We went to Phnom Penh last night with Su and Sommie, and it was surprisingly delicious.  When looking up directions to this place, I had a sudden recollection of Joe (number 2!) mentioning this place and how he really liked it when he and his coworkers stumbled upon it for lunch one day.  Knowing Joe’s tolerance for Asian (and other ethnic cuisines), for him to praise a hole-in-the-wall Cambodian place was duly noted and filed away in my mental file cabinet.

It’s tucked away in a non-descript section of Lawrenceville Highway in Tucker, and you would never find it unless you knew to look for the wrong sign.  The signage still bears the marks of its previous tenant, Beef Stix.  If you’re looking for the place, just drive down Lawrenceville Highway until you see a modernish white and maroon sign labeled Beef Stix.  It’s located between Flanigan’s and The Milk Jug but across the street, for you Tucker locals.

We were a little afraid when we pulled up because the place was fairly deserted.  There were one or two cars parked out front, and a table of two inside.  For context, this was about 7:15 on a Tuesday night.  But through some voracious mobile Yelping, our fears were assuaged as review after review recommended a healthy handful of dishes.  Inevitably, we ordered them all.

Quick food review:

Baan Chav – A huge nicely textured crepe with an amazingly flavorful meat filling inside.  It’s excellent with their dipping sauce.

Fish Amok – Definitely get the fried version.  Even though the fish is covered in delicious sauce, it somehow still maintains a good crispiness to it.

Beef Sticks – Very flavorful, with a touch of sweetness to it.  The beef they use is fairly good quality steak, and is quite tender.

Noodle Soup with Chicken – This might have been our least favorite dish of the evening, largely because the soup is unexpectedly sweet.  Granted, we’re no Cambodian food experts, but it was somewhat of a turn off.  The chicken was also a bit dry, but the rice noodles had a good mouth feel and not overcooked.

Curry Saraman with Beef – Our feeling toward this dish might have been somewhat muddled due to the fact that this was the last one out and we were pretty full by then.  There is definitely a LOT of flavor, but that may also be why it didn’t appeal so much at the end of the meal.  I can see myself eating the whole plate of this with a big bowl of rice as a nice big hungry lunch.

All in all, the food was surprisingly good.  There was so much flavor in every dish.  Large portions, along with being incredibly affordable, was more than enough for me to grab a take out menu to ease this place into our rotation of go-to quick-and-cheap eats.

The owner was incredibly nice too.  He served us the entire evening, and his wife does all the cooking.  On weekends, his daughter comes in to cook as well.  It’s a true family affair, and it shows.  The restaurant, although sparse, is the result of this family doing what they do well – serving up good plates of home cooking.

If you haven’t had a chance to go, make some time to go.  It really is a hidden gem in the middle of Tucker.

Some shamelessly stolen pictures from Linda’s phone after the jump:

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