Gwangju Eats: Khmer Food
Otherwise known as Cambodian Food, this fairly new restaurant joins the notorious alleyway of food joints serving food from Southeast Asia, located near the Songjeong-li subway stop and KTX station. If you have not made the opportunity to stroll down this alleyway with an empty stomach, you really should. Although it is a mom-and-pop shop, it really does offer the flavors most travelers experience in the hub of Siem Reap or Ankor Wat’s home base.
Atmosphere & Service
The exterior of the restaurant is plain and simple, adorned with little more than a bilingual sign. The kitchen cook is the main greeter at the entrance and the menu is only in Khmer and Korean. Korean skills will come in handy since the owner, Su-young, is fluent. She was very patient and attentive as she waited for all her English-speaking guests to give their food orders. She also made sure everyone was happy with their food and beer after it came, as well as with the Karaoke machine in the adjacent room.
Food
Papaya! That is “all the jazz” in a world where the climate is sizzling and the fruit is ripe year-round. Papaya salad is commonly consumed in Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. The health benefits of this fruit are endless and the flavor is always delightful (well, maybe not the spiciness).
The papaya salad or “mok-ra-heong” was served in a refreshing bed of fish sauce alongside tiny pieces of crab, strips of carrots, the papaya itself (stripped), green beans and anise, all beside very spicy peppers. The next dish was “micha” — a rice noodle combination of sautéed bok choi, garlic and beef topped with Thai Sriracha hot sauce, not to be confused with the famous California Sriracha. Personally, this reviewer found the spice level high but not unbearable.
Prices
The papaya salad and the micha noodles dish were 6,000 won apiece. Other dishes include beef stew, fish ball and veggie soup, beef tossed with herbs on a bed of rice, and other beef balls and chicken dishes ranging from 10,000 won to 20,000 won. Korean beer and cola is also available to order.
Photos By: Mason Robinson