Cambodian Cuisine Torsu

one of the best khmer food in the city! love the story that comes with their food thats made fresh daily by him and his wife.
fyi… the name Torsu means to ‘move on’ ‘continue on’ and to pronounce it correctly is, THAWSU. thats spelling it phonetically. :)

Not authentic Cambodian dishes at all. Very disappointed. Should’ve judged my instincts when I had a look at the menu.

Jerry’s big yellow truck and his beautiful smile are some of my fondest memories of NYC. The #2 or #4 soup and the #7 noodle dish were my favorites, but everything is solid. Jerry’s portions are indeed generous and quality is consistent across the menu (I tried every dish.) This truck used to be a restaurant franchise and it shows. There’s a page on the side of the truck telling Jerry’s powerful story. I really hope one day he is able to realize his restaurant dreams again.
We love you Jerry!

Just a heads up to others– this food truck shows up with a static location in the flatiron, NYC. Apparently this is a mistake– that address is a truckless, Cambodian food desert. On later googling, i found that the food truck seems to park at various places in NJ, with updates posted to twitter here:
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I haven’t had a chance to cross the river to Jersey since my culinary strike-​out last night. But since I have to leave a rating here to warn others, I’m going with 5 stars, purely based on past reputation and the fact that Mr. Ley seems to be a genocide survivor:

Thank baby Jesus for an Asian food truck in Newark. And it’s delicious too. Jerry the owner is a very friendly guy and always carries a smile on his face. He’s extremely generous with food portions. If your appetite is small to average, one order of food might very well last you two meals. He has small portion menus now, and even though they are meant to be smaller they aren’t small at all. They are more like a normal serving size. If you show student ID, you get a discount. Credit cards are accepted here too, making it super convenient.
I love his noodles the best. He makes everything on the spot, so the wait might be a little longer, but your food is guaranteed fresh and delicious. His iced tea and coffee are very good too.
Jerry used to be in NYC, but he had difficulties extending his food truck license, forcing him to drive from Queens to Newark everyday so he can make some money. Please go visit and try his food!

The food was fantastic and the owner was very nice and helpful. Try the #10 with a Cambodian iced tea.

The ever-​wonderful and ever-​sweet Mr. Jerry Ley is an absolute pleasure to speak with! And he remembers his customers. Honestly, I recommend everything because it is all freshly made in front of you (impressive for a truck since most restaurants don’t even put that much effort in!). But if you do need a suggestion, try the CHEF’S SALAD! Man, I sure will miss him and his food! I might go back just to visit! Please check him out, you won’t regret it if you like Asian food.

I am very happy to find that there is a food truck at Washington Park in Newark right by Rutgers and all the other institutions; (and more importantly right across from my work!)
Torsu offers Chinese food that is much better than most restaurants. For being fresh food, this truck offers fast service and plenty of dishes to choose from. Everything on the menu is priced at under $ 10 and for the amount of food you receive its «Worth every Washington» (Copyright Party RD inc)
The truck is here at Washignton Square every Tuesday and Thursday. Look for the only yellow truck here and you’re lunch decision is set.
Vegetarian and Carnivores rejoice, many entrees can be choisen with eityher shrimp, chicken or tofu. There’s a variety of people eating here, from suits to public servants. Give it a try, you’ll leave here quite content!

HALLELUJAH — Thank Ya’ Lord Baby Jesus Amen!!! (Yes, three exclamations points are completely and totally necessary)
My prayers for beyond legit food on the Rutgers-​Newark campus have finally been answered in form of the Cambodian Cuisine Torsu food truck! I am thankful that I no longer have to trek all the way to NYC in order to get some seriously delicious Cambodian food. Cambodian Cuisine Torsu is finger licking, bowl licking, «drop some on the floor and eat it with no shame» good! Not good, AH-​MAZING!
Why I Love Cambodian Cuisine Torsu:
–Flavorful: How flavorful? The kind of amazingly fresh flavor that will slap you in the face, smack you on the head, scream «Oooh Honey Child» and karate kick you in the stomach — all at the same time! If you are looking for a major blast of flavor try the Karry Koke or the Karry Tuek,
–Affordable: $ 7.95 ($ 6.95 w/​a student ID) for a meal that will not only satisfy your hunger, fill ya’ up and leave one with SOME insane pregnant lady like cravings. If you can practice some will power you may just have some leftovers = win
–Jerry Ley: Jerry is the owner of Cambodian Cuisine Torsu and is truly one of the most remarkable, friendly, kind and hardest working people that I have ever met. He always has a smile on his face and a can-​do attitude that one rarely seems to come across anymore. Plus, Jerry’s personable and clearly takes pride in his food, culture and the customers that can’t get enough of his food.
–Fresh:No pre-​cooked frozen garbage here! Everything is made-​to-​order in plain sight.
–Good For: Foodies, Vegetarians, Spice lovers and Cambodian food junkies
–What To Order: Uhmmm… ANYTHING! If this is your first time trying Cambodian food I suggest ordering the Num Pain Saach sandwich (similar to a Banh Mi) or try the Karry Tuek (curry) which is beyond to-​die-​for!
–Tips: Cash only. If you can’t handle spice, ask Jerry to hold off on the hot sauce.
–Note: Currently relocated to the Rutgers-​Newark Campus off of MLK Jr. Blvd & Bleeker St. Relocated as of 5÷8÷13 due to unforeseen circumstances.
Summary: Cambodian Cuisine Torsu is a must try before you die /​add this place to your foodie bucket list immediately! Even if you don’t live/​work near the area, Cambodian Cuisine Torsu is definitely worth making the trip for!

this place is hard not to love. The food is great. The Pork Belly is in a class of its own. Some people conssider Cambodian food an acquired taste. It is only an acquired taste if cooked wrong. Here it is cooked to perfection.
Don’t force yourself to eat the entire portion! they are huge

Hard not to love. The guy is super nice, the food brings me back to Cambodia, the prices are low, the service is quick… I don’t know, what more could I possibly say to convince you at this point.
To be fair, I wouldn’t call the food «insanely good» or any other over the top superlative, its just tasty. It’s really nice in a way where you just keep wanting nice things. Really though, you owe it to yourself to try this truck.

Torsu has been a very tasty life saver during the semester.
Food: I cannot remember the names of what I ate, but they did put up numbers next to dishes for those who cannot say it right or those who are afraid of butchering someone else’s tongue (I am the second). I’ve had number 16, 14, 15, 7 and 13 are amazing! I find the food very flavorful, but not over powering. The portions are huge so you can order some for lunch, save half in a fridge and eat it for dinner. Or, if its finals time eat the whole thing in one sitting.
Service: When the food truck parks outside of the NYU law building I usually just see the older man, a complete sweet heart, he even tried to help me pronounce one of the dishes and smiled, nodded and told me good, good, lol. I’m pretty sure I didn’t get it right, but it’s the thought that counts. There was also a younger lady, nice and quick.
From a few observations I found this food truck to be conscious of sanitation. They wore gloves. They took the gloves off when dealing with cash which a LOT of food trucks in NYC need to start doing.
Price: Under $ 6 for a filling meal! YEAAHHS
I recommend eating from him! I know I will continue to eat here through out the year if he comes around the NYU campus, or if I spot it somewhere in lower Manhattan.

Nothing on the menu is over $ 6.
Oh — was that not enough for you to run to this food truck? Ok. Here are 5 more reasons.
1. You are greeted with the friendliest smile in NYC when you walk up to the truck. Owner Jerry Ley is one of the humblest men I’ve met… so friendly and appreciative of every single patron.
2. Mchoo Soup. For $ 4, this Cambodian-​style hot and sour soup is nothing you would expect. It has protein (tofu), carbs (vermicelli noodles), and veggies. But make sure you have a tooth brush and/​or gum in the office because this is definitely made for the garlic lovers. The portion is perfect for the light eaters.
3. Chhar Kuey Teo Koke. Another garlic lover dish. A Cambodian take on pad see ew, this noodle dish uses little to no soy sauce and is packed in seasoning.
4. Karry Tuek. My favorite! If you love noodles, curry, and coconut milk, this is a must get. My usual protein pick is chicken, but you also have a choice of tofu or veg.
5. Karry Koke. The rice version of Karry Tuek and my second favorite. I always order this when I am in the mood for rice.
By this time, you should be running… to Cambodian Cuisine Torsu that is.
Jerry — if you are reading this review, can I suggest you place the tip jar lower? This shorty wants to tip you every time, but I can’t reach!

Chances are if you’ve tried a Cambodian restaurant in NYC the last few years in either Manhattan or Brooklyn, its very likely you’ve had similar if not the same food here at Torsu. This humble truck’s underlying message of «survival» resonates well with owner Jerry Ley’s dream of keeping his family business afloat as well as the torrid history of the country he fled from. Thankfully for him, his humble truck is serving up some tasty food and has the distinction of possibly being the *only* Cambodian presence in all five boroughs.
The owner Jerry is one of the friendliest individuals I’ve ever met. Soft spoken and constantly smiling, he serves the lines of NYU students and working professionals with efficiency and ease. Most of the food is cooked by him and his truck is either parked somewhat near Madison Square Park (21^st & 5^th) or in front of the Stern building at NYU.
For any food truck, there is a startling amount of variety on the menu. It’s as if a restaurant menu was plastered along the side of the truck for all to order from. Prices aren’t back breaking, especially for lunch, but don’t be surprised if popular items tend to run out by day’s end.
I’m a fan of the mee cantaing, a stir fried flat noodle that is very reminiscent of pad see ew or Chinese chow ho fun. There is just the right amount of seasoning and it makes for a tasty $ 8 dish. Soup noodle fans can find solace in the kuey teo tuek, a decent sized bowl of rice noodles and a killer broth and a topping /​protein of choice (I prefer tofu). Meat-​on-​a-​stick lovers will surely appreciate the saach ko tchien, a nicely marinated beef skewer, similar to a satay but slightly more savory, if not a tad sweet.
Those seeking something different than the average Asian line up might find it in the pohng tchien, which from what I understand is the Cambodian equivalent of an omelette. Throw in a side of rice and a Cambodian iced coffee (very refreshing!) and you’re good to go. I’ve yet to try any of the pricier ($ 15+) house special dishes which involve dipping and lemon grass flavors, but I am sure I’ll get there as my appetite and sense of palate adventure become more curious.
If none of that is enough for you to check the truck out, at least see this mini-​documentary:
and if you feel like going to check out the truck, see the Twitter feed here:

Oooh, yeah. This truck gets passed up for trendier options, but the gem of the Greenwich Village food truck scene (if not the entire borough) might be these wheelz right here. There’s a back story about the owner going into debt with his restaurant due to an unfortunate series of events.
But there’s nothing unfortunate about the bar bar moen, a Khmer rice congee bursting with flavor and costing as much as a mediocre NY pizza slice. Jerry Ley and his son man the truck and run a tight ship. I’ll be back for many more dishes, Jerry. Keep on truckin’!

For those that are confused, this is not a restaurant but a Food Truck serving a wide variety of «Cambodian» food. I was curious because I’ve never had Cambodian food before (I’ve had other Southeast Asian like Vietnamese, Filipino, and Thai) so decided to give it a try. I got the #1 and #11 Kary Tuek
#1 Kuey Toe Tuek:
–Soft rice noodles topped with bean sprouts, lettuce, scallion, preserved cabbage, rosated shallots, garlic, and Chicken immersed in special Soup base
#11 Karrry Teuk:
–Cambodian curry served on vermicelli, a bowl of soft, rice vermicelli bathed in lemongrass galangal coconut milk flavored with Sliced Chicken, Bamboo, Water Chestnuts, Brown potatoes, and bread.
Both dishes were pretty interesting. The Kuey Toe Tuek reminded me of Phở that was lighter in flavor and the broth reminded me of Korean Kal Guk Soo (Knife-​cut noodles). Overall, decent but didn’t wow me. The Karry Teuk was interesting in taste. The taste reminded of Ramen noodles cooked in Kimchi Stew. It’s a pretty hearty dish with potatoes, chicken, bamboo, etc. I didn’t really like it but I managed to finish it.
I also got the Cambodian Iced Tea which reminded me of Thai Iced Tea in both taste and color (Orange)
Although I didn’t like the food too much here, I liked that the owners were friendly and attentive. They always have a smile on their faces. In the near future I want to return to try their signature dessert: Tuek Kark Choos, which is a Rainbow crushed ice with Syrup, Mung Beans, and Black Beans which they didn’t have that day.

I ordered lunch from this truck for the 2^nd day in a row and I’m happy to see consistency in their hearty home made dishes.
I ordered the Mchoo Soup which has tofu, bamboo slides, bean sprouts, scallion, noodles and roasted garlic. Jerry makes it extra spicy for me and I’m so happy to have this truck park by my office so I can continue to enjoy good clean dishes at really unbeatable prices.
My dish was $ 3.95! It was such comfort food and the best part is that it’s healthy.

Tried 5 of their dishes and liked the noodle dishes better than the rice dishes. The total cost was less than $ 30 (but that depends on what you order). The char kuey teo (#7) with chicken was pretty tasty. It was sautéed angel hair rice noodle with egg, napa cabbage, green vegetables, bell peppers, bean sprouts and scallions. The SEA Char Kroeurng (#15) was tofu and vegetables over rice and this was OK. The chicken over rice (#6) was OK. The Mchoo Moen soup was sweet and sour with a little spice and that was interesting with chunks of pineapple in the soup. I also ordered the kary tuek (#11) which was another noodle dish and this one was probably my favorite of everything that I tried. It had the most flavor out of all of the dishes. The bottom line is that the food is prepared fresh for you at a cheap price so support Jerry (the truck’s owner who has a long and sad story) if you choose.

In the mood for Cambodian? Find Torsu’s happy yellow truck — they’re usually around NYU’s Welcome Center.
Last I was here, I got my order in less than ten minutes.
I started with a bowl of mchoo soup ($ 3.95, #3 on the menu), modestly-​portioned. The soup came with rice noodles, tofu, bambooshoot, bean sprouts, scallions, and roasted garlic in a hot and sour broth with a side of bread. Cambodian sour soups are typically sour enough to snap you out of whatever drug-​induced fugue you might be in; for a vegetarian soup, this one had fangs.
Since I’m a closet fatty, I took down a num pain sach ($ 6; #5, translates to «meat sandwich»), a monstrous sammy with lettuce, cold cuts (ham, pork, turkey), shredded carrots, cucumber, a bit of chili sauce, and what I think was mayo. It hit the spot and kept me full practically till lunch the next day.
Stop by Torsu and make like a possum by enjoying your meal in the nearby park.

This food truck is amazing. The food is super authentic/​spicy and cheap to boot. I got the karry tuek, which is no. 10 on the list. It’s a curry over vermicelli noodles with water chestnut, bamboo and potatoes. I’ve never had water chestnut in a savory dish but the sweet/​crunchiness of it went very very well with the spicy curry. The chicken pieces I could tell were actually fried a little bit before they were added into the curry; they had a slightly crisped up texture to it. They also give you a little sliced baguette to sop up all that delicious curry.
I also tried the karry koke, which is a stirfried curry chicken dish over rice. They give you the option of brown rice, which is nice. The spice/​flavor didn’t come through as strongly in this one, but it was still as solid dish.
Drop by Washington Square Park and have your meal. You’ll enjoy it.