperature continues to drop outside?

Well, there is one hole-in-the-wall place that can satisfy both of those needs, and it's right here in Long Beach.

On the 1600 block of Cherry Avenue sits Phnom Penh Noodle, an unsuspecting home converted into a restaurant that would blend in with the rest of the houses on the block if not for the bold block lettering that adorns the outside of the restaurant. In this most unlikely of places, you will find this hidden gem, where $5 gets you a full plate of stew or porridge - Cambodian style.

While Cambodian food may be a taste of Asia that is often overlooked in America because of its unfamiliarity, its simple dishes definitely pack lots of taste and flavor. Cambodian food is unusual because of the spices and meats in its dishes, but it has one thing that everyone is looking for in a meal: it is delicious.

And it's affordable too. A regular-sized soup, a tough task to finish even when you're pretty hungry, is only $4.50 at Phnom Penh Noodle, and it is filled with lots of noodles, your choice of meat, and a savory broth. Add in some of the house hot sauce, bean sprouts and lime juice, and now you're really talking.

The beef and meatball noodle soup comes packed with lots of beef and several floating meatballs, and so many noodles that the tasty broth was nearly spilling over the large bowl. Make sure to use the hot sauce, which is available in the dining room, to give your soup a spicy kick. Besides the beef and meatball, the noodle soup comes in seafood, Phnom Penh, and beef stew varieties. Not surprisingly, the Phnom Penh is the house special and comes with both shrimp and pork, mixed in with the signature rice noodles and broth.

The porridges are just as tasty and filling as the noodle soups. They also come in chicken, fish and pork varieties, mixing in your choice of meat with a thick porridge that is sure to fill you up. Phnom Penh Noodle also has a few stir-fry noodle dishes, including beef and broccoli and seafood and broccoli.

Wash these plentiful and tasty helpings down with the free tea that Phnom Penh Noodle offers and you have one satisfying and unique meal - not bad for the five dollars you'll spend. Make sure to bring cash; that is all that the restaurant takes. And lunchtime is definitely rush hour at the noodle house, so parking can be a bit of a pain, but the wait will be well worth it.

If you are seeking out that taste of home cooking, you can't go wrong at Phnom Penh Noodle, with their unique take on the traditional ideas of soups, stews and porridges. Cambodian food belongs in the same breath as all the much loved Asian cuisines, and five bucks and a trip to the simple home of Phnom Penh Noodle will be all it takes to realize that.