Trieu Chau - Santa Ana

My parents first brought me here probably over 25 years ago. I have been visiting since. They have the best Katew Phnom Penh ever. The dish is also known as the House special or Hu Tieu I believe. Although not all of the staff speaks Khmer but they 'll understand when you order the Phnom Penh Noodz. The house special is like a surf and turf in a bowl comprising of several different kinds of meat, such as chicken, pork, liver, shrimp, duck, meatballs, fish balls, etc. You can also order it dry which will come with a big bone side soup, and different options of noodles such as the thin rice noods, to flat fat ones, or egg noodles. The environment is quite busy and don 't be surprised if you end up sharing a table with a stranger. There 's always a wait but it usually doesn 't take long. Parking can be difficult during peak hours so you may have to loop around the lot a few times. I also really enjoy their mee katang with beef. It 's like beef chow fun basically but Cambodian style. Their shu mai and crispy crab cakes appetizers are great too if you can handle that much food. Price is reasonable, service is there, and place closes at 5 pm usually. If you somehow have never tried this place, i strongly recommend it.

We came in on a Sunday around 3pm and there wasn't a wait. We ordered the #1 combo and it was good. The variety of meat was nice. I felt that the broth was a bit bland and lacking but adding the sriracha and hoisin sauce helped a lot. I liked that they offered to blanch the bean sprouts as well. Overall solid meal. When I was grabbing my utensils I noticed some of the soup spoons were dirty but I just picked up the next one and wiped it down.

I've noticed Trieu Chau Restaurant a few times since my family and I always made sure to visit a neighboring restaurant located within the same tiny strip. I wasn't ever really intrigued enough to actually stop by until my last few trips to LA. One thing that is a constant at each and every visit extremely rushful service. My most recent visit was no different- very pushy and lowkey kind of rude. I get you guys are busy. I get that you want people in and out so the business can maximize profit. BUT!! Getting seated, menus provided, and me not being able to completely review the menu before being rushed into ordering is just too much. Between 2 employees, we were asked about ordering 4 times and we had just gotten seated not too long ago. Food is good but what keeps me consistently coming back are TC's chinese donut sticks!! The best way I can describe this deliciousness is imagining a dau chao quay [donut sticks] and banh tieu [sweet sesame hollow donut] coming together and having a baby!! No other place compares. 3 stars overall factoring the last visit was only so-so. The huge bone provided in soup was super dry and tough while the donut sticks were cold. Upon asking the owner to reheat at least one stick, he declines saying it was not possible because the sticks would then become rock hard. We settled with the cold carbs but even with the fluffy interior, it was would have been so much better even slightly warmed. Meh.

Hearty noodle bowls and generous portions what else could you ask for?? My husband got the side order of the beef bones and the portion was huge! He pretty much ate that for his breakfast and was stuffed. I ordered the chow chow noodles (comes with their Chinese style chicken, some fish balls, ground pork, and shrimp) with egg noodles dry style and broth on the side. Food comes out quickly and steaming hot. Flavors were bold and the chicken was super tender. There's both Indoor and outdoor seating. We came on a Tuesday morning around 10am and was seating in a few minutes. It was pretty full for a weekday! But seating and tables were clean, fully staffed team, and bright lighting inside so it felt very upkept.

Cheap and delicious Cambodian restaurant. I was in OC and decided to pick up dinner on my way home and this popped up on Yelp. Portions were massive and food was delicious!