Southeast Asian cuisine will be the main dish in Long Beach as the second annual Cambodian Restaurant Week serves up some of the city’s best Asian dishes.
“We want to celebrate our food and our culture with the wider community,” said Sayon Syprasoeuth, the program manager for Long Beach’s United Cambodian Community, organizers of the Restaurant Week, which runs from June 2-9.
Long Beach is a fitting place for an event that celebrates Cambodian food since the city was the first in the nation to designate a Cambodia Town in 2007. The city is home to refugees who escaped the brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. It now has a population of more than 50,000 people, which is believed to be the largest concentration of Cambodians living outside of their home country.
And with the people, of course came the food.
“Some of these restaurants have been here since the refugees came back in the late ’70s and we really want to support them,” Syprasoeuth said.
About 15 restaurants are participating in the Cambodian Restaurant Week, which will offer discounted prixe-fixe menus.
The specific menus for Restaurant Week weren’t finalized as of a couple of weeks before the event but some of Syprasoeuth’s can’t miss spots include Battambong BBQ, which infuses Cambodian spices and seasoning in their food.
“That’s definitely a favorite. They have all of these very meaty pulled pork, beef and sweet corn dishes. That’s a fun and heavy meal so if you like that, this is the place to go to,” he said.
But since it’s a pop-up people will have to do some work to find the barbecue joint, so Syprasoeuth suggest checking their Instagram account to find out where they will be for Restaurant Week.
For those who love noodles, a can’t miss spot is Phnom Penh Noodle Shack, which has been on Long Beach since the early 1980s at 1644 Cherry Ave.
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“The food is definitely authentic and so many types of noodle soups and more staple traditions like the the rice broth, which is basically a rice porridge and the Cambodian donut, which is a fried bread,” Syprasoeuth said.
His final can’t miss spot is Sophy’s Cambodia Town Food & Music, at 3240 E Pacific Coast Highway. The place is a sort of hidden secret in Long Beach that’s been around for quite a while.
“They infuse a little bit of Thai flavor in their food. My favorite is the Angel Wings, which are these stuffed chicken wings which you just have to have,” he said.
Cambodian Restaurant Week
When: June 2-9
Where: Various restaurants
Information: cambodianrestaurantweeklb.com
