Organization
Golden Monkey Cafe
Golden Monkey Cafe is a family-owned Cambodian restaurant on Chestnut Street in Lynn, Massachusetts, opened in 2022 by Peter Toeung and Chenda.[1][2]
The owners say they want to renew Cambodian American culture by sharing its food with the North Shore.[3]
History
The idea came from Chenda, who was tired of driving to other towns for Cambodian food. The couple signed for the space two weeks before the COVID-19 lockdown began, used the extra time to renovate, and opened on May 1, 2022.[1] The restaurant's name draws in part on Meas, a Khmer name meaning gold.[1]
Food
Chenda and her mother are the cooks and work side by side in the kitchen.[1] The menu gives dishes their Cambodian names, so that diners learn kathiew cha alongside pad thai.[1][4] Lemongrass runs through many of them, including lemongrass wings, lemongrass stir-fry and sach ko chakak, beef skewers in a traditional lemongrass marinade.[1][4] One of the most popular dishes is mekathang, pan-fried flat rice noodles with bok choy, carrots, mushrooms and baby corn and a choice of beef, chicken or seafood.[1]
Rice plates include bai loc lak (diced beef and rice), bai sach chrouk (pork chops and rice) and cha kreung (a traditional stir-fry), and the rolls include nam chow spring rolls, szaw yaw egg rolls with pork and taro, and pakea roum shrimp rolls.[4] The menu also carries amok, a coconut curry steamed in banana leaf; num pang sandwiches; papaya salad; Khmer ramen; and Khmer fried rice.[2][4] In 2024 the cafe added a special curry served only on weekends, and it doubled the batch for the Cambodian New Year weekend that April.[1]
Community
For Cambodian New Year on April 11, 2024, Peter Toeung joined the Cambodian flag raising at Lynn City Hall. He has said that Lynn's diversity lets him celebrate his heritage and share it with others.[1] On September 7, 2024, the cafe served free Cambodian food at the Lynnside Out community celebration.[5] It also caters private events.[2]
Visiting
It offers dine-in, takeout and delivery, and meals are packaged to eat at home.[6][3]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Itemlive, The Golden Monkey Cafe: Cambodian cuisine for the new year (April 2024)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 VayaPin, The Golden Monkey Cafe, Lynn
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Golden Monkey Cafe, home page
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Postmates, The Golden Monkey Cafe menu, Lynn (2023)
- ↑ Downtown Lynn Cultural District, Lynnside Out (August 2024)
- ↑ WorldCafeMap, The Golden Monkey Cafe, Lynn (2026)