Chakriya Un and Alexander Chaparro’s restaurant had a long prehistory in shared spaces and as roving pop-ups, thrilling when they appeared and always too short-lived. With their permanent restaurant, in a shoebox-size side-street storefront, they’ve lost little of the start-up spirit but gained, at last, a forever home. Yes, Bong had a protracted, slightly user-unfriendly soft-opening phase this summer when reservations were available only by Instagram DM. But the joy of Bong was never about easy entry or white-tablecloth service. It was, and is, the funky, fishy, tingly abandon of Un’s Cambodian cooking — deeply shrimpy cha kapiek, whole dorade fried a dusted with toasted rice powder, a messy pile of “secret recipe” lobster — learned at the knee of her immigrant mother, “Mama Kim,” who still makes occasional appearances on the kitchen line. 724 Sterling Pl., nr. Bedford Ave., Crown Heights; bongnyc.com
