Omar S.
Yelp
I ate at Trieu Chau last night, and was knocked out by the quality and simple comfort of the place and the food they serve.
The restaurant is literally a mom-and-pop shop, run by a Cambodian family who serve their home cuisine, plus some Thai, Chinese and Viet dishes. That sounds like a lot, and the menu is somewhat large and seems unfocused, but it's no different than your grandmother cooking a range of meals in different styles, and doing them all well.
As suppertime approached, I sat at home, craving fried shrimp. I wanted a version of the dish that showed off the shrimp, but Google and Yelp revealed that most kitchens in San Diego serve fried shrimp tempura-style. I looked for Cajun or Gulf Coast restaurants offering shrimp dredged in cornmeal and flour, but while most of them treat catfish that way, they too seem to confuse fried shrimp with shrimp fritters.
Then I took a look at Asian places, and was eventually drawn to Trieu Chau by photos of their Salt & Pepper Shrimp.
At $14, the "appetizer" could have been disappointing, but the order's 13 shrimp were fantastic, which made them a great value. Coated with what I believed to be corn starch and a bit of rice flour, the headless, peeled shrimp - approximately 26-30 ct - were fried to just done, and then topped with bits of perfectly caramelized fried garlic bits, chopped spring onion, cilantro and jalapeno, and served with a wedge of lime. They were delightful, and a great argument for not messing with something that works (I'm looking at you, Korean Fried Chicken).
When I finished the plate, I wasn't hungry, but I wasn't done eating yet, either. I'd asked Jamie, the owners' son who was running the front of house, what the restaurant's regulars order, and among his first responses was "ginger chicken." Dude seemed sincere, and I do love the taste of ginger, so that's what I ordered.
As I say, I wasn't hungry, so imagine my surprise when my Ginger Chicken was preceded to the table by a decent-sized bowl of Beef Bone Soup.
The soup was light, not greasy or overwhelmed by seasoning, and the provided bone contained a small amount of marrow, the rest of which had apparently melted into the larger pot of soup. The flavorful broth was refreshing, and was a nice bonus to my order.
Then came the Ginger Chicken. I was again served a surprisingly large portion, this time a lightly-sauced combination of chicken thigh meat, sliced bell peppers and white onion strings, and chopped spring onion and cilantro.
The dish, which was served with steamed rice, was delicious and comforting in the way that well-made burgers, lasagna or feijoada are comforting. And, the cook had deftly infused the dish with fresh ginger without leaving behind evidence of the root, so I was happy that I neither had to chew on shreds of it nor to pick large chunks of it out of my meal.
As I ate, 13 people either ate or picked up carry-out from Trieu Chau, including three couples, two families and a single older woman who came in jonesing for fried rice. Everyone was offered the same genial hospitality that I received, and I guarantee that no one who dined-in left the place hungry.
Trieu Chau is now definitely in my rotation, and I'm an idiot for having driven by the place for so many years, skeptical of its location and outward appearance. Take my advice: ignore those things (and the temporary roadwork-related obstacles to the restaurant's parking lot) and visit today.
