Dining out Sihanoukville style

Liz / / No Comments

On our earlier trips to Sihanoukville we were ensconced on Serendipity Beach eating mediocre backpacker fare and local yet very oily and disappointing seafood, not realising that just a little further afield were some much better dining options. This time around, a little savvier to what was where down Sihanoukville way, we had a much better experience.

The twin Japanese restaurants Ku-Kai and Happa were highlights, housed in one cute thatched roof building with a low dividing wall between the two. Happa features teppanyaki with small plates of vegetables or meats cooked with your choice of sauce in the centre of the restaurant (the teriyaki chicken, miso-sesame prawns and garlic ginger beef we ordered were all delicious). Neighbouring Ku-Kai has a Japanese menu featuring all the usuals (tempura prawns, miso soup etc.), though they were out of sashimi while we there – word has it that it’s really fresh and fantastic though, maybe next time!

We also checked out Reef Resort’s Mexican menu with their tasty jalapeno poppers a standout, and paid several visits to Holy Cow for really reasonably priced, fresh and tasty cafe fare. The spicy pumpkin soup even inspired us to make our own once we got back to Phnom Penh.

Phnom Penh restaurants: Hot 3

Liz / / No Comments

Scallops with lemongrass cream at La Residence

In a quest to experience all the culinary delights Phnom Penh has to offer, I recently tried three of the city’s best new restaurants – La Residence, Van’s Restaurant and Chow.

La Residence is a modern French-influenced eatery set in an elegant villa, with a contemporary interior reflecting its cuisine. Van’s is more of a classic French fine dining restaurant, suitably located in an opulent restored colonial mansion in the old French Quarter surrounding Phnom Penh’s post office.

Each is a definite contender for the city’s best restaurant – the food at La Residence is by a Japanese chef with experience working in Michelin star restaurants in Europe. It features modern and interesting flavour fusions (scampi with earl grey tea, scallops with lemongrass cream) and is served with fine attention to detail. Meanwhile, Van’s Gallic fare is hearty and indulgent with rich flavours and sauces (e.g. pepper and coffee crusted steak flambéd in cognac).

An excellent dining experience was had at each, though the atmosphere of each restaurant was vastly different. La Residence had a more formal feel with a multitude of staff at the ready and dining couples speaking in hushed tones, while in contrast Van’s was playing host to a few boisterous groups creating a more relaxed feel. Combined with a more ‘normal’ number of service staff who came by the table just at the right moments Van’s set a slightly more comfortable scene.

And then there’s the new kid on the riverfront, Chow, standing out as an urban, all white, minimalist outpost on a strip of tired old wicker furniture decked establishments. Despite being the restaurant and bar of the FCC-owned boutique hotel The Quay (upstairs from Chow) it’s already looking like a Phnom Penh expat spot to see and be seen.

The menu features an array of tapas-like bites (try the tasty lobster rolls), noodle dishes and heartier mains from all over Asia, at prices a little higher than the Phnom Penh norm (yet suited to a place of its calibre). A 4pm to 8pm happy hour with half price drinks softens the blow of the cocktail list, which features a few innovative drinks like a lavender martini. There’s also a very sleek and chic rooftop bar – it will apparently be only for hotel guests so have a drink there now if you can!

Image via La Residence