Phnom Penh House

251 - 8th St. Oakland
510.893.3825

Phnom Penh House is located at the edge of Oakland Chinatown. I heard good thing about it through a grapevine and decided it was worth the trip. Got there at 12:10, and by the time we checked the menu, the entire restaurant was filled.
Our waiter was friendly, and he recommended Sach Chhrouk Ann Kreun, which is pork charbroiled with lemon grass served with spiced sauce. We also ordered papaya salad with chicken.
Papaya salad was GOOD! Green papaya was thinly shredded with sprinkles of carrots, which was mixed with boiled chicken. It was topped with dam(pronounced "zam")and chopped peanuts. It could use some more heat, so we put hot sauce on it. Dam gave a special unusual flavour.
Charbroiled pork was also good. Thin slices of pork was marinated in fish sauce mixture and then charbroiled. They were served on a bed of thinly sliced cabbage. I enjoyed the charbroiled flavour. We also liked the pickles of cabbage and carrots. Cabbages and carrots were pickled in vinegar brine, and they had a slight sweet taste to it.
The entire lunch was $18.00 with tax and tip. We enjoyed it, but is it worth making a special trip from Marin? I don't know, maybe.