In Siem Reap, you can find baguettes easily and I was told that when Cambodia was being colonised by the French, the French introduced their food to Cambodia. It goes the same with pizzas and other food. The rest is history.
You can find different types of restaurants in Siem Reap, probably because it is a touristy place; Indian, Korean, Chinese and Malay cuisine etc.
In this post, I will show you some interesting food/restaurants in Cambodia, and a controversial one.
I've been to Siem Reap for 16 days, and I've only known this restaurant from Singapore.
Mcdonalds? Nope.
Kentucky Fried Chicken? Fat hope!
Don't tell me it's Jack's Place? Good attempt..
But it's......
No, you don't have to see an opthalmologist/optometrist. It is indeed Swensen's!
They sell mainly ice-cream, and I heard from my friends that it tasted good as well!
Here's a peek at their menu:
Chocolate Banana Split is only like US$3.90! I think it's a lot cheaper than Singapore. Plus the good thing about restaurants in Cambodia is that there isn't any government service tax (GST) or service charge. The price stated is the price you pay. Nothing less, nothing more.
Anyway, here's a peek of the street side food in Cambodia.
Rows of stalls.
Don't be fooled by the rows of stalls, thinking that they sell different variety of food. In fact, they sell the same food and same stuff. No, we're not spoilt for choice.
In Cambodia, the common meat are chicken, beef and pork.
The Cambodian lady who cooked for us.
FRIED RICE WITH PORK
Fried Rice with Pork.
Food is tasty, but the ingredients aren't sufficient. For only US$1 ($1.4o) for a plate of fried rice, it already justifies the taste.
Rating: 3.5
NOODLE WITH CHICKEN & DURIAN SHAKE
Noodle with Chicken.
Food isn't spicy, with a tinge of sourness from tomato ketchup. Chicken is succulent. However, the noodle was dry, and I didn't really liked it.
The only thing that surprised me is that the noodle is actually kway teow, and not like the yellow ones we commonly eat. US$1 too.
Rating: 3/5
DURIAN SHAKE
One word. ORGASMIC. I've never drank such durian shakes before in my life. It's the best. Hands down.
The sheer taste of durian is so powerful, and it excites your taste buds, screaming for more. You don't even have to eat the fruit. The shake itself is filled with the strong taste of durian, and the drink is so good, my eyes rolled back and let out a smirk, hinting that I was on the verge of possession by the taste of the durian shake.
Okay, maybe not that exaggerating but it is that damn good. For only 3000 riels (US$0.75), you get the freshest fruit shakes in town. My friends bought banana shakes and mango shakes, it tasted equally good.
Rating: Too good to be rated.
Digressing away from street stall food, I must say that one interesting thing in Siem Reap is that there are Cambodians who do business by selling food on their trolleys. They will move around the town, and will stop when customers flag them.
FRIED MEE
Fried Mee, which is being fried with vegetables and chicken and egg together with seasoning and other various sauces are sold at 3000 riels (US0.75) or US$1 depending on the vendor.
The noodles are used from instant noodles, and the interesting part is that unlike Singapore's instant noodles which are hard and firm when you open the packet, Cambodia's instant noodles are already soft.
Food is tasty, and the flavour is rather good. Fresh vegetables gives this Fried Mee bonus points.
Rating: 4/5
And here we go, is another stall which sells flavoured ice, otherwise known in Singapore as Ice Kachang.
FLAVOURED ICE
Turning the ice into small bits.
They don't use gloves, yet it felt so sincere and heartwarming.
(Wonders if you understand what I'm talking about.)
Filled with various coloured flavourings of syrup and condensed milk, with green beans at the bottom of the cup. I never felt any taste of over saccharine, as the sweetness is just fine.
For only 2000 riels (US$0.50), it's the perfect dessert.
Rating: 4/5
FRIED FINGER FOOD
This stall sells fried finger food, with tons of choices for you to choose from; Salted egg, pork balls, chicken balls, sausages etc.
Ahhhh.. spoilt for choice!
Once you choose your food, he will cook on a stove next to him, taking around 20 seconds to 1 minute.
And the food is finally ready!
4 sticks only costs 3000 riels (US$0.75) and they're piping hot! Together with vegetables and a special kind of sauce, they taste really really good! Just don't eat it cold.
Rating: 4.5/5
Next, here's a local delicacy which I simply love:
LOK LUK
Lok Luk is a steamboat delicacy whereby there are beef parts, and vegetables. The soup is brownish in colour, and I tell you, the soup is SO GOOD! The soup is very sweet, and the smell of the beef enchanced the soup base which was simply awesome!
With rice and noodles, you can simply eat on and on without stopping! And guess how much is it? Only $5 per steamboat, and it was shared by 4 people!
Speaking of which, this is also the first time whereby the steamboat exploded beside me. Apparently, the claypot was overheating and there wasn't enough soup, and suddenly a loud noise suddenly blasted our ears and I could see my friends all shocked, and some out of their chairs.
Thankfully nothing happened to anyone of us, except for me.
I WAS NEARLY MOLESTED BY THIS OLD UNCLE! This uncle was sitting beside me out of nowhere, and while I was eating, my friend told me to becareful of him. Guess what I saw, his hand is just beside my.. ahem crotch!
So I slapped his hand back, and he retreated...
But anyway..
Rating: 5/5
BARBEQUED FOOD
Their barbequed food is cooked from charcoal and it looked rather tasty. Chicken, various types of fish, frog, etc.
For a whole piece of chicken, it costs US$5. I tried some of the food, but it wasn't to my liking.
Rating: 2.5/5
And last but not least, the controversial food..
DOG MEAT
I never expected myself to eat dog meat, and in Cambodia, dog meat are unusual, and it is only sold at a certain time. Since my friends were eating, I asked them to buy for me.
Dog meat, intestines and other parts.
It comes with a packet of sauce and plenty of vegetables. And it costs only US$2! I didn't really finish it and I tried a few pieces of dog meat before passing it to my friends.
All I can say it taste like roasted duck and it goes the same with the texture..
Rating: 3/5
And that's about it for the food in Cambodia. It is a pity that I couldn't try some of the food due to some constraints but the food in general is simply awesome!
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