Trying the food is a massive part of what we love about travel. Taking cooking classes in whatever country we’ve visited and trying as many different dishes in as many restaurants as possible has always been top priority on any trip. We love to eat, and since our first ever backpacking trip to South East Asia back in the late ‘90’s, we’ve loved Asian food in particular. Coming from the UK, we’d been brought up on meat, veg and potatoes so discovering spicy, punchy, sour, flavourful dishes was a revelation. So when it came to our trip to Cambodia, we knew it would be a culinary adventure.
Having traveled to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Bali and Vietnam, often more than once, Cambodia was going to be new to us in 2023, and we were keen to see what the food was all about. And we like to jump head-first in so on our first night, after arriving from Vietnam pretty late into the evening, we headed straight out to the nearest restaurant. We quickly discovered the menu was in Khmer only – fine by us. We just had to point at what other people in the restaurant were eating to plunge straight on in.
So we only had a week to get a bit of a feel for what the food was all about and here’s some of our top dishes;
Fish Amok; So then my second culinary experience on our food adventure in Cambodia was trying the traditional dish known as Amok at the delicious Sambo Restaurant – https://sambosiemreap.com/. Tender chunks of fish in a fragrant mixture of coconut milk, kroeung (a Cambodian spice paste) and an array of aromatic herbs steamed in banana leaves. The result is a velvety, custard-like texture infused with lemongrass, galangal and turmeric. With a hint of sweetness from the coconut milk and a delicate touch of heat from the spices, amok was a perfect Cambodian dish.
Lok Lak; On one of our days out to the temples, our tuk tuk driver recommended we try Lok Lak and dropped us off after our tour to the Old Market where there’s a bunch of great places to get lunch. Even though we own a lot of Asian cookbooks, it was a dish I’d never heard of but was now looking forward to trying and we wandered into Khmer Kitchen as it looked cute; https://www.khmerkitchens.com/
Lok lak is essentially a type of stir-fried dish consisting of beef marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, and other seasonings. It had a rich umami flavour and was served on a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. On the side was rice with an egg on top, and a dipping sauce made from lime juice and black pepper, adding a tangy and slightly spicy element to the dish. It was delicious.
Nom Banh Cho; Breakfast in Asia is such a treat and Cambodian noodle soup became my go-to breakfast option. Breakfast always seems like an afterthought in the West – whatever you can grab quickly. But a delicious bowl of steaming, fresh, flavourful food to start the day is one of the many highlights of Asian cuisine.
Nom Banh Cho features rice noodles in a refreshing fish-based green curry broth, typically made with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, turmeric and fish paste, topped with bean sprouts, cucumber, mint and basil. It’s spicy, citrusy, herby, savoury deliciousness.
Khmer BBQ; A proper highlight of our food adventure in Cambodia. The sizzle of the grill and the fun, interactive element to dinner drew us towards the Khmer BBQ. We’d passed a few places on our travels around Siem Reap and were keen to try it out. With a range of marinated meats and vegetables to grill up ourselves at the table, this was an awesome experience for the whole family. The kids loved barbecuing up the food and we enjoyed washing it down with a few Cambodia beers. An experience not to be missed.
The amazing place we landed has no website but you’ll find it here; https://goo.gl/maps/4GAsCHfdNuBqf6728
Ice Cream Rolls; Ice cream rolls have become a trendy dessert option in Cambodia and the carts were all over Pub street. The kids were keen to try and a big part of the fun was watching them being made.
Your favourite ice-cream flavour is poured onto a cold plate and mixed with fresh fruit, cookies, chocolate and other treats. The ice cream artist uses spatulas to roll the semi-frozen mixture into delicious curls which are arranged in a cup and topped with sprinkles and sauces. It’s a perfect, sweet treat after a morning of sightseeing, and the kids loved them.
More to my taste though was a locally crafted gelato from Gelato Lab, just around the corner from the stalls. Dark Chocolate and spicy Kampot Black pepper. So yum.
In summary, we really did have a culinary adventure in Cambodia. The food scene is eclectic and, as well as trying all the popular local dishes, we also sought out more familiar flavours from time to time. We came across the most delicious spring roll menu at Wild, pancakes topped with local tropical fruits at The Source cafe, delicious pastries at the Bayon Pastry cafe and awesome pizzas and burgers at Flying Zebra.
Here’s some links so you can check out some of the great places we ate;
https://www.bayoncoffeeshop.org/
https://www.facebook.com/flyingzebrapizza/
https://www.facebook.com/Anytimeiscoffeetime/
https://wild-restaurants.com/siem-reap/
So far we’ve traveled only to Siem Reap in Cambodia but I have to say, the food there is amazing and we’re looking forward to traveling back and continuing our food adventures in Cambodia. Check out our video here that shows you some of the places we visited while in Siem Reap.
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