UPDATE BELOW: Additional Rookie of the Year Finalist Announced.
The finalists have just been announced for Rookie of the Year at the 2012 Vendy Awards.
Click through to find out the rookies who have been recognized for their delicious food.
One of the better lunch deals around, whether from a food truck or a restaurant, is Cambodian Cuisine Torsu. Most of their lunches are $5.95, and you get a lot of bang for the buck.
During our most recent visit, we decided to get #11 from the menu, which is called Karry Tuek. It comes with either chicken or tofu and veggies in a Cambodian curry broth, over vermicelli noodles.
With the temperature in the 80′s, I also ordered Thai iced tea for $2. They also have Thai iced coffee for the same price.
(credit: NYSF)
(credit: NYSF)
One of the more interesting food trucks in NYC is Cambodian Cuisine Torsu. The owner, Jerry Ley, and his wife Christine, came to America 30 years ago as penniless refugees from Cambodia. On my first visit to the truck, Christine told me that “torsu” means “don’t give up” in Cambodian, and the slogan over the truck doors says “On The Street Looking To Survive”. They’ve had some difficult times, but have not given up.
Jerry’s passion is cooking Cambodian food for people. The truck first came out a little over a year ago serving only dinner from 6-11pm by the NYU Welcome Center. They were off the road over the winter, and are now back serving lunch around the Flatiron District and dinner by NYU.
On this visit to the truck, I went for #10 on the menu, chaar kuey teo koke for $5.95. I also wanted to try an appetizer, and got a #3, mchoo soup ($3.95).
(credit: NYSF)
I started with the mchoo soup. If you want to know what mchoo soup tastes like, imagine if egg drop soup and hot & sour soup got married – that’s it. It was pretty vinegary, had a bunch of egg in it, and was spicy. The broth was thick and had a few big pieces of tofu, sliced bok choy, scallions, bamboo shoots and vermicelli noodles.
The chaar kuey teo koke was a sauteed wide rice noodle and chicken dish with lots of additions. By additions, I mean small pieces of scrambled egg, cabbage, garlic and a few green vegetables like baby bok choy and Chinese broccoli.
(credit: NYSF)
The sauce was a little spicy, but not overly so. With plenty of sliced white-meat chicken, noodles, greens and egg, I really enjoyed this lunch. I didn’t need the soup, the noodles were plenty, but I wanted to try two different things.
The best way to find Cambodian Cuisine Torsu know is to follow them on twitter account here or our Mobile Munchies twitter feed. They are usually by NYU for dinner, but are still trying different areas for lunch.
Jerry & Christine (credit: NYSF)
chaar kroeurng with chicken
We received an email from Joshua Frank, a freelance journalist and Master’s student at NYU who just finished a mini-documentary about the Cambodian Cuisine Torsu food truck and the Ley family’s story.
Joshua thought New York Street Food readers might be interested in checking it out. After watching the video, we agree.
If you’re in the Washington Square Park area in the evening, check out Jerry’s wonderful cooking at the Cambodian Cuisine Torsu truck. We’ve are slowly working our way down the menu, and have enjoyed 3 meals there so far.
Cambodian Cuisine Torsu is usually parked by the NYU Welcome Center on West 4th St from 6-11pm, but check twitter here for their exact location and times.
On the Street Looking to Survive from Joshua Frank on Vimeo.
One of our favorite new food trucks this year is Cambodian Cuisine Torsu. For our new readers, the truck was founded last month by Jerry Ley, who had the Cambodian Cuisine restaurant in Fort Greene, then on the Upper East Side.
Jerry had serious landlord problems, but found a way to do what he loves, serve people fresh Cambodian food. He opened a food truck.
We previously had two meals there: soup and a spicy chicken dish and an enormous banh mi type sandwich called num pain saach. Over the weekend, we had another chance to stop by the truck.
We’re slowly working our way through the menu, which is pretty easy to do for two reasons: they often park in our neighborhood, by Washington Square Park; and every main course is $5.95, with soup and appetizers $3.95. Definitely easy on the wallet!
They are usually open from 6pm-11pm and alternate between two locations in the Central and East Village. Check their twitter here for exact details.
Jerry & Christine
This visit, we decided to get charr kuey teo, a noodle dish with peanut sauce and either chicken or tofu.
Click image for map 
