In 2022, Chef Nite Yun disappointed her legions of Oakland fans by closing her Cambodian restaurant, Nyum Bai. San Francisco is now the lucky home of Lunette, her newest venture. It opened in June to much-deserved anticipation and lines of hungry diners waiting for a table or a seat at the counter. The casual, colorful stall is open to the wide central hallway and has about 10-12 tables and a counter facing the open kitchen where you can watch all the action as you slurp up noodles. The brief menu is divided into Nyum Mee (Eat Noodles) or Nyum Bai (Eat Rice), Snacks & Greens, and Sweets.
On a recent visit, I found a seat at the counter at lunch and ordered the mee kola:
Oh, my! Superbly al dente egg noodles resting on a puddle of a sweet soy and garlicky dressing, topped with dried shrimp, crispy pork fat, a silky cucumber relish, perfectly jammy eggs, peanuts, a plethora of fresh, bright, herbs, and a dollop of sambal — a cacophony of textures and flavors. I was instructed to dig deep into the bowl and toss everything together. The woman expediting dishes at Lunette explained that the pork fat is deep fried until super crunchy, resulting in little heavenly morsels of porky deliciousness exploding in your mouth in each bite. I may have moaned aloud several times.
Other dishes I am pining to try: The student noodles with brisket, kuy teav Phnom Penh — rice noodles, pork three ways, in an eight-hour broth, shaken beef, a funky cabbage salad, and Khmer fried chicken. Many items can be made vegetarian or vegan, and the menu at Lunette changes up often.
Run here, fast.
Lunette, Stall No. 33, Ferry Building, The Embarcadero
We ate at Lunette for the first time today and discovered that we were overcharged. We had two pork noodle bowls and one veg. rice curry with fried chicken and one pilsner. Sadly you do not post your per item prices. We also gave a 20 percent tip. The total was $97.00.