Finally made it to this cute little Cambodian place in Long Beach! As some of you may remember, I fell in love with Khmer cuisine at the former Siem Reap in Long Beach, only to have my waitress tell me that they were closing in 2 weeks! That place had a very extensive menu, and I really enjoyed exploring the Khmer specialties over 3-4 visits during those last 2 weeks of business. Since, I’ve wanted to find a replacement for some of the flavors and dishes I loved most. Today, my search led me to Little La Lune.
Inside
I tried 3 things: the Fried Wonton (#20) appetizer, the Pork Chitterlings entree (#28) and the Nhom Sdao salad (#24). I also had a fresh young coconut as a beverage/dessert.
Service was leisurely, but polite and friendly. The chitterlings came out first, and WOW I think these are my favorite chitterlings to-date, even better than the ones at Siem Reap! There’s a nice heat to these, and the sauce they serve with it pairs perfectly! There was also a large mound of pickled veggies on the plate, and I really enjoyed noshing on these.
Pork Chitterlings
Next came the fried wontons. These are triangular and pork-filled, and quite good. I would have preferred a different sauce, though; the sauce served is a golden, gloopy, super-sweet “duck sauce” type of pairing, and I wished I had more of the chitterlings’ dipping sauce. Next time I’ll make a note to ask if this would be possible.
Fried Wontons
Fried Wontons
Finally, the sdao salad. Now, sdao is a very bitter herb for those who are unfamiliar, and my waitress showed she cares about her customers’ enjoyment of their meals when she asked to make sure I knew what I was ordering. Once I indicated I was familiar with sdao, she nodded approvingly; that was a nice touch. The salad was delicious! The best way I can describe a sdao salad is that it’s filled with salted/pickled/shredded veggies like cucumber, scallion, bean sprouts, etc. and tossed with pieces of fried fish, sdao flowers and a dressing. This iteration included some pork, too, and had a particularly tasty dressing, with notes of fish sauce, vinegar and a little bit of sweetness.
Nhom Sdao Salad
A word about pricing and portion size: At first glance, it seems like pricing is pretty average, maybe a little high for Thai/Cambodian food, but the portions are actually quite large–this place is a good value, but I would definitely want to bring a dining companion or two to sample and explore multiple items on the menu.
Next time, I’ll have to try the Beef Anchovies salad…