If you have ever walked past a busy Cambodian kitchen at dinner time, you will know the sound of loc lac before you see it: a hot wok, cubes of marinated beef hitting the steel, and a quick toss that keeps everything moving. It is one of Cambodia's best-loved dishes, and at ANGKOR in West Melbourne it is one of the three plates we suggest to anyone trying Cambodian food for the first time.
Here is what loc lac is, what makes it different from a regular stir-fry, how to eat it, and where to order it at ANGKOR.
What is beef loc lac?
Beef loc lac (sometimes written lok lak) is marinated beef, cut into bite-sized pieces and seared fast over very high heat so the outside caramelises while the inside stays tender. The name is usually traced to the Vietnamese "lúc lắc", meaning "shaking", which describes the way the beef is tossed in the wok.
What makes it Cambodian is how it is served. Rather than arriving on its own, the beef sits on or beside a fresh, crunchy salad, often with sliced onion and tomato, and very often with a fried egg. The contrast is the point: hot, savoury, slightly sweet beef against cool, crisp leaves.
In Cambodia, loc lac is commonly eaten with a simple dipping sauce of lime juice, salt and black pepper. Cambodia's Kampot region is famous for its pepper, and that sharp, citrusy pepper flavour is a big part of why so many people fall for the dish.
How ANGKOR serves Beef Loc Lac
On our dinner menu, Beef Loc Lac is wok-seared marinated beef with mixed salad, onions and a fried egg ($32.90). It sits in our Main Favourites alongside dishes like Kampot Pepper Seafood and the 300g BBQ Beef Steak.
At lunch, from Tuesday to Friday, you can also order it as a Beef Loc Lac Bowl: wok-seared beef, mixed salad, onions and fried egg over jasmine rice with house salad ($22.90). Lunch bowls are made fresh to order, so allow 10 to 15 minutes, and call ahead for groups of four or more.
Prices are taken from our live dinner menu and lunch page and can change, so please check the current menu when you visit.
How to eat loc lac like a local
- Add rice. Loc lac is built to be eaten with steamed jasmine rice ($5.00 at dinner). The juices from the beef and the runny yolk soak straight into it.
- Break the egg over the top. Mix a little yolk through the beef and rice for a richer mouthful.
- Eat it with the salad, not after it. Take a bit of beef, a bit of salad and a bit of rice together. That balance is what the dish is about.
- Share it. Cambodian meals are shared. For two people we suggest two or three starters, two mains and rice or roti for the table.
What to order with Beef Loc Lac
If you are building a table around loc lac, these dishes from our menu work well together:
- Fish Amok ($34.50): our signature steamed coconut curry with fragrant kroeung, mackerel, Chinese broccoli and peanuts. Loc lac brings the char; amok brings the fragrance.
- My Grandmother's Dish ($29.60): juicy marinated free-range chicken with mixed salad, mint and grandmother's dipping sauce. It is the family recipe at the heart of our story.
- Cambodian Papaya Salad ($21.90): green papaya, carrot, shallots, peanuts, fish sauce and lime, for something fresh and sharp.
- Cambodian Fish Cakes ($14.90) or Betel Leaf ($15.50) to start.
- Sticky Rice with Mango ($16.00) or Black Rice Pudding ($15.90) to finish.
New to Cambodian food? Fish Amok, Beef Loc Lac and My Grandmother's Dish are the three we recommend first.
Try it as part of a feast
Beef Loc Lac is also included in our Royal Khmer Restaurant Feast ($99 per person, minimum two guests): Fish Cakes, Prawn Wontons, Papaya Salad, My Grandmother's Dish, Beef Loc Lac, Red Curry Chicken, Jasmine Rice and Nom Banh Chok. It is a good way to try a wide spread of Cambodian cooking in one sitting, especially for a birthday, anniversary or catch-up.
Planning for a bigger group? Our event feasts are separate packages for a minimum of 12 adults. See Groups & Functions for details.
Before the footy or a concert at Marvel Stadium
ANGKOR is at 389 Spencer Street, West Melbourne, a short walk from Marvel Stadium and Southern Cross Station. A plate of loc lac and rice is a satisfying, unfussy dinner before an event. On event nights we recommend booking ahead and letting the team know your start time. More on that on our Marvel Stadium dining page.
Take Cambodian flavour home
If you love the fragrance of our curries, our own Angkor Amok Curry Paste is available in our online shop, so you can bring a little of the ANGKOR kitchen home.
Opening hours and location
ANGKOR Cambodian Flavours
389 Spencer Street, West Melbourne VIC 3003
Phone: (03) 7034 8353
- Monday: closed
- Tuesday to Thursday: 11:30am to 3:00pm and 4:30pm to 9:30pm
- Friday: 11:30am to 9:30pm
- Saturday: 12:00pm to 9:30pm
- Sunday: 4:30pm to 9:30pm
Book a table or order
Come and try Beef Loc Lac the way we serve it, hot from the wok with a fried egg on top.