Bites Nearby: Phnom Penh Khmer Restaurant

Each week, Patch picks a great restaurant either in town or nearby that is worth checking out.

Here is this week's choice:

Alas, not many people seem to know about this excellent restaurant, located in a strip near Killian Hill Crossing. Squeezed between an odd store-front church and the over-powering presence of Joe's Country Buffet, its present existence belies its shaky past.

Phnom Penh has done a disappearing act twice in its relatively short history - once after a fire at the previous location in Tucker, then a move to Lilburn which took months to accomplish. Those of us with a fondness for the place worry that it may close yet again if enough customers don't show up. Indeed, every time I go there's a startling lack of fellow patrons. 

The chef is the charming and diminutive Malis Mam, and her ever-cheerful husband Nal Yun takes care of the customers.  They bill their fare as "Authentic Khmer" and it's tasty and inexpensive. Its akin to both Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, yet with a character very much its own.

The Fish Amok is popular and deservedly so - crispy on the outside, tender within and covered in a special sauce with onion and bell pepper. There's Spicy Basil Catfish, and very spicy it is. You can have various curries, salads, soups and all manner of noodles such as Mee Ka Tang, which has egg, broccoli, your choice of beef or chicken and a rich brown gravy. Banch Cheve is a crepe stuffed with ground chicken, shrimp and bean sprouts, served with lettuce and House Sauce. They won't divulge the ingredients in the House Sauce, but it's really good.

The same can be said of the whole menu. Cambodian restaurants are a singular rarity in Georgia - go treat yourself.  

Location: 4800 Lawrenceville Hwy., Suite 4, Lilburn. Info: 678-694-1598. Open Tuesday - Thursday, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Saturday, noon - 11 p.m. Sunday, noon - 9 p.m. Closed Mondays. Pricing: $6.95 Lunch menu. $8.95-12.95 Dinner menu. Alcohol is not served, but they don't object if you bring your own.