| rev:text
| - It's hard writing this review being a Cambodian born and raised in Long beach, Ca because we wanted so much to love this and came out so incredibly disappointed. Having moved out to Az a little more than half a year ago, we were roaring for some Cambodian food and were so hopeful when we found what looks like the only Cambodian spot in Az . The space is small but cozy, decor is a mixture of cambodian and thai inspired art, some probably found from Ross or Ikea, which isn't to say it looked bad, just slightly inconsistent. The sporadic pictures and posters of famous Cambodian artist was a nice touch we would have liked to see more of. The music was a nice addition we enjoyed a lot. The service was good, but our food took some time to come out which we didn't mind overlooking at the time because we were so excited at the time... But...unfortunately, we have to say the food was not a good enough representation of good Cambodian food and was unfortunately not worth the wait.
We ordered the fish with mango salad, the fried rice with lok lak, and the bbq platter. We were so stoked to see the fish and mango salad on the menu, we were eager to order it. What we got was a sliver of catfish filet covered in mango salad that was missing it's basic flavors. The catfish was incredibly fishy-like an unfresh, gamey fishiness that was simply too overpowering, we didn't finish what little piece we were served...the fried rice and lok lak was perhaps the one dish we all agreed couldn't go wrong...and for that was probably the worst. The fried rice tasted of too much soy sauce and the lok lak was so over seasoned we couldn't finish it. It's important to mention it didn't come with it's signature lemon pepper sauce which may have helped cut down the saltiness. Meat wasn't what it should have been either, not tender but tough and chewy. The bbq platter which consisted of beef skewers, bbq chicken and bbq pork weren't bad per se...the beef skewers were the only thing that we all agreed was actually good. Something we could imagine getting from hak heang, crystals, la line, riverside market or even how mom would make it. The pork and chicken weren't necessarily bad but definitely lacking. Overall, the experience or service wasn't bad but we're sad to say the food and price isn't something we'd come back for.
|