Angkor Chef — Restaurant in San Jose

Seven adults with varying culinary tastes enjoyed a delightful Cambodian dining experience at Angkor Chef on Thursday of this past week. The manager, Kent was very helpful in advising us in the "spicy" levels of various dishes. I am partial to low-level spicy and was pleased with the Angkor Noodles while others in our party enjoyed the higher-spice dishes like Tuk Prahok and Ku Tev Cha. One of their signature dishes is Salmon Skin, which I have never seen anywhere else. The Head Chef, Channy, visited us several times to inquire as to our dining pleasure. The restaurant is on the smaller side which was nice in that we could easily hear each other, yet neighboring tables were not so close that we were packed in el-bow to elbow with other guests. The decor is modern, yet also modest in tone. Reservations might be recommended for a larger party like ours, particularly on a weekend. Parking was extremely close - a major public parking garage is right across the street. The metro system is also convenient as it runs down First Street in front of the restaurant. It was well worth our drive...

I wanted to try Cambodian food, there’s only a couple in the Bay Area, and this one was closest to me.

The grilled corn was creamy and a bit sweet. I got it in a bowl, but they also sell it on the cob. It was pretty tasty, I’d order it again.

The pork laab was really yummy. The dish is a salad with cucumbers and minced pork. I really liked the spices they put in the pork, there were some red chilis in it, but I found it to be more fragrant than hot.

Papaya Salad was also solid, but I preferred the laab and the corn. The fish sauce was quite pungent. I thought it was fine, but my mom really disliked it. It’s quite a bit spicier than the laab, I was sweating while eating it.

They have an option to have it with skewers or sausages, I opted for the sausages, which was a good choice in retrospect, because they were quite tasty and helped balance out the strong flavor of the salad.

Like the other reviewer said, Angkor Chef is based out of a ghost kitchen, with only takeout or delivery options. You can call them, or order using a food delivery app. They opened in...

Angkor Chef is one of these new Ghost Kitchen concept restaurants spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. The "restaurant" is basically a rented commercial kitchen that creates dishes for take out. The address / commercial kitchen is shared with several other businesses. Hats off to the entrepreneurial ingenuity of the folks bold enough to open a business during trying times.

The process is bit strange, but simple: Either order online or call the number listed on the site and place your order. Then call the folks again when you get to the address and someone will come out with your food and payment options.

~ Pearl Noodles (Lote Cha) - 4/5 Looovvee me self some Pearl Noodles. The Beef skewers were pretty good. Tri-tip marinated with Cambodian BBQ sauce, char-broiled.

~ Jackfruit Seed (Noum Krawp Know) - 3/5 Not for me...I'll pass on this one. I wasn't a fan of the texture or the taste. Not saying this was a bad dish, just didn't personally care for it. It was just a bit strange for me...

Wishing these guys...