Crystal Thai & Cambodian Cuisine

🇰🇭 CAMBODIA / HISTORICAL: It could not be more local than Crystal, which has kept regulars happy for many years.

🇰🇭 CAMBODIA
📍 1165 E. 10th Street,
Long Beach, Harbor.

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📆 Original Article 08 December 2018

If you are the type of person that wants to avoid hoopla and get to the heart of the matter, a visit to Cambodia Town favorite Crystal is in order. It may not be the hottest or flashiest place at the top of “best of” lists, but by the looks of the happy customers they are doing things just fine. Follow their lead and stay on the Cambodian side of the table, despite the double feature in the name.

If you can only try one thing on a solo visit, go with this fine ban chao (below), the Cambodian version of the Vietnamese dish more commonly recognized as banh xeo. This rice flour "pancake" is stuffed with whatever you want and can be either with meat or vegetarian. A plate of lettuce arrives to use as wrappers for bites of the pancake, all of which should be dipped in the sauce that comes served on the side.

Ground pork ban chao.

The rest of the place might be empty when you visit depending on the time, or alive with big Cambodian families. Think of something witty to say and earn their good graces, maybe you can join the feasts on their table as the new family friend.

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