For those of us who are restaurant-obsessed, there's always that place that folds before we have the chance to get there. We curse our bad timing and realise that some of the fault rests on our shoulders: if we didn't even get there in time, with all our enthusiasm, what chance did they stand?

This year, the place that most had that effect on me was Amok in Windsor. Named for the thick and aromatic coconut and fish curry that's traditionally steamed in banana leaf, Amok was one of only a handful of restaurants in Melbourne to serve Cambodian food.

Amok is a wonder of a dish, something I've sought out all over the world since first encountering it when I was living in Brooklyn and my local noodle joint was run by a Cambodian family. It quickly became my comfort food of choice, with its unique pudding-like texture and its lovely combination of richness and brightness. That someone was making it here, in a restaurant that was, by all accounts, stylish and thoughtful, makes my failure to visit even less forgivable.

So, I was excited to hear that in May, another Cambodian restaurant had popped up on Russell Street in the CBD.

The city is in an era of glorious variety when it comes to Asian food, and we're seeing a rapid expansion of options when it comes to South-East Asian cuisines in particular. We've long been rich in Vietnamese food, and our Thai restaurants now go well beyond curry and pad Thai. And while not the first, Cambodian cuisine is now being represented by Cambodia's Kitchen, which was opened in early August by brother and sister Ivanra and Linna Hun.

If you were to glance at the shopfront without paying much attention, you might not even notice Cambodia's Kitchen among the many other superficially similar spots along Russell Street. The bare-bones room works the way most cheap noodle and dumpling shops do: you walk in, indicate how many people are in your party, then sit at a table and order and pay via a QR code. It's a relatively brief menu, and I was sad to find that they aren't serving amok or some of the other more distinctive Cambodian dishes. But what they do have is pretty delicious.

On the streets of Cambodia, breakfast often comes in the form of noodle soups, and there are two versions here that I'd eat at any time of day. The signature pork noodle soup ($11) is made with pork broth and noodles of your choice (I recommend some form of rice noodle) then topped with sliced pork, minced pork, pork liver, pork heart, pork loaf, beef ball, fish ball and fish cake. It's a mellow but deeply flavoured dish: pork times pork to the power of pork (without the heaviness that equation might easily deliver).

The other standout is the stewed beef noodle soup ($15.90), which is pure comfort and goodness. The beef broth is thick and rich, and the tender hunks of stewed beef, beef tendon and tripe make it the perfect foil for squiggly egg noodles.

There are some real bargains here, like the chopped Cambodian fried chicken ($10), which requires rice ($3) to make a meal but is wholly different to other marinated fried chicken around town. And you won't want to visit without ordering the chive rice cakes ($10), square fritters made from rice flour and imbued with the tang of tubular onions. There's also a Cambodian version of hot pot ($45 for two), not so different from the Thai and Chinese versions around town, but incredibly tasty and affordable nonetheless.

My worry is that many of the dishes that really set Cambodian cuisine apart aren't represented here. I was hoping to find amok, or nom banh chok, a fragrant fish, coconut and noodle soup. Both of these (as well as quite a few other Cambodian dishes) are so distinctive, you'd never confuse them with the countless other hot pots and chopped meat over rice that the city has to offer. There are other Cambodian restaurants in town that do have these more unique dishes, such as Angkor Cafe in West Melbourne and a couple in Springvale.

But there are vast differences between Cambodia's Kitchen and many of the other nearby quick-service noodle joints. Everything here is made in-house, including the beef balls and fish cakes, things that almost universally come from a packet. The Hun siblings are importing various Cambodian food items that are hard to come by in Melbourne, and it makes a difference to the flavour.

Mostly, I hope that Cambodia's Kitchen opens people's minds and hearts to the pleasures of Cambodian food. The best possible outcome is that in coming years, we'll be able to see a wider edible representation of this country in Melbourne.

Vibe: Quick-service CBD noodle joint

Go-to dish: Stewed beef noodle soup, $15.90

Drinks: Soft drinks

Cost: $25 for two, plus drinks