Nyum Bai--Oakland, CA (Cambodian cuisine)

This former pop-up now has a permanent location near the Fruitvale BART station at 3340 E. 12th Street, Suite 11. Be aware of your time and space if you are driving in, as this is a very busy location that does not have much in terms of parking. Walking from BART, however, is a breeze.

The bold, lively and authentic Cambodian flavors of this establishment made me really pay attention to my food and every bite gave me new found hope that there are still Chefs in the Bay Area that are not afraid of bold flavors. I was also very impressed with the quality of ingredients, as they make their own sauces, pastes and pickles, as well as use organic and locally-sourced ingredients as much as possible.

Here are some of the things I've enjoyed.

http://www.nyumbai.com/



Ginger Fried Chicken. Extremely crunchy chicken wings were battered, fried, and topped with a ginger, chives and sugar glaze. This was very enjoyable and would have paired wonderfully with beer or whiskey.

Ngoum Banana Salad. This lovely looking dish was made with banana blossoms, cabbage, mint, sweet basil, bell peppers, and cucumbers. It was gently dressed in a sweet lime sauce and topped with chopped roasted peanuts. The sauce had no oil, but the sweetness came through as well as the umami from the fish sauce. A very refreshing appetizer.

Prahok Ktiss. Nestled within the center of this bed of rice is a typical Cambodian condiment made with fried, minced pork that's been slowly simmered in coconut milk, salty prahok (fermented fish paste), fragrant kroeung (spice/herb paste), and sweet palm sugar. This is normally served with crunchy seasonal vegetables, but I opted to top my rice with it. It was so full of savory goodness, this would have enhanced any dish.

Koh. Chunks of pork belly and fried tofu were slowly simmered in coconut water, dark soy sauce and palm sugar. Then a hard-boiled egg was added to the mix to soak up those flavors as well. This may have been the simplest of their dishes, but it was one of my favorites, since I love soy sauce-based flavors and egg. It was incredibly comforting and delicious.

Kuy Teav Phnom Penh. This was a very light and tasty seven-hour pork broth that warmed my soul. I could have had the broth all on its own, but the additions of minced pork, shrimp, fresh herbs, bean sprouts, rice noodles and fried garlic made this a fragrant and hearty meal.

Kuri Saramann. An incredibly rich curry bathed pieces of short rib and potato. This sauce was thick, complex and reminiscent of a dark mole, even though the spices were Asian in nature with cardamom, ginger, chili paste and coconut cream. The meat was tender and soaked up the flavorful concoction very nicely.

I would say this is more of a takeout location since they have very few tables available for dining in, although the small space was made up to be cute and cozy. The service at this establishment was very casual and pleasant, but the food will keep me coming back again and again.