Kampuchea

For whatever reason (perhaps its proximity to a whole slew of bars where a dramatic set of hipsters get ripped nearly every night of the week) I had been avoiding Kampuchea Noodle Bar on Allen and Rivington. The scene, with its communal tables and scattered menu (Share plates! Sandwiches! Noodles in Soup! Curry! Stew! Or Cold form!) seemed to be too much of a labyrinth to navigate.

However, a dear friend invited me along for dinner. I didn’t want to be antisocial as a result of my disapproval of the restaurant choice, so I went along, choosing to write off the place entirely before I even arrived and not worry about what would be going down my gullet. It was a Friday night towards the end of summer, just when the whether was beginning to cool off in the evenings.

When I arrived, I noticed all of Kampuchea’s windows were thrown open. I know I had said that I wouldn’t evaluate the place, but the window situation gave me some foreshadowing hope!

The menu was only hard to choose from because of the myriad of enticing choices! There were six diners, so we took the liberty to order many dishes.

What I liked most about Kampuchea’s cuisine was the unabashed usage of spice. Nearly every dish had an element of heat to it that made the dish exciting to eat. Moreover, to compliment the heat of many dishes, a bowl of delicious toasted garlicky bread arrived plate-side.

The dish that I couldn’t help but wolf down was the skirt steak sandwich. Served with toasted coriander and sambal chili paste, the tender steak came with a kick; the spices invigorated my mouth, and the bread cracked and yielded at exactly the right points. Other stand out dishes included the mussels with pancetta bits and okra with grilled shrimp, which are best eaten with your hands and with the exoskeleton. Even simple dishes like the pea salad were refreshingly vibrant. Delicacies like pea shoots and Chinese sausage are found cheap in Chinatown and re-appear on the menu.

Perhaps I should have looked beyond the hipsters and welcomed Kampuchea as a refuge in the neighborhood.