New York City, despite its wealth of immigrant cuisines, is almost completely devoid of Cambodian restaurants (the one exception being the sandwich minichain Num Pang). In fact, the nearest large Cambodian community is in Lowell, Massachusetts. Lowell has the second-largest Cambodian population in the US (behind Long Beach, California) and has a wealth of Cambodian restaurants. On a recent trip back from Maine, we visited Lowell and went to Le Petit Cafe, an institution in the local Cambodian community for over 25 years and one of the oldest Cambodian restaurants in town.
The entrance to Le Petit Cafe can be a bit difficult to find. It is off the main thoroughfare of Middlesex St., and the first sign for it is above a closed-off loading dock. We were worried that it was closed, but if you walk a bit further there’s another sign above a door. Through this door, you’ll be greeted by a nondescript hallway; you then turn a corner and go into another room in order to find the restaurant. But the food makes this all worth it.
Our server was extremely friendly and was happy to answer our questions. She also brought out some complementary cold black tea, a welcome refreshment on this hot July day. The menu at Le Petit Cafe is small, but all the reviews mention the same dish: kaw ko beef noodle soup with toasted bread. My companion was craving stir-fried noodles, and our server suggested the mee ka thung, a Cantonese-Cambodian dish of stir-fried flat, wide rice noodles with beef, shrimp, and Chinese broccoli, similar to the Thai pad see ew.
But the star of the meal was the kaw ko, a hearty beef stew with meat cooked until it’s falling apart alongside pieces of tripe and tendon, thin rice noodles, and toasted French bread. Cambodia, like its neighbor Vietnam, was a French colony and absorbed the French bread culture, as can be seen in the num pang sandwich (the Cambodian equivalent of the Vietnamese banh mi) and in the use of breads, instead of or in addition to noodles, as the primary starch to accompany soups. This bread was buttered inside and toasted until light and crispy, perfect for soaking up the wonderful kaw ko broth (or just eating straight!) This is excellent, cheap (under $10/person) homestyle Cambodian cooking that’s well worth the detour.
Le Petit Cafe
660 Middlesex St
Lowell, MA 01851