DISH OF THE WEEK: Loc Lac at ANGKOR CAMBODIAN BISTRO

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

SADLY, ANGKOR CAMBODIAN BISTRO IS NOW CLOSED.

At this point, most Americans have tasted Thai and even Vietnamese food. Pad thai and spring rolls are well on their way to being as ubiquitous as dumplings and sushi. But Cambodian cuisine is not one that is on everybody’s radar.

And it’s tough to even find it in New York considering the only other Cambodian food options I can think of are the general Southeast Asian sandwiches from local chain Num Pang and a missing-in-action food truck that used to park near NYU.

But lo and behold there’s another opportunity to try this under-represented cuisine. And you don’t even have to leave the island of Manhattan. Although heading up to the far east location of Angkor Cambodian Cuisine might be as daunting for some as hopping the ferry to Staten Island.

This classy restaurant is worth walking through the mostly residential area between Midtown East and the Upper East Side and finding solace just steps before reaching the East River.

Angkor has a large menu with some dishes that are recognizable from other Southeast Asian restaurants. We skipped the coconut milk curries and the papaya salad for dishes that were listed as Siam Reap specialities. You won’t find these at your neighborhood Thai joint.

Loc Lac is actually similar to a Vietnamese dish called bo luc lac (or “shaking beef”). This looks similar to that but there’s a special black pepper sauce that made this stand apart for me.

The menu lists a spicy symbol next to this dish name for people like my mother who find black pepper too spicy. I find it wonderfully earthy and pleasantly potent. The sauce is served on the side crawling with black pepper specks. It also features a hit of sweet acidity from lime juice.

Dipping the juicy beef brings the flavor to another level, but even on its own this stir fry stands up thanks to a delicious soy sauce marinade that helps the meat brown and brings out a slight sweetness.

Angkor is one of the few Cambodian games in town but even if there were ones on every corner and luc loc became a delivery staple, I still can’t imagine them being quite as good as this. Price: $18