Simply Khmer

Cambodian cuisine. What does it look like? What does it taste like, and what are the dishes you really need to try? Honestly, I don't really know, but I cannot wait to find out.

We are in Lowell, Massachusetts, which is home to the largest Cambodian community in America, and this is the place to go for authentic and creative Cambodian cuisine. So let's dig right into Simply Khmer.

Simply Khmer is a real family-owned and operated business. Mom and dad came to America as refugees when they were kids. The rest of the staff is made up of a lot of cousins and aunts, and their son Xavier runs the front of the house.

“Simply Khmer is a Cambodian family-style restaurant. This is a diner experience that is very specific to the Cambodian experience, which I think is super special, and I want to keep sharing it.”

It's part eatery, part gift shop, part Cambodian market. But really, the focus here is all on the food because the smells coming out of this kitchen are insanely enticing.

The specialty here is what they call Cambodian-style diner food. Basically, this is the food you can find anywhere from the street vendors to the home kitchens in Cambodia.

To start out, here’s something pretty much everyone will love: some steak skewers. Perfectly marinated, skewered, thin slices of steak, and you can really taste those distinct Cambodian herbs and spices.

I was pretty surprised to find out their best-selling appetizer is this spicy fried calamari. It's all deep-fried, very golden, very crispy. And the key is the sauce known as an Angkor sauce. Very traditional blend of herbs, spices, and peppers.

Crispy, golden, saucy. I am way into Cambodian calamari. That is awesome.

The calamari is so popular that they started now serving some Angkor-style wings as well. Now these are the full chicken wings. You're getting the wing. You're getting the drumstick.

These wings would be perfect, even plain. But when you add that kind of sweet and spicy sauce to it... yeah, juicy, crunchy, spicy. Everything I want in a wing.

Here's another good starter dish if you're just trying Cambodian cuisine for the first time: the Lok Lak beef.

I would consider Lok Lak to be a Cambodian-style steak. It's marinated for hours. It's seared over high heat in the wok. It's served over some cucumbers, lettuce, tomato, and onion.

So this is a relatively simple steak dish, but sometimes simplicity is the tastiest.

“Lok Lak is just one of those dishes that I can give to anyone, and they're gonna like it. Has the sweetness. Served with the salad. It's just classic.”

A very popular street food in Cambodia is known as Lort Cha. Lort Cha is a noodle-based dish. They're little, stubby, chewy kind of noodles, and you can have whatever kind of protein you want inside.

In this case, we load it up with a whole bunch of seafood and beef and vegetables. And to take it to the next level, you got to get it topped with a fried egg.

Digging into this thing is like going on a treasure hunt. And I have definitely discovered the treasure.

Noodles. Eggs. Seafood. Beef. Scallions all together.

I always love a Chinese-style lo mein, but this takes it to the next level. I'm serious. Fantastic.

Anytime I'm going out for Asian food, I always want a big bowl of soup. And at a Southeast Asian restaurant, that is definitely the case.

Just check out this big bowl. It's called Kuy Tiev Kaw. So this falls somewhere between a noodle soup and a stew.

“We call it a stew because it's slow-cooked, has carrots and has all that flavor in there that cook over time, over a long period of time. We do ours for about 12 hours.”

It's very hearty, lots of depth of flavor, and lots and lots and lots of noodles.

Now let's dig into Cambodia's national dish. It's called Amok Trey.

Amok Trey is a seafood dish, and it has an interesting presentation and a very incredible aroma.

This has a nice flaky white fish that is poached in a blend of coconut milk and curry sauce, and it’s all served inside of a banana leaf boat.

I don't know how that banana leaf is holding this stuff in, but somehow it just works.

You can see those little filets of fish coming out of that steaming hot broth. The fish is very, very delicate. Every single crevice is completely covered in that sauce.

You can taste the curry, spices, you get a little bit of sweetness, but the seafood is what shines, and that's the way it should be.

I see why that's Cambodia's national dish. These guys know what they're doing here.

With pretty much everything on the menu, nothing is all that exotic. These are all dishes you've had something similar to before in your life, and yet the flavors and the textures and the presentation are just way next level.

So if you want a great restaurant experience with some simply fantastic food, you simply have to go to Simply Khmer.