Yan W.
Yelp
We first tried Cambodian cuisine in Long Beach after visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific. My hubby had been craving Cambodian food since we were in Long Beach, as there's a Cambodian town there.
I saw Cyclo Noodles have good reviews, so I decided to give it a try.
It's located in a newly renovated plaza, and many parking spaces are available. The cuisine features Cambodian, Thai & Vietnamese food.
The place wasn't fancy, but it was a casual dining establishment. We chose to order food from the kiosk machine, which was a self-service option. We received the utensils and water ourselves.
We ordered the following:
-Phnom Penh Noodle
-Pad Thai
-Spring rolls
-Banh Song Noodle Salad
Phnom Penh Noodle: $14.60 + $1.50 (egg noodles) - Hubby ordered the regular size (you can upgrade it to a large size for $3 extra). It includes rice noodles, but we chose egg noodles, so we paid an extra $1.50.
You can also add more ingredients, such as meat, veggies, or noodles, by paying extra fees. The Phnom Penh Noodle had ground pork, sliced pork, fish ball, shrimp, squid, lightly sprinkled cilantro, and crushed fried garlic. It was flavorful and similar to Chiu-chow style noodles.
Pad Thai $14.25
Stir-fried noodles with egg, tofu, bean sprouts, and green onions mixed with house sauce. We chose beef for our protein. (Chicken, beef, and tofu are the choices for no extra charges, except seafood)
The beef quality was not that good, and they were chewy. Pad Thai flavor was on the savory side and not much of the sweetness. It was more like a Cambodian and Thai fusion Pad Thai to me. My daughters liked it, but hubby and I prefer more authentic Pad Thai.
Spring rolls $8.25
This appetizer had 3 pieces of Spring rolls with Shrimp, chicken, vermicelli, basil, mint leaves, cilantro and lettuce wrapped in Rice sheet and dipped in savory peanut and sweet sauce.
The Vietnamese spring rolls were okay. We've tasted better spring rolls at other places, though.
Banh Song Noodle Salad $14.60
I ordered this Banh Song Noodle Salad, and it was cold Vermicelli noodles with fresh cucumber, bean sprouts, mint leaves, basil, lettuce, egg rolls, and a choice of chicken, shrimp, or Beef topped with our cyclo sauce. (I picked chicken for the protein)
It was similar to Vietnamese bun for me. The portion was big.
I liked this dish, but the chicken meat could be more tender. I liked the cyclo sauce and the coconut sauce.
Overall, it was not bad, but I had higher expectations. It was a 3.5 stars to me (round up to 4 stars).