Renovation has been afoot in Henderson Center at 2850 F
St., where Annie’s Cambodian Cuisine has transplanted and transformed. The new
spot, formerly Le Monde and then Manzanilla, boasts an airier, more upscale
dining room than its former home in a run-down building on Fifth Street, now
slated for demolition to make way for a Starbuck’s and another drive-through
chain.
click to enlarge
Submitted
Annie Chau and Laura Chau-Yang at the new Annie’s Cambodian Cuisine in Henderson Center.
“We were
slammed. We’ve been pretty blessed,” says Laura Chau-Yang of the Oct. 17 grand
opening. Though some of that blessing was in heavy disguise back in March, when
her family was first hunting for another location. “Being forced to relocate
kind of gave us a clean slate,” she says. Chau-Yang, who took on co-ownership
with her mother Annie Chau in January, says local interior designer Aubrey
Ritter helped create a welcoming and transportive space that feels like
Cambodia to them. So far, the 56-seat dining room — roughly twice the size of
the old place — has been filling up.
“We’ve seen a
lot of familiar faces coming back,” says Chau-Yang. While everyone is getting
used to the new kitchen, the staff, but for one server who’s changed careers,
has returned, too. Regulars may see less of Annie’s husband, Chin Chau, though.
“My dad’s at the age where he just wants to retire. He’s worked so hard all his
life,” says Chau-Yang, who says she’s grateful to have his help making the
transition and “tying up loose ends.”
The dishes with
which the Chaus have built their loyal following remain as well, from the
cheese puffs and spring rolls to the lemongrass stir fries, coconut-rich
catfish amok and hot pots. Chau-Yang is cooking much of it alongside her
mother. “The cuisine is what I grew up cooking, it’s what I grew up eating as a
child. These are my mom’s home recipes,” she says. And those won’t be changing.
Bio:
Jennifer Fumiko Cahill is the arts and features editor of the North Coast Journal. She won the Association of Alternative Newsmedia’s 2020 Best Food Writing Award and the 2019 California News Publisher's Association award for Best Writing.