Walking through Little Cambodia in Long Beach, you immediately observe the housing density. Multi-unit housing with no visible garages exists, and I was surprised to see several instances of cars double parked. Men cheerfully played cards outside Cherry Donuts, and we soon approached our destination, Phnom Penh Noodle Shack.
I’ve wanted to have another take on Cambodian food. Previously I visited A&J’s Seafood Shack and a restaurant that is no longer in business, and I longed to experience the flavors again. I convinced my wife to join me that day. After all, we have a trip planned to Cambodia early next year. It was time to experience Cambodian cuisine.
Phnom Penh resides in a converted home in a residential neighborhood, and this restaurant is so popular that they have a “Wait to be Seated” sign in front of their restaurant and an iPad-like device for customers to check in. Fortunately, we arrived at 9:00 a.m., early enough not to wait outside.
They feature noodle soups with rice or egg noodles, rice porridges, and noodle stir-frys. If you’re the type to customize your noodles, they offer a vast selection of toppings. Despite being located in Little Cambodia, the menu is entirely in English, with thumbnail pics of many of their dishes, including their various noodles.
Student Noodles ($16) is a rice noodle dish that gets its name because it is inexpensive to prepare; Cambodian street vendors prepare this dish in front of schools. It is similar to Thai pad thai, with bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, and a choice of proteins (we selected beef).
It was interesting to observe that the servers have a role in preparing the noodle soups. They take the bowl of broth and noodles and add the various ingredients that are part of the order. To avoid collisions when delivering the steaming hot bowls, they say loudly, “Hot Soup,” as they pass by your table.
Lort Cha ($16) is another popular item, a stir-fry dish made with tear-drop pin rice noodles. The noodle is thick and chewy, but unlike Student Noodles, this dish had much more flavor thanks to the fried garlic and garlic fish sauce served on the side. A fried egg is optional.
I enjoyed Lort Cha and the Phnom Penh House Special rice noodle soup ($14) equally well; the broth excels here with a complexity far beyond Vietnamese pho, mainly with the addition of fish sauce. Be sure to squeeze a lime slice on top of it, as the citrus flavor works well with fish sauce.
Unless you can’t take spicy food, be sure to sample the many condiments and sauces supplied on the table. Our favorite was the thicker red chile sauce which worked quite well with each dish. But our favorite by far was the garlic fish sauce that came with the Lort Cha!
Phnom Penh Noodle Shack may be the best Cambodian restaurant in Long Beach and a mainstay in the Cambodian community. Dining at Phnom Penh Noodle House feels like eating at a good friend’s home.
Phnom Penh Noodle Shack, 1644 Cherry Ave, Long Beach; thenoodleshack.com