{"id":81373,"date":"2024-02-01T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?post_type=newspack_nl_cpt&p=81373"},"modified":"2024-02-01T07:52:27","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T15:52:27","slug":"i-tried-sophys-for-the-first-time-and-you-should-too","status":"publish","type":"newspack_nl_cpt","link":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/newsletter\/i-tried-sophys-for-the-first-time-and-you-should-too","title":{"rendered":"I tried Sophy\u2019s for the first time and you should too"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

\u2014 ADVERTISEMENT \u2014<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u2014 ADVERTISEMENT \u2014<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Long Beach Eats<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Weekly tips from the Long Beach Post’s food reporter on what to eat and where to score sweet deals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

FOOD<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

MUSIC<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

ART<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

INSTAGRAM<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

YOUTUBE<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Green mango with dried shrimp, basil, and red onions from Sophy’s: Cambodia Town Food. Photo by Thomas Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t seem to stay away from Zaferia<\/strong> \u2014 good coffee shops, a French wine bar, and great food, including Sophy\u2019s: Cambodia Town Food.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a transplant, I know I need to take advantage of all the Cambodian cuisine<\/strong> Long Beach has to offer. And as I\u2019ve started the journey of eating my way through the city\u2019s lauded establishments, Sophy\u2019s came to mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actress and cookbook author Tiffani Thiessen<\/strong> recently ate there<\/a>, saying she had been told by so many friends about it. I\u2019ve heard the same, so I asked Visuals Editor Thomas Cordova <\/strong>to come <\/strong>with me and be my guide, since he\u2019d eaten there before.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it turns out I didn\u2019t need Thomas at all, although I was happy he was there. Our server was incredibly helpful in guiding us towards our picks. We wanted something light and fresh<\/strong> to balance our craving for noodles, <\/strong>so we went with the neoum green mango<\/strong> and the loudchah<\/strong>, sometimes written as \u201clort cha.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Rice noodles with green onions, bean sprouts, lime and crushed peanuts from Sophy’s: Cambodia Town Food. Photo by Thomas Cordova. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The neoum green mango<\/strong> consists of matchstick strips of unripe mango tossed with red onions, basil leaves, crushed peanuts in a sweet and tangy lime sauce and the choice of dried fish or dried shrimp (we went with the shrimp). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fair warning, the dried shrimp<\/strong> is fishy so if that\u2019s not your thing, that may not be the best pick for you. But the dried shrimp, which is given generously, add a nice substance to what is essentially a very low-calorie salad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found myself eating it every which way \u2014 by itself, on top of rice and mixed with the noodles. Its acidic crunch<\/strong> was addictive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the noodles were easily my favorite part of the meal. The menu describes them as \u201cshort and stumpy<\/strong>\u201d which is accurate, but to my surprise they\u2019re simply rice noodles in a peculiar shape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While many rice noodles<\/strong> are thin and flat, these are tubular noodles that have pinched ends as if squeezed through someone\u2019s fingers instead of chopped. The dish comes with egg, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, a sweet and sour sauce, lime and we picked chicken as our protein. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The noodles were wonderfully soft and chewy<\/strong>, the bean sprouts added a necessary crunch and all the fixins on top kept me going back for more. I didn\u2019t find I needed much of the sweet and sour sauce, partially because I was mixing the noodles with the green mango, but also because it had a wonderful rich umami<\/strong> that I didn\u2019t need anything else except an occasional pinch of lime because I\u2019m an acidity fiend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And perhaps best of all, the atmosphere of the restaurant is warm and inviting. It was clear that Thomas and I were a little overwhelmed encountering a menu filled with over 100 options, but our server was kind and excited to share the cuisine with us. She steered us away from more Thai-style dishes (the restaurant offers things like papaya salad and pad thai) and encouraged us to try authentic Cambodian dishes, which was our goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if you haven\u2019t been, and are worried about being out of your depth, don\u2019t. It\u2019s the perfect place to start exploring Cambodian cuisine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell me which Cambodian spot to go to next by emailing me at caitlin@lbpost.com.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New eats around town<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Coffee Station<\/strong>, a new coffee shop in Downtown<\/strong> brings together Turkish traditions (and coffee) to the heart of Pine Avenue.<\/strong> Former UFC fighter Alptekin \u00d6zk\u0131l\u0131\u00e7 and his brother Engin hope it will eventually be a place for people who want to avoid bars to hang out in the evening. Read more about it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hawaiian Gardens <\/strong>is getting a new concept from Michelin-recognized Khan Saab<\/a> in Fullerton.\u00a0SHOR Bazaar<\/strong> will have a craft mocktail (alcohol-free) bar and a chef-driven menu that draws upon the cuisines of Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. Read more about it here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you been to any new restaurants or have some recommendations for me? I would love to hear your thoughts. Make sure to reply to this email or reach me here: <\/em>caitlin@lbpost.com<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Events and Specials<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

McDonald\u2019s<\/strong> is bringing back their breakfast bagel sandwiches for a limited time only to all Southern California locations beginning Monday, Feb. 5<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Super Bowl Sunday <\/strong>is quickly approaching so I\u2019ve rounded up 10 places in Long Beach where you can watch the big game on Feb. 11. Trademark Brewing will have a free bounce house for kids, food vendors and seating you can reserve for free, Altar Society Brewing Co. is also offering table reservations with a full meal, snacks and more. Visit the Hi-lo<\/a> for more details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to learn more about fermentation? Culinary bookstore Kitchen Lingo <\/strong>is hosting a class on the subject. Tickets cost $85 and include a two-hour master class from the people behind Fermentality and an edible fermentation to take home. Space is limited, tickets can be purchased here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Caitlin Antonios<\/strong> is the Long Beach Post’s food reporter. You can find her on Twitter at @caitlinantonios<\/a> or reach her at caitlin@lbpost.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n

\u2014 ADVERTISEMENT \u2014<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u2014 ADVERTISEMENT \u2014<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Try the green mango slaw and stir fried noodles at Sophy\u2019s: Cambodia Town Food in the Zaferia district.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":314,"featured_media":81362,"template":"","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","pmpro_default_level":0,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"hidden","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","disable_auto_ads":false},"categories":[],"tags":[],"coauthors":[32152],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt\/81373"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/newspack_nl_cpt"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/314"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt\/81373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81382,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt\/81373\/revisions\/81382"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81373"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=81373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}