snackwire: kampuchea noodle bar

To continue the new informational series snackwire, today’s feature, Kampuchea Noodle Bar, is very timely in that the pr machine is in full effect on this one. For those looking to do purely information/reportage coverage, the following press release hit last month. For those looking to weigh in on reviews and share personal opinions, opening party (i.e. free eats) was last night. For those looking to make critical assessment as to authenticity, you’d better be ready to say that you’ve been to Cambodia.

Full press release (and bonus fact sheet!) after the jump.

Cambodia is Cooking in the Lower East Side

(November 7, 2006) New York — Asian food exists on nearly every street in New York City, but the number of Cambodian restaurants has just grown to one. At the corner of Rivington and Allen in the Lower East Side, Ratha Chau’s Kampuchea Noodle Bar is set to introduce a new set of flavors to devotees of Asian street food with soups, sandwiches and crepes adapted from his family’s traditional recipes.

Chau’s restaurant takes its name simply from the local pronunciation of the name “Cambodia.” His roots are in the southern half of the state, called “bottom” Cambodia, where through trade and time the local cuisine has taken on influences from China to the north, neighboring Thailand on the west and what was French Vietnam on the east.

East Asian noodle shops have gained popularity with New Yorkers in recent years, because they offer fresh, fast food at affordable prices. Those used to udon and soba will find that Kampuchea offers a completely different palate with intense herbs, rich homemade stocks and flavorful sauces and marinades. All of Chau’s dishes feature fresh, organic produce and handpicked meats and seafood.

Kampuchea’s menu is divided into six sections, and the Noodle Soups (Pho), Cold Noodles and Stews are Chau’s specialty. His perfectly balanced slow-cooked stocks are the foundation for added rice and flour noodles, meats, seafood and vegetables. The Phom Peng is the heartiest and most intense soup with a rich concoction of stocks coupled with seafood and beef. However, there are also chicken and beef options available. Or with a list of additions, you can Make Your Own Pho. A congee-like porridge called Bwah Moun comes covered with fresh vegetables and shredded chicken. And Sweet Basil Oxtail Stew slow cooks all day leaving tender meat in a tomato broth with herbs and onions. Diners will enjoy hands-on participation with the Savory Crepes, a French-influenced dish where a lettuce leaf, small pancake and fillings like chicken, shrimp or pork are eaten by rolling them up together with mint and Asian basil and dipping them in a spicy sauce (tuk trey). Like the Koreans, the Cambodians are intense picklers, and Chau also prepares a selection of Salads and Pickled fruits and vegetables that can be eaten as a course or as a shared side. A selection of Skewers represent the Cambodian version of satay, but instead of just chicken or beef, Chau prepares marinated cuttlefish and monkfish. Vietnamese banh mi have also become increasingly popular with New Yorkers, and the Cambodian twist on these baguette Sandwiches includes pork meatballs, and the traditional num pang (chicken pate, ground pork and cold chicken). Grilled Fruits (pineapple and mango) and Ice Cream (green tea, mango, taro and lychee) make up the list of light desserts.

Previously a Managing Partner at Fleur de Sel and having worked at the Elephant Walk in Boston, Chau brings his experience with French and Mediterranean wines to create an unexpectedly broad list focusing on whites from Burgundy, Austria and Germany. Kampuchea also features a selection of bottled beers from around the world and a full bar, which will present a number of specialty cocktails with Asian-inspired flavors like lychee and lemongrass.

At a time when South and East Asian cooking is more popular than ever, Ratha Chau expects that the relatively unknown cuisine of Cambodia will make a big impact with his fellow New Yorkers. “The food we serve at Kampuchea features a cross-section of cultures just like the neighborhood we’re in,” says Chau. “Witnessing the vibrancy of the Lower East Side makes me excited to live and work here. I feel we’ll be a perfect place for everyone in this diverse community to gather and truly enjoy eating.”

FACT SHEET Kampuchea noodle Bar

Opening November 21, 2006

Cuisine Influenced by the street food from “bottom” Cambodia with a variety of noodle dishes, stews, crepes and sandwiches.

Atmosphere The rustic interior takes its vibrant orange and brown color scheme from the colors of Cambodian monks’ robes. Warm and inviting, the open flow of the space draws the diner into a public space that is accessible and welcoming.

Owner and Chef Ratha Chau

Restaurant Hours of Operation

Dinner Sunday – Tuesday, 5:30pm-12am

Wednesday – Saturday, 5pm-1am

Sunday 12pm-12am

Lunch Begins in January.

Private Parties Closeouts only.

Reservations Only for party of 10 or more with a set menu.

Delivery At a later date. Takeout only at present.

Credit Cards American Express exclusively.

Number of Seats 45

Signature Dishes Salads and Skewers Cambodian Salad, cabbage, baby carrots, red bell pepper, tuk trey sauce…Grilled Sweet Corn, coconut mayo…Whole Sweet Water Prawns…Heritage Foods Gloucestershire Pork…Lemongrass Rubbed Beef

Cambodian Savory Crepes Gloucestershire Pork, Jumbo Shrimp, Free Range Chicken rice flour crepes, Boston lettuce, sprouts, tuk trey sauce

Sandwiches Cambodian Nam Pang, chicken pate, ground pork, cut chicken…Ground Pork Meat Balls, light tomato sauce…Grilled Seasonal Vegetables…Sirloin Beef, rubbed with lemongrass

Noodles and Stews Phom Peng Soup, chicken and beef broth, egg noodle, mixed seafood, beef ball, shrimp ball, fish ball…Hanoi Chicken Noodle, chicken broth, rice noodle, sweet sausage, sautéed shallots…Beef Pho Soup, beef broth, bun rice noodles, sliced raw sirloin, brisket, onions…Cold Rice Vermicelli, spring roll, egg sunny side up, tuk trey sauce…Bwah Moun Porridge, chicken broth, porridge, shredded chicken and cabbage…Sweet Basil Oxtail Stew, stewed tomatoes, oxtail, spring onions, toast…Make Your Own Pho Soup, various ingredients
Grilled Fruit and Ice Cream Ice Cream, green tea, lychee, taro, mango…Grilled Pineapple, dusted with coconut, green tea ice cream…Grilled Mango, honey, sesame seeds, mango ice cream.

Price Range Salads and Skewers $5–$9; Crepes $6–$9; Sandwiches $5–$9; Noodles and Stews $8–$14; Desserts $6

Wine List 75 bottles from USA, France, Germany, Austria, Italy and South America. Prices range from $25–$55.

Beer List 15 bottles from Asia, USA and Europe.

Cocktail List Specialty cocktails with Asian flavors and full bar

Address Kampuchea Noodle Bar

78-84 Rivington St.

New York, NY 10002

t. 212-529-3901; f. 212-529-3601

info@kampucheanyc.com

http://www.kampucheanyc.com

One response to “snackwire: kampuchea noodle bar”

arZan

January 20, 2008

We went there yesterday and had the most horrible experience ever in my ten years in New York. We were a party of 5 and were seated at a table at the back of the restaurant. We placed our orders and some of us got our drinks. At that point the waitress comes and asks us to move to the cornermost table so that they could seat someone else on ours. The only way to get to that table was for two of us to get up so others could pass behind us.
Also the table they wanted us to move to was for four people and she said we could squeeze in and sit.
All this for the “expected” future customer with no real customer waiting to get a table.
We told her that we did not want to move to that table and if there were other customers, we would gladly get up to let them into that corner table.
So she went and called the assistant manager, who turned out to be a complete jerk. He said that we could not dictate where we wanted to sit and that we had to follow his orders. At this point, however agitated we were getting, we tried our best to keep our cool. He goes somewhere and comes back and says that since we are not ready to move, the chef has said that he will not cook for us. This is the first time we had heard something so ridiculous. And this was after we had ordered drinks and food which would have totalled more than 200$.
The assistant manager then goes away and in some time the chef comes to our table. The chef Ratha Chau was extremely rude, had an attitude and told us that if we are not ready to move where he wants us to move we should leave the restaurant.
And thats what we do. As we leave, he comes out on the side street and starts fighting and cursing us. He tells us that we created a scene in his restaurant and not to come back. It took a lot of effort to not curse back and be the crude horrible person he was.
I will never go back to the restaurant and urge everyone to do the same.
In living in NYC for ten years and eating in countless restaurants here, this is the first time I have been treated so and have been asked to walk out of the restaurant.

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