Angkor Borei
3471 Mission Street (@ Cortland)
Tel: 415.550.8417
There's a calm at the center of Cambodian food and a subtlety that permeates the taste buds. Angkor Borei is a masterful example of combining subtlety with bold combinations that entice such enticing combinations. Its deceptively simple Cambodian creations are deftly woven together with consummate skill. And it's the modestly priced answer to other, often heavy-handed, Asian fare around town. The red and pink decor adorned with traditional paintings of Cambodian female figures and temples is the definition of kitsch by hip urban standards, but is just the right understated atmosphere in which to enjoy a memorable meal. What follows Dining at Angkor Borei is a primer in approaching Cambodian food.
A first stop at the appetizers is a must for any delightful entry into the world of Cambodian cooking. Often compared to Thai, Cambodian cuisine is lighter, less oily and far more restrained in the use of spice. But the dishes are no less intoxicating in their outcome. Angkor Borei serves up some of the best Cambodian appetizers in the city. The spinach leaves with tiny dried shrimp, chopped garlic, spicy green chili pepper and lime are a highlight among appetizers. Another favorite is the crispy Cambodian crepes, a lightly pan-fried layer of shrimp, pork, coconut and bean sprouts with a dipping sauce of lemon and garlic. The chicken salad is a tangy offering that never fails to satisfy with its mix of lightly spiced sauteed chicken, cabbage, sprouts and mint leaves.
For entrees, you'd do well to visit the pan-fried catfish fillet (or pompano when it's in season) for its paper-light batter and full-flavored succulence. It's easily the best dish on the menu. The sauteed prawns are a spicier choice. Sprinkled upon a bed of spinach in a rakish red curry sauce, they're a must for anyone craving a bit more of the piquant. The seafood combo with chunks of chewy squid, yielding shrimp, and lightly fried catfish in a simple garlic sauce is a tasty array of seafood with sauteed onions that stand up to the heat. If meat is more your style, the chili pork is tenderly prepared and pungently satisfying. A more traditional choice is the spicy green curry for its chili spices that start out at a low hum and slowly rise to a pleasing crescendo.
Angkor Borei has but only two dessert choices, yet both are truly unforgettable. The sticky rice with mango is easily the more exotic of the two. It arrives with dark brown sticky rice blanketed in a light evaporated milk sauce with a ripe, tartly sweet mango at its side. The taste and texture combinations here are infinitely satisfying to the senses. The other offering is coconut ice cream with fried banana fritters. Compared to the lighter fried fare, the fritters are slightly oilier but step up nicely to the sour sweetness of the banana. Combined with the fresh ice cream that is interspersed with morsels of fresh coconut, the effect is tremendous.
For a reasonable tour of Cambodian culinary sensations, Angkor Borei is highly ranked with appetizers ranging between $5-7 and entrees between $8-10. The service is swift and always courteous, and the waiters never forget to ladle out ample portions of sticky rice with every entree. Without a doubt, it's a low-key neighborhood gem in the Outer Mission.
Susan Knecht
Reproduction of material from posthoc is prohibited without written permission.
Copyright 2002, Posthoc, Inc.