Mitapeap Restaurant
Mitapeap Restaurant was a Cambodian restaurant on 72nd Street East in Tacoma, Washington, opened in 2007 by Sovanna and Tharath "Bro" Eang.[1] It served home-style Khmer cooking, and its soups were its specialty.[2][1] By February 2021 a taqueria had taken over its former space.[3]
History
Mitapeap Khmer Restaurant opened on December 21, 2007, in a former Vietnamese eatery in the K-mart shopping center at East 72nd Street and Portland Avenue. The 40-seat restaurant was the first for both owners, natives of Cambodia who shared the cooking.[2] Sovanna Eang called it "the first true Khmer-owned restaurant in Tacoma."[2] In 2011 the owners said it might be the only Cambodian restaurant in the South Sound.[1]
By 2019 the restaurant was owned by Rina and Sarim. That May a GoFundMe campaign, which called Mitapeap the last Cambodian restaurant in Washington, raised money after the landlord gave five days to pay the rent and the remaining balance of $5,325. Business had picked up with more community support, and the owners had hoped to move to a larger space for community events, concerts and dinners.[4] In February 2021 The News Tribune reported that Taqueria Mis Tesoros had taken over the former Mitapeap location at 1314 East 72nd Street.[3]
Food
Sovanna Eang placed Cambodian food between Chinese and Thai cooking.[2] Mee katang was a stir-fry of chewy Chinese-style flat noodles and Chinese broccoli. Samlah kako was a mild green curry soup with lime leaf, galanga, lemongrass, Thai eggplant seeds and prahoc, a Cambodian fish condiment, made with pork ribs, fish or chicken and filled out with green papaya, green beans and pumpkin.[2][1] There was a beef stew of short ribs, potatoes, chopped peanuts and tendon, and whole fried tilapia.[2]
The 2011 menu also offered jackwai, a cylinder-shaped fried Chinese doughnut; sadoa, a pork salad made with bitter sadao flowers; and barbar trei, a mild fish broth with soft rice, straw mushrooms, bean sprouts and fish balls.[1] A later delivery menu listed fish patties seasoned with lime leaves, lemongrass, galanga and turmeric, somlaw machu krueng with beef, Thai eggplant and ong choy, cha krueng stir-fry, beef lok lak, laab salads and papaya salad with shrimp paste.[5] Noodle soups, mango and seafood salads, hot wings and fresh spring rolls filled out the menu.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The News Tribune, Off the radar: Tacoma and Lakewood strip malls hide culinary treasures (October 2011)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 KI Media, reprint of First Bites: Cambodian restaurant opens in East Tacoma (February 2008)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The News Tribune, Takeout Tacoma: best bets for to-go food in the South End (February 2021)
- ↑ Cambodia Expats Online, Mitapeap GoFundMe appeal (May 2019)
- ↑ Postmates, Mitapeap Restaurant menu