Kirirom offers varied menu

Published 10:44 am Monday, March 3, 2008

You can find many storefronts scattered throughout the greater Seattle area that serve up Pho and Thai cuisine. And of course, Chinese restaurants that specialize in seafood. A few Cambodian restaurants pop up as well.

Then there is Kirirom in Lynnwood, a primarily Cambodian eatery that puts it all together in one smorgasbord of Southeast Asian cuisine.

The varied menu draws on Cambodian, Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese fare and features 98 items. Visitors feast on hearty sandwiches, flavorful soups and entrees.

“We make everything like we eat at home,” said Chea Davy, whose family opened Kirirom in March 2005.

For starters, diners can select from six appetizers, including wrapped shrimp, egg rolls, grilled short rib lemongrass and garden spring rolls. The spring rolls’ thin rice paper skins come packed with rice noodles, shrimp, pork, lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts and mint. A mild dipping sauce comes on the side.

For main courses, the soup menu is extensive. Phnom Penh Noodle Soup combo ($4.95), is one of five versions of that particular soup on the menu. The savory broth contains ground pork, pork toploin and fish balls with green onion, cilantro and garlic. A plate of bean sprouts comes on the side.

Other choices include Cambodian seafood noodle soup and beef noodle soup as well as four types of Vietnamese Pho. Beef stew is also an option.

There are subtle differences in texture and flavor between the Phnom Penh soup and the Vietnamese Pho, Davy said. Hard-to-find seasonings such as a particular type of basil make the difference, she said.

If you’re in a hurry, the Vietnamese sandwiches are inexpensive and tasty. The six sandwiches feature different meats and come on a French roll with mayonnaise, lettuce and other veggies. The juicy meat on the grilled short rib lemongrass sandwich ($3.85) makes it particularly worth trying. The barbecued pork sandwich ($3.50) is a solid choice as well.

If you have a hankering for Thai, four different types of Phad Thai, chicken, beef, shrimp and tofu, are on the menu.

Fried rice dishes, curry dishes and specialties such as crispy trout in sweet and sour sauce ($10.95), sour duck soup ($10.85) and Tom Yum, a hot and sour soup, are also intriguing choices.

Of course there is always standard Chinese fare with items such as orange chicken available.

The portions are generous and the prices affordable. The most expensive items on the menu (crispy trout salad and crispy Basa fish salad) are $13.85.

Fifteen tables fill the dining room and Cambodian music plays in the background. During a weekday lunch visit the service was swift.

It’s not easy for a restaurant to take such a wide swath of cuisine and do it all well. However, Kirirom, which means “mountain of joy,” and is the name of a national park in Cambodia, seems to do fine and is worth a visit.