JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Hey Foodies!
Here's a spot that's sure to be one of your new go-to's: Banana Leaf Asian Bistro.
Banana Leaf specializes in Cambodian food. It's on Cassat Avenue right off I-10 in Jacksonville and at lunch time plenty of people inside will tell you how good it is.
Manager Vannin Som says Cambodian food is similar to Vietnamese and Thai food. You can get pho there, but Som encourages you to try their Cambodian dishes.
Som shows First Coast Foodies a basket of fresh vegetables and herbs like lemongrass and ginger. A mixture made out of its ingredients is used to create the first dish we try.
"This one, they call chakoueng," Somm said.
Choueng, number 25 on their menu, has rice and chicken. You can pick a meat that's stir fried with lemongrass, bell peppers, jalapenos, Asian eggplant and rice.
If you're feeling noodle-y, Som suggests trying this Cambodian dish: loat cha.
Loat cha is number 19 on their menu. It has short pin noodles, bean sprouts, green onions, chives, fried garlic, peanuts, egg, and homemade fish sauce
The last Cambodian dish Som's chef created for First Coast Foodies to sample was the mee ka tang, number 17. This one was First Coast Foodies' favorite, though it was a hard choice and each dish's flavor is different.
Mee ka tang has big flat noodles, a meat, Chinese broccoli, carrots, egg and a homemade sauce.
Som invites everyone in to share Cambodian food.
"I want to tell everybody in Jacksonville or different state, can come to try Cambodia food!" Som said.