Eight years ago when I returned from three weeks of travel in Cambodia, one of my favorite destinations that I have ever been, and wanting to stay in my "Cambodian travel afterglow," I ached to eat at a Cambodian NYC restaurant. However, there were none in the city. Through the years I would continue to seek out a Cambodian place, but nothing, not one Cambodian restaurant in New York. And then, last week, my Cambodian gastronomic prayers were answered . . . A Cambodian restaurant named Angkor Cambodian Bistro located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan had opened. The restaurant run by Minh Truong, a native of Phnom Penh, is the head chef, and his wife Mandy who is from Guangzhou, China acts as the hostess. The couple for twenty years ran the very successful Royal Siam (Thai) restaurant in the Chelsea area of New York. We are all blessed that they have brought their talents and joy to finally . . . a Cambodian restaurant in New York!

As soon as you enter Angkor Cambodian Bistro you are struck by the calmness, and the overall loveliness of the restaurant. A golden-sculptured head of Buddha greets you. Soft lighting lends itself well to the cool soothing soundtrack (mix of Tony Bennett, Jackson Brown) and the decor with an acute eye bespeaks a Cambodian (Khmer) feeling. Please especially note a couple of the fine paintings of the iconic Angkor Wat. The restaurant seats about fifty, the tables made of a handsome polished wood (hand-made by the Minh and Mandy) offering a healthy spacing between each other.

Cambodia which is wedged in between Thailand and Vietnam borrows tastes from these countries (as well as France and China) but has its own distinctive flavor. Cambodian cuisine uses less chili and coconut cream than Thailand. It is a very flavorful cuisine, but one that is more subtle, less spicy, lacking the "heat" of Thailand, some dishes having a slightly "sweet" taste. With that said, however, there is a Cambodian ingredient known as "prahok," which is a pungent fermented fish paste and is an integral part of many Cambodian dishes (Thailand and Vietnam do not use). The taste is  distinct, tangy, a definite acquired taste for westerners. At Angkor Cambodian Bistro they do not have any dishes using "prahok," which to be honest, I was a little disappointed by, but I am sure they gave this a good deal of thought and geared the menu toward their clientele. That is my only slight complaint food wise though, as I found my dishes full of flavor and delicious here.

Probably the most famous soup is Khmer Sweet and Sour Soup, which contains prawns, pineapple, tomato, young lotus stems, tamarind, sweet basil, lemongrass, coriander, lime leaves, sauteed garlic simmering in Khmer home-style broth.

Nem Nuong, Khmer style BBQ balls of ground pork hash served with a thick sauce of sticky rice dipping sauce cooked like congee with peanut shavings. There is a very similar Vietnamese version of this as well.

"Attentive and warmth of service," is a phrase that too often is loosely thrown around in describing a restaurant visit. But my recent lunch at Angkor Cambodian Bistro, I felt this completely, and observed how Mandy with a glowing-spirit would go table to table making sure all diners were happy, and patiently answering all questions on the menus and Cambodian cuisine.  She shared a "beautiful" story how she and Minh first met in  southern China,  over the past two decades between their owning Royal Siam, and a brief stint with their  Royal House Cambodian in Fairfield, CT. Minh's story is inspirational, as he and his family including seven children escaping the Khmer Rouge and fleeing their homeland in 1975 at the age of sixteen. The journey to Vietnam and done on foot took three months, his brother died on this journey.  Meeting him you feel a special calm and appreciation of a unique person.

If you order only one dish at Angkor Cambodian Bistro, (though I hope you have others)  this is the one you MUST have! This is Baked Amok, it is known as the "National Dish" of Cambodia. The Baked Amok is a sea bass stuffed with large prawns, scallops, and submerged in red curry, with lime leaves and peppers. It is served in a banana leaf which rests inside a china bowl. And on top, a small dabbing of coconut cream. The curry is on the mild side, but full of big-time flavor. The texture is on the dense side, almost mouse like. A very special dish.

Sorry to make this restaurant patron duck as I photographed this large and significant painting in the restaurant. This painting was large and had a museum-quality is of Ta Prohm in Angkor Wat, was just one of the fine examples of the outstanding decor and attention to detail that prevails at Angkor Cambodian Bistro.

Khmer (Cambodian) language lesson - "Hello" (Sus- a-day)  "Thank you"  (Ah-coon)  "Delicious" (Ch-ngan)

Interesting fact about Cambodia - 50% of Cambodia's population is under the age of 15.

Address - 408 East 64th  (212) 758 - 2111.