Rainy season is finally upon us! When it rains it can really pour during Cambodia’s rainy season. With many of the favored activities around Battambang being outdoor affairs, this can leave you a little strapped for options during the rainiest months. Here are a few things you can in Battambang do while keeping dry during the showers:
Welcome to rainy season! Don’t worry, there are still things to do in Battambang.
After much diligence and hard work (nom nom nom) I’ve put together a bunch of new Phnom Penh restaurant reviews for you. They aren’t all new restaurants — although some of them are — but the restaurants are either new to me, or ones I’ve been meaning to review for ages. If you have suggestions of new restaurants in Phnom Penh that you’d like to see reviewed, let us know in the comments!
The Providore is more than just a high-end deli, it’s also a cafe!
The Providore is a new deli with attached cafe that serves up simple dishes meant to highlight the imported gourmet ingredients and coffee available at the deli. The breakfasts, from eggs and chorizo to chocolate French toast with maple-infused mascarpone get good reviews, as do their lunch sandwiches. But the standout on the menu are the platters, priced at just $10. There are French, Spanish, and Italian platters, each featuring charcuterie, cheese, and accompaniments from their respective countries — the Spanish one is excellent and very good value. Finish it off with a glass of draft Stella (it’s the only place in Phnom Penh you can get it) or a bottle of wine from their extensive collection.
Open daily, 7 a..m. to 8 p.m.
67 Sothearos Blvd, Tonle Bassac, Phnom Penh
T: 095 907 879
theprovidorecambodia.com
Tonkotsu ramen is the specialty of O-San Ramen.
Japanese Noodle Bar O-San serves up several types of ramen and tsukemen ramen — the latter is cold noodles served with an intense porky gravy for dipping that is sort of ramen deconstructed, and perfect for hot days. The specialty of the place is tonkotsu ramen, that features a rich, milky pork bone broth that is the specialty of Kyushu in Japan where the chef hails from. We tried the special tonkotsu which could have been billed “heart attack in a bowl” — it was an enormous portion of the previously mentioned tsukemen pork gravy that is most certainly best enjoyed in small quantities. The small restaurant is casual but authentic and popular with Japanese expats. The service can be spotty, but if you’re a ramen fan it’s definitely worth a visit.
27B Street 294, BKK1, Phnom Penh
T: 097 9327 067
o-san.com/phnom-penh
This decidedly-not-hip Korean restaurant seems out of place on trendy Streets 29 and 308. The menu is traditional Korean fare, with (relatively) inexpensive soups and stews, braised meats and seafood, and pricier meat menu that can be grilled at the table. But the highlight is what’s not on the menu — Korean fried chicken and beer, a combination that is all the rage in Korea and served and specialty restaurants called “hofs.” At Sura you can get an entire chicken that will satisfy several people for $15. The fried chicken comes in four styles: original, spicy, soy sauce, and garlic. Served with a side of sweet marinated radish to cut through the spice, the spicy fried chicken is deliciously fiery. Pitchers of Angkor beer make the perfect accompaniment for $3.
30A Street 29, Tonle Bassac, Phnom Penh
T: 023 993 733; 077 848 707; 086 500 500
You wouldn’t know it by this photo, but Salmon House is packed out every lunchtime.
Salmon House is an amazing find for salmon lovers on a budget. The restaurant is run by a salmon importer who wanted to showcase the versatility and deliciousness of salmon. They have a $2.50 lunch menu that includes several types of salmon served with rice, and access to the all-you-can eat salad bar. There’s a more elaborate two-course $5.90 lunch option that changes daily. The ala carte menu is more expensive but still good value; a large plate of salmon sashimi is $5, and a platter of three types smoked salmon is $7 (although it’s served without bread or crackers). The preparation is clearly aimed at a Cambodian audience, and some Westerners may be offended by decisions like pairing smoked salmon with a honey mustard sauce, but whatever they are doing seems to be working, because every day the place is packed.
Open daily, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Street 266 behind Pencil, Phnom Penh
T: 012 961 662; 061 221 113
For a true taste of Middle-Eastern home cooking, head to I.R.F.
I.R.F. Restaurant, also called ‘Taste of the Middle East’ is a small, family-run restaurant that serves up home-style Iraqi cuisine. With the matriarch of the family in the kitchen and her teenage sons acting as waiters, it’s easy to feel like you’re getting a real Iraqi home-cooked meal! Middle Eastern favorites including falafel, shawarma, and kebabs, but also lesser-known Iraqi specialities. Maqluba is rice and eggplant casserole with lamb or chicken baked and served upside-down. Kofta are meatballs, here served in two variations, one in a thick yogurt sauce, another cooked with tomatoes. Both are delicious, and like everything at I.R.F., are relatively inexpensive — most dishes are priced between $3 and $7. Flatbread and dips, including baba ghanoush and hummus are a nice addition to the meal. Finish it off with a delicate middle eastern dessert, dripping with honey and chopped pistachio nuts.
I.R.F. Restaurant
35Eo Street 19 (near Street 118) Daun Penh, Phnom Penh
T: 098 713 443; 012 452 314
facebook.com/tasteofthemideastphnompenh
Before you head to Koh Rong, it’s important to know exactly where you are going. It’s a big island! There are several ways to get to Koh Rong from Sihanoukville, including by helicopter or private boat, but the cheapest and most popular way to get there is on one of the Koh Rong ferries. Depending on how you travel, the journey to Koh Rong can take as little as 45 minutes, or as much as three hours. Continue reading
Banh mi or num pang? There’s always been a dispute about the humble Vietnamese and Cambodian sandwich. Who invented them? Is there actually a difference between num pang and banh mi? And which is better? While the debate rages, I went to try two new sandwich shops in Phnom Penh, Nömpang and Banh Mi Bros, to see what the fuss is about.
Is it num pang? Is it banh mi? Does it matter?
Banh mi has been all the rage in the Western world for a while now, and now, the Cambodian version of it has even made it big in New York City, where there are now six outlets of the trendy sandwich shop Num Pang. Banh mi is said to have originated in Saigon during the French occupation. The Vietnamese took a simple Parisian-style sandwich and added their own flourishes, including pickled carrots, radish, and cucumber, and fresh herbs. The result is what have many questioning whether banh mi is “the best sandwich in the world.” Continue reading
We’ve eaten at Samnang Restaurant several times and it keeps getting better. In our opinion it’s the best BBQ/soup joint in Sihanoukville and offers excellent value for money. At only $5.99 for an all-you-can-eat meal, it’s not only easy on the wallet, but really tasty.
$5.99 all-you-can-eat BBQ and suki soup. Photo provided by Samnang Restaurant because ours were blurry!
If Cambodian volcano BBQ is new to you, the set up is pretty simple. After you sit down a bucket of red hot coals is lowered into the specially designed table and topped with a bowl which serves as your soup pot and cooking area. A basic soup stock is provided but the rest is up to you; choose what takes your fancy and either cook it up on the grill or drop it in your broth to make a delicious soup. It’s a fun, sociable way of enjoying a meal and is great for groups. Continue reading
So you came to Battambang for work or maybe because you were visiting and got stuck (it’s been known to happen). Now you need to feed yourself.
Wondering where to stock up on produce? Start at Battambang’s local markets.
In Battambang, there aren’t many grocery stores or supermarkets like at home or in Phnom Penh; you will have to go to the open air markets. Here are some tips to make the most of your shopping experience: Continue reading
Plain old pepper never seemed very interesting until we visited this small farm outside of Kep. More than growing pepper, Sothy’s Pepper Farm wants to educate the world about the subtleties of a spice that’s too often taken for granted, and win international recognition for the particularly excellent pepper grown in the Kampot-Kep area.
Black and white peppercorns drying at Sothy’s Pepper Farm.
In fact, the farm is now part of the official Kampot pepper geographic area — the first officially protected geographic appellation for any Cambodian product. Continue reading
Anyone who enjoys a good industrial tour — and who doesn’t? — should visit the Angkor Silk Farm, about 20 minutes outside of Siem Reap, for what might better be termed a pre-industrial tour. Silk is being produced there in the same way it’s been done for hundreds of years in Cambodia, and the process is fascinating.
Silk doesn’t make itself, you know. Learn about the whole laborious process at Angkor Silk Farm.
Cambodia is known for its superior golden silk, and silk weaving and production have a long history in the Kingdom. In recent years the industry has come under threat because of the rising cost of raw silk and the falling price of finished products, which have traditionally been made by hand by women in small villages where silk weaving has been the predominant trade for generations. Continue reading