The Mekong River runs nearly 5,000 kilometres, surging its way through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and southern Vietnam, and so Cambodian-born chef Y Sok encompasses all those subtleties of both culture and cuisine at her celebrated restaurant Mekong Cat in Stockport.
You’ll get an authentic Bangkok-style Pad Thai, Lao-style hot and spicy soups and Cambodian braised pork with noodles in a menu which spans all those countries, and which has found fans in high places. Frequently mentioned in chef-ey circles in the city, Sam Buckley, of the Michelin-listed Where The Light Gets In, just around the corner, is a regular.
He’s one among many, and this small but perfectly formed spot gets packed most nights of the week (don’t just turn up, or be prepared for potential disappointment). Owner Y, who also owns Cambodian spot Kambuja in Marple, has been cooking many of these recipes, which have been handed down through her family, since she was 10 years old.
As such, they’re just as you’d find them across South East Asia, not watered down to cater for more western tastes. Her Vietnamese-style beef brisket pho is clean and restorative, made by simmering beef bones with roasted ginger, onions and warming spices for a full 12 hours, while the khao soy chicken, hailing from Chiang Mai, is creamy, spicy, and served on the bone.
The famous Phnom Pehn-style noodles with braised pork, roasted onions, garlic and dried radish comes ‘Khmer style’, with more pork (minced and sliced), seafood, meatballs and tripe. There’s a wealth of vegetarian dishes too at The Mekong Cat, from the first-rate vegan tom yum to crispy, sweet glazed cauliflower wings.
This place is a gem.