Nyum Bai - Oakland

If you are planning to go on a weekend, expect lots of wait time. They don't have reservations but you can join the wait list on Yelp. But the waits worth it. You get the best tasting food (with more hints of garlic which I like) and beautifully plated dishes. Order bunch of different ones and share to get a taste of everything (they serve portions in family style, easy to share plates)

Food here is really delicious and the servers are great. The banana blossom salad was delicious, very flavorful. Slightly tart from the vinegar dressing but not overpowering. We added the shrimp, which were perfectly grilled (three shrimp for $3). The pork belly with a medium boiled egg was my favorite dish. The sauce was perfect with the rice. The shaking beef was tender, and the greens and tomatoes was farmer's market fresh. Great, attentive, friendly service and delicious food. Lots of parking 1.5 blocks away in the evening at the BART parking lot (don't park there during the daytime on weekdays).

We waiting an hour or so after adding our name to the Yelp wait list. There is very limited seating so our party of three sat at a table intended for two. All the items we ordered were excellent. 1) fried chicken with ginger sauce: the sweet salty ginger sauce and hefty crunch really was a great appetizer. Since it's not seasoned inside, it was a good move to make the sauce rather bold. 2) Koh: pork belly in a peppery sauce with bamboo shoots. The pork belly has the perfect fat to meat ratio, and cooked to perfection. 3) chien Tray Ngoum Mango: we opted for the fried catfish since they had run out of amok. The mango salad is generously tossed in chili pepper powder and lime juice reminded me of tajín! The acidity is very well balanced. The batter on the catfish is slightly thick, allowing it to soak in the sauce without losing the crunchy texture. 4) Cha Troup: this minced pork and eggplant dish looks rather dull at first glance. The charred flavor of the eggplant imparts a toasty flavor to the meaty, sweet, salty goodness of the sauce. Fantastic on rice. The place is packed. Despite rushing back and forth from the kitchen, the wait staff were polite and apologetic about the hectic atmosphere. I definitely will come back to explore the other dishes on the menu!!

Great service. Host and waitress where attentive and helpful. Food was great. Solid beer selection

February 2022 Visit: Saturday Night Okay to be fair my friend and I had already been eating all day and we had a full dinner before coming here, BUT... I had heard so many good things about this restaurant and it was walking distance from the last restaurant) so we stopped by to share a dish. It's located in Fruitvale and while the neighborhood is a little rough around the edges, this particular shop has a very hipster/trendy feel to it. There were neon lights inside. Patrons were asked to show both ID and vac card to be seated indoors, though there were quite a few takeout orders and outdoor tables. Honestly, we were full but the hostess told us about the Prahok Ktiss Bai $20), which was Chef Nite's favorite dish, so we HAD to try it. The veggies were fresh, and the minced pork concoction was tasty with the rice. However, I think had I had room I probably would have loved to have tried the Kuy Teav Phnom Penh Noodle Dish $18) with Shrimp $3) and/or the Mee Kola $18), a cold noodle dish. I will be back!