12.28.08
Review of Kampuchea, Saturday October 2008
78 Rivington & Allen Sts., 212-529-3901 [now closed]
Great for: Café Habana-style corn with less wait, noodle lovers, upscale Asian food near Chinatown, fried chicken appetizer
I had no dinner plans one Saturday – I know, shocking! This guy I really liked turned out to be a total flake – and instead of feeling sorry for myself, I capped a long, efficient day of shopping with dinner here. I wouldn’t know how authentically Cambodian it is but I hear good things about that. And the food is great, which is all that really matters.
The corn on the cob appetizer is fantastic. I love the same thing at Café Habana, and it was delightful to find it here unexpectedly. Basically, the Kampuchea version has spicier sauce, less cheese and more coconut. The ears are enormous as well. I was kind of happy no one I knew was there to watch me decimate two giant ears all by myself… it’s a bit of a messy process. I think I acquitted myself as daintily as could be expected though.
The duroc pork katiev with wide, flat, white noodles continued my happiness. I ended up adding a lot of hot sauce and ate all the leaves. I very much enjoyed the small and dried yet meaty shrimp. The pork was really good, with some fat but edible.
It’s a bright cheery place, with friendly servers, communal wooden tables and nicely sized stools. I wish they’d do takeout of more of the menu, but I can understand some things need to be eaten right away. I have actually been dreaming about the next time I can come back.
Rating: 8 6.5 / 10
My cost: $30
Noise level: I could still hear myself think
Chance of walking in: small. It’s not a big place, try early. They’re closed Mondays and lunch is only Friday to Sunday. Never mind, they’re shuttered for good as of December 2010.
I returned in March and June 2010 with a Boyfriend, and they’d added the Norry – basically doubling their space and adding a large bar – and revamped the menu. My beloved noodles are gone, replaced by entrees. By June the food was nowhere near as good as March. I can still halfheartedly recommend the corn and the fried chicken app with basil, spiced fleur de sel and lemon – I was so turned off by the gritty mussels in June, I don’t even care to research what happened with the kitchen staff. The brisket and pork ribs were pretty good in March. They are quite stingy with fish in the catfish num pang, though the little bit there is tastes nice. I did not enjoy the accompanying sweet potato chips, which didn’t taste like anything. The Boyfriend’s mussels were extremely sandy. Their broth with shallots and okra was good, but couldn’t possibly make up for mouthfuls of grit. I would have been really pissed about the poor food quality except I had a BlackboardEats discount. That might have been why they were still packed at 9 on a Wednesday. In any case, I’m disappointed and not bothering to go back any time soon. And it might be why they closed in August 2010 and reopened as a glorified hot dog place called Bun & Co. Which almost immediately closed too. Good riddance.
