Exploring Cambodian Cuisine

Adam Erace risks his Asian food cred as he ventures into the unknown at the Cambodian Kavei in South Philadelphia.

Surely I’m not one of those people, I reasoned. The bone-and-fat-fearing, the spice-averse. Had Cambodian food outed me? (I did enjoy the PG Kavie dumplings filled with pork and water chestnuts, after all.) Usually, servers smile and nod in approval when I order at their restaurants. Here, my friendly, sweet and informative waitress called the outrageously flavorful grilled beef skewers basted in coconut milk I ordered—and loved!—“approachable,” or some equally disconcerting adjective. The nerve.

Kavei [Philadelphia Weekly]