CAMCHILAO
Restaurant · Fruitvale Station ·
Cambodian & Lao street food, tacos, & unique spicy sauces
Cambodian & Lao street food, tacos, & unique spicy sauces
"This food truck stationed just outside the Fruitvale BART station features a concise menu of Cambodian and Lao street food dishes, with a smattering of vegan Chinese options as well — hence the “Cam” “Chi” “Lao” name. Head here for bold-flavored classics like lemongrass-scented chicken cha-kreung, Lao-style papaya salad, and, perhaps most popular of all, the truck’s take on deep-fried chicken feet, served with a bright fish sauce and chile dip. It’s nostalgic comfort food, mostly — larb tacos are the only real gesture toward fusion. For customers who want to stay and eat, there’s a fairly spacious fenced-off outdoor seating area." - Luke Tsai
"At this Oakland food truck I found a focused menu of Cambodian, Chinese, and Laotian street foods run by co-owner Mary Ros (with partner Joe Souvannalat and former contributor Kin Lee). Camchilao — parked at 3216 E. 12th Street and open Tuesday–Sunday, noon–8 p.m. — has quickly built a following for larb tacos, papaya salads, and fried pork belly, but its standout is the fried chicken feet: a labor-intensive item (they slice the nails off each toe) prepared to a hot, lightly battered crunch dusted with cayenne and garlic powder, full of cartilaginous bits you dig between the toes and best eaten by ripping off big joints and chewing like a crawfish. They come with a potent “bomb sauce” of fish sauce, lime juice, Thai chilies, and garlic, routinely sell out, and serve as proof that an uncompromised version of a beloved festival dish can find a broad audience; Ros says the truck exists to make kreung, fermented fish, and other hard-to-find festival foods available year-round, and she’s already thinking about adding lemongrass-marinated, split grilled duck heads next." - Luke Tsai
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