Chez Sauvon Express

Chez Sauvon Express
Chez Sauvon
Asian
Restaurant Row (opposite Sunset Grill) N.A., HI 96814 Phone: 808 599 8812 Neighborhood: Honolulu Map N.A.
Chezsauvon staff
Chezsauvon stew
Chezsauvon chicken
Chezsauvon amok

When Baun Thuy Sauvon left Cambodia with her five children during the reign of despot Pol Pot and his communist guerrilla group, Khmer Rouge, she could never have imagined she would one day be the owner of several successful restaurants in America. “My mom was sent to Long Beach, CA,” says daughter Kelly. “She spoke no English, knew no one and was a widow, caring for all of us.” After years of working for various groups as a translator, she moved the family to San Jose and motivated by the need to earn more money decide to buy a truck stop hamburger joint. “One day, friends of hers asked her to cook some Cambodian food instead of the usual hamburgers,” says Kelly “ and the result was amazing.” TToday Chez Sauvon in San Jose and sister restaurant in nearby Campbell are amongst the most popular restaurants in the area.

 And those with a palate for a great plate have already descended on Chez Sauvon in Restaurant Row. 

 
If you enjoy the flavors of Thai food, then you’ll immediately recognize most of the ingredients used in Cambodian cooking. “The flavors and the ingredients are the same,” says Sauvon, “we just use them differently.”

Amok, a Cambodian specialty gives perhaps the clearest indication of the difference in the two cooking styles. In this hearty dish, fish is marinated in a blend of lemongrass, paprika, green onion, galangal, and egg. The substantial mixture is then shaped and frozen for a few hours to maintain its shape. Once set, the fish is wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed. Thai ingredients, but a different cooking method entirely.

Salads resemble those you would find in most Thai restaurants – although they seem larger and packed with healthy ingredients- and the ubiquitous BBQ chicken sticks with peanut sauce are here too, only chunkier and juicer than most.
The location (formerly Boomerangs) opposite Sunset Grill is attracting an enthusiastic lunchtime crowd. 

Try the Chicken and Green Papaya Soup if you can. A house special (not served every day) this is a gloriously fragrant bowl of clear chicken broth with generous portions of papaya and chicken. A hearty dose of black pepper gives the soup some heat. At $1.50 it is one of the best dishes under $2 in town. Lor’d –Lumpia (Cambodian style egg rolls) are crisp, deep fried spring rolls filled with chicken, taro hickama, cilantro and shallots ($1.99) and Bie Ling (Sauvon’s fried rice) is familiar, but like most of the dishes, just a little different. Plates range in price from $1.99 - $5.99 depending on size and combination plates offer two three or four items with rice for between $4.99 and $6.99.

“We’re open for dinner too, “ says Kelly who is trying to keep pace with the hectic schedule of being open 6 days a week,” and we do family packs for people who want to pick up dinner and go.” Dinner includes three menu items and rice – enough for four to five people for just $21.95.