tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96337642024-03-14T09:02:03.828-07:00Things I Ate in CambodiaAn American expat in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, eats stuff and writes about it. Restaurant reviews, culinary history, weird stuff, photography, and more.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.comBlogger387125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-37002730291956108812012-05-02T17:56:00.001-07:002012-05-02T17:56:33.668-07:00Mushroom Hunting in Iowa: No, Really<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: liberation-serif-1, liberation-serif-2, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://fainegreenwood.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/moreldetails.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-541 alignnone" height="389" src="http://fainegreenwood.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/moreldetails.jpg?w=584&h=389" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; height: auto; margin-top: 0.4em; max-width: 97.5%; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; width: auto;" title="moreldetails" width="584" /></a><br />
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></em><br />
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You probably don’t associate</em> the much-derided state of Iowa with rarefied culinary delights. This is because most people don’t know about the Midwest’s highly developed and slightly voodoo-like mushroom hunting culture. It all starts in the spring, when the temperature begins to climb and the landscape explodes into verdant green, complete with the twin annoyances of pollen and oodles of bitey wolf spiders.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: liberation-serif-1, liberation-serif-2, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This is the time of year when morel mushrooms</em> begin to sprout in the Midwest, and it’s also a time when the region’s more crunchy residents begin to get a hungry, fungi-inspired glimmer in their eye. Now is the time when you don Carhartt shirts (in many colors, all of them plaid), work pants, and a hat, and make your way into the woods – surprisingly thick in this part of Southern Iowa, where I’m staying at the moment – in hunt of fungi. Since mushrooms have a delightful habit of staying put, this is much cheaper and less likely to result in a gunshot wound than hunting for birds or deer.<a href="http://fainegreenwood.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/morelsbowl.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-540" height="405" src="http://fainegreenwood.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/morelsbowl.jpg?w=584&h=405" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; margin-bottom: 1.625em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0.4em; max-width: 97.5%; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; width: auto;" title="morelsbowl" width="584" /></a><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If you’ve never foraged for your own food before,</em> it’s a peculiar kind of rush – I’d liken it to leafing through a “Where’s Waldo” book, except you’re tromping through the woods, and you find <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">food</em> instead of a cartoon man in a ridiculous striped outfit. There are many edible mushrooms in Iowa,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morchella" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> but the morel is the crown jewel of the hunt for a lot of people.</a> This is for a couple reasons.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: liberation-serif-1, liberation-serif-2, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">For one, the morel is a picky bastard and</em> exceptionally hard to grow in captivity. You either find them in the woods, or you buy them for something like $119 a pound at your local Whole Foods. <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Finding them in the woods yourself is a more pleasant experience by far.</em>Further, morels are extremely easy to identify and distinctive in apperance, which greatly decreases the risk of accidentally picking a mushroom that will horribly kill you.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: liberation-serif-1, liberation-serif-2, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The morels you find in Iowa are yellow in color,</em> rather large, of a spongy texture, and have a ridged, rather slender top. Morel hunters tend to jealously guard their secrets of the hunt, but there’s a few good places to look. They like the roots of elm trees. They like sun, but not too much, and moisture, but not too much.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: liberation-serif-1, liberation-serif-2, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">They like to sprout by creek beds, and favor rich leaf-litter.</em> Finding them requires you to adjust your eyes, something like those Magic Eye puzzles many of us gazed into in elementary school. It’s a good idea to squat down and survey the leafy undergrowth contemplatively. Mushroom hunting involves a lot of squatting down and surveying the landscape contemplatively.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: liberation-serif-1, liberation-serif-2, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://fainegreenwood.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/wildsofiowa.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-543" height="389" src="http://fainegreenwood.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/wildsofiowa.jpg?w=584&h=389" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; margin-bottom: 1.625em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0.4em; max-width: 97.5%; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; width: auto;" title="wildsofiowa" width="584" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: liberation-serif-1, liberation-serif-2, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">So what do you do with them when you find them?</strong> There are many possibilities, although I’m only willing to entertain a couple, at the advice of the Midwestern mighty mushroom hunters I’ve met. If you’ve got plenty – and you probably won’t – you should saute them in plenty of butter. A very light dredging in seasoned flour doesn’t hurt. Eat them with some toast points sauteed in more butter. It’s delicious, and there’s the added pyschological satisfication of eating something you found in your woods, just like your mighty wooly-mammoth hunting ancestors.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: liberation-serif-1, liberation-serif-2, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You can also make morel salt out of them,</em> which is a damn fine spice, and rather expensive if you’re unable to DYI. Thankfully, I can. My friend Dayton says that the trick is drying them under a fan. Lay the mushrooms out on a piece of newspaper, preferably over a grid of some time. Let them dry under the fan overnight. Don’t toss the newspaper – it’s rumored that if you bury the newspaper in a likely spot, you might have morels in your backyard (or the park, or wherever) in few years.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: liberation-serif-1, liberation-serif-2, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Once you’ve got your dried morels, grind them up -</em> a spice grinder works or a mortar-and-pestle. Then, mix them up with some high quality sea salt. Keep it in a bag and sprinkle them on standard button, portobello, or any kind of store-bought mushrooms with a delightful hit of <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">umami.</em> More on the Great Midwestern Morel hunt later. It’s a rather interesting phenom, and not what you think of when you think Iowa.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: liberation-serif-1, liberation-serif-2, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">For example, not everyone in Iowa</em> lives in the middle of a field of undulating, slightly creepy corn.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: liberation-serif-1, liberation-serif-2, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
I was shocked too.</div>
</div>Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-62785950685158365642011-12-24T01:32:00.000-08:002011-12-24T01:34:07.030-08:00Indian Delight: Best Damn Tikka Masala in Cambodia (and other stuff)<div style="text-align: center;"><strong></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Indian Delight</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>115e0, Sisowath Quay </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>023 724 885</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Phnom Penh</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm an Indian food snob. I lived in Bangalore for six months back in 2008 and went back in 2010: I'm no fan of the uber-heavy, cream-rich Muhgali food that's favored outside the Subcontinent. However, I was very happy to discover India Delight on Sisowath Quay, which turns out Indian food much closer to the non-coronary-inducing masalas and curries I remember from India. They even pay attention when you ask for your food spicy. Furthermore, there isn't a heady layer of grease hanging over everything you order.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://cheberet.com/indiadelighttikkadetail.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div>I find chicken tikka masala way too rich the way most places make it, but Indian Delight's version is just about akin to crack for me. You know what this stuff is (hint: it was invented in Britain) but I'll describe it again: pieces of roasted tandoori chicken cooked in a very spicy, slightly creamy sauce with a profusion of fresh spices. This is definitely the tastiest tikka masala I've had - hell, ever, I think - and it's only $5.00. I sometimes wish I could just eat this for lunch every day. It's especially good with the yellow rice peas pulao they serve here, which has a bit of saffron in it. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://cheberet.com/indiadelighvindaloo.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div>There's also a rich version of vindaloo, the Portugese-inspired Goa dish of curried chicken with plenty of vinegar and meat, as well as potatoes. My boyfriend is rather fond of the stuff and orders it regularly. I haven't ordered it myself - the tikka masala has its siren song - but it's decent stuff. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://cheberet.com/indiadelightaloogobi.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div>There's also excellent aloo gobi, which an be ordered dry or "wet," same question they ask you in India, which I always appreciate. i rather prefer the "dry" stir-fried stuff most of the time. This was again excellent, with a lot of interesting flavors and not-too-limp cauliflower. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://cheberet.com/indiadelightokra.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div>It's tragic that most Westerners find okra "icky." Being of Louisiana and Southern extraction, I love okra and grew up on the stuff, and I really love okra curry. Incorporating the same excellent masala that is a hall-mark of India Delight, this is one of the best versions I've encountered. Reminded me of a particularly fabulous restaurant I used to frequent in Bangalore. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://cheberet.com/indiadelightveg.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Mixed vegetable masala - a little buttery, quite good. The "subzi" often take a back-seat to meat curries in the minds of most but to me are rather integral. </div><div><br /></div><div>Indian Delight also does lovely "mixed" lime sodas - salty and sweet - and owns a lovely espresso machine. It's by far my favorite Indian restaurant in Phnom Penh, and is one of the best I've frequented outside of India. The friendly service and the pleasantly quiet (other than the occasional Hindi ballad) dining room make for additional pluses, as do the reasonable prices. Set "thali" meals are around $4, while Happy Hour seems to last just about all day, with draft beer included. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'd put Indian Delight at the top of your list if you're hankering for Indian food in Cambodia. </div>Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-34509355806240792052011-12-22T11:22:00.000-08:002011-12-22T11:24:05.248-08:00Rahu: I Forgot I Kinda Liked Hipster Sushi<div style="text-align: left;"><strong>Rahu</strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>Sisowath Quay</strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>10 Sisowath Quay</strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>Tel: 023 215 179</strong></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://cheberet.com/rahutable.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Hipster sushi makes up roughly 80% of the diets of Northern Californians, and I'm pleased to announce that Phnom Penh now has an entry into the field. Restaurant chain Metro has opened a sushi outpost next to Harem Shisha Bar and the Riverhouse Lounge, with sushi and Japanese specialities added on to the standard Metro menu. </div><div><br /></div><div>The dark, moody, and aggressively hip decor - yes, I'll mention the Angry Monk Kid painting in the back corner, let's stop talking about it now - is set off by extremely attractive and somewhat attentive wait-staff. Where Rahu really shines is after 11:00 PM, when the sushi menu is discounted by 50%. In fact, I've never actually eaten at Rahu before the discount hit.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a city where late-night food can be limited—if you're not brave enough to risk food stalls and gastrointestinal ruin—this late night sushi can be something of a blessing, especially if you're not really that into greasy hangover prevention chow. Rolls top out at around $5 and most are in the $3.50 area. It's a pretty good deal for the tastiest sushi I've had in town. The menu is not particularly extensive, but all the bases are covered, with sushi rolls, sashimi, and some other Japanese classics on offer. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://cheberet.com/rahusalmon.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div>The spicy salmon rolls are my favorite here. The legitimately spicy salmon interior is wrapped in rice which is studded with small, crispy tempura bits. It's finished with a not-excessive drizzle of wasabi mayo and is really a pretty perfect light meal or late-night snack. I used to bitch about California sushi's obsession with sauces, but now I miss them. A lot. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://cheberet.com/rahutunaroll.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div>The simple tuna roll is executed beautifully here - fresh tuna, perfectly rolled, seaweed that isn't too chewy. No sauces to accompany here, which is as it should be for one of Japanese cuisine's more perfectly simple creations. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://cheberet.com/salmonasparagusroll.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Salmon, asparagus, and cream cheese is another classic California-style roll that is just about impossible to find in Cambodia. I really like this roll - creamy cheese, some subtlety unctuous salmon, a bit of green onion, some crisp asparagus, and a smidgen of spicy sauce. Rich without making you feel sort of awful about yourself. Which is not the point of sushi. </div><div><br /></div><div>There's also beef with red ants rolls on the menu. These are especially fun if you can order these when your friend is in the bathroom, than pass it off as something totally benign. That joke <em>never</em> gets old. </div><div><br /></div><div>Don't forget to ask the waitstaff to bring you some of Rahu's home-made potato chips to go with your sushi and alcoholic beverages. They're seasoned with something delicious and are, in my opinion, far superior to the sweet n' salty peanuts usually on offer with beer in Cambodia.</div><div><br /></div><div>Be aware that a service charge is tacked onto the bill whether you like it or not - keep this in mind before embarking on some sort of PM sushi binge. It's true that Rahu would be somewhat obnoxiously chic if it wasn't here, but as things currently stand in PP, it's kinda nice to be able to get California-style sushi late at night at an aggressively hip restaurant where the waitstaff aren't particularly nice to you. It reminds me of home. </div><div><br /></div>Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-19792738402606474902011-12-18T14:13:00.000-08:002011-12-18T14:14:46.273-08:00Happa: Excellent Japanese Teppanyaki in Phnom Penh<div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Happa</strong><br /><strong>#17, Street 278</strong><br /><strong>Phnom Penh</strong><br /><strong>Tel: 077749266</strong><br /></div><strong></strong></div><br /><br />I realized recently that the restaurants I eat at the most here in Phnom Penh are rarely the ones I review. Something about incredible familiarity makes me less likely to go ahead and haul the camera with me and do the review - so I'm glad I finally got around to Happa, a great little <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teppanyaki">Japanese/Khmer teppanyaki</a> joint on backpacker-beloved street 278.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/happapork.jpg" /><br />Happa's pork stir-fried with sesame.<br /><br />The menu focuses on Japanese small plates, prepared in front of you on the restaurant's big iron griddle, which makes for some rather interesting visuals and assurance that you're getting pretty fresh food. There's sauteed small plates of meats and vegetables, main-course dishes with steak, pork, and lamb, salads and fried specialities, and even Japanese pizza or "okonamayaki," a cabbage and flour pancake topped with bacon and cheese.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/happachicken.jpg" /><br /><br />The teriyaki chicken here is excellent, nice and tender and not too salty, with some dark meat bits thrown in, which I infinitely prefer. I like to eat this with the oyster mushrooms sauteed in butter.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/happatofu.jpg" /><br /><br />I'm also a big fan of the fresh tofu salad, which has soft tofu, seaweed, sesame and lettuce tossed in a vinegary-heavy dressing. A nice light stomach-friendly meal. My only complaint with Happa is that the cooks sometimes take too heavy a hand with the salt-shaker, but the issue seems to have been weeded out in the last month or two.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/happatofusteak.jpg" /><br /><br />Vegetarians will enjoy Happa's turn with tofu - seems like there's fifteen different tofu based dishes on the menu, all using soft local tofu. The tofu steak with basil and chili is a Khmer-accented take and is pretty excellent - not TOO soft - served with Happa's griddle-fried potatoes (my boyfriend is an addict) and some sauteed vegetables. As far as main courses go, the pork cutlet topped with cheese and mushrooms, served with potatoes and veggies, is also excellent at $6.00.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/happaeggplant.jpg" /><br /><br />Grilled Japanese eggplant is on special here sometimes. I can't say I find it too different from <em>Khmer </em> style grilled eggplant, other than perhaps the slightly sweet, slightly vinegary sauce on top, but it's still a good and distinctly smoky dish.<br /><br />There's also a couple pages of classic Khmer dishes near the back if you're interesting in mixing your East Asian with your Southeast Asian. If you get there in time, Happa often has sushi rolls and sashimi featuring the fish of the day—comfortingly for those inclined to distrust raw fish in a third-world nation, they often run out.<br /><br />The friendly wood-accented dining area is a casual spot to drink a beer or a glass of wine while waiting for your food - no one is attempting to hustle you out of the restaurant here, and its quiet location makes it possible to have a decent conversation here while enjoying some cooler dry season weather.<br /><br />Happa's owners also play fantastic music, which is a real asset in a land where restaurant music trends more towards the ear-gratingly horrible. I hear New Orleans tracks I don't encounter outside of the Crescent city at Happa, as well as excellent Delta blues, jazz, and soul music. Someone with excellent taste in American music is obviously in charge of the audio here.<br /><br />My dad notes many of his Japanese coworkers are rabid blues and jazz fans - Japanese readers, can you back this up?Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-21229937234644482712011-12-16T02:56:00.000-08:002011-12-16T03:02:28.696-08:00Suzume: Homey Japanese Food in Dark Heart of Phnom Penh<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Suzume</strong><br /><strong>14A Street 51</strong><br /><strong>092 748 393</strong><br /><strong>Phnom Penh</strong><br /></div><br />Phnom Penh has more Japanese restaurants than I ever expected it to have, mostly due to the city's healthy (and apparently chronically starving) population of Japanese NGO workers. Most Japanese restaurants here are of the rustic variety, specializing more in curries, soups, ramen and gyoza, rather than more complicated and delicate affairs like sushi.<br /><br />Expat-beloved and low-key Suzume, however, has a phone-book size menu with most standard Japanese dishes, including ramen and gyoza, a variety of tempura, and even a selection of sushi rolls.<br /><br />Downside: everything is more expensive than it is at other "mid-range" Japanese places in town, including ramen at $7, which I think is a bit ridiculous in Cambodia. Bowl o' noodles, like everyone else eats here, just from <span style="font-style: italic;">Japan. </span><br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/suzumeedamame.jpg" /><br /><br />Edamame:possibly the perfect snack, tragically a bit hard to find here, or at least in the awesome pre-packaged microwave pack format you can find the stuff in Northern California. Buttery nutrient rich deliciousness, all natural, hard to object in any way.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/suzumetempura.jpg" /><br /><br />Suzume does a pretty good turn in shrimp and vegetable tempura, which can be fried into a chewy, immense mass of suck and here is light and airy in the best Japanese fashion. Fried seaweed in batter is curiously delectable. I do not know how they turn shrimp into shrimp *poles* like this but it is rather impressive. Probably involves deveining, maybe crustacean torture, I don't know.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/suzumegyoza.jpg" /><br /><br />Vegetable gyoza are another classic - need to be light and not chewy, in the Japanese fashion (more leeway is allowed for big meaty greasy Chinese dumplings). These were filled with cabbage and chives and were quite tasty. I like the meaty variety more but one makes concessions when dining with vegetarians. (Hey, I love you guys. Cook for ya all the time. Well, used to.)<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/suzumecurry.jpg" /><br /><br />My boyfriend is sort of a Japanese curry obsessive and this is probably the most comforting of Japanese comfort foods to the expat set: mild curry, rice, and fried pork katsu on top. Great for cold weather (if we had any) and excellent if you're: 6'6, working on a construction site, or have recently suffered from a bout of weight-loss causing sickness. Since most foreigners here often experience #3, fire away. Japanese people: is this also Comfort Food of Choice? Suspect so for many.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/suzumetuna.jpg" /><br /><br />Tuna rolls are a simple but delicious affair, and these use nice fish and are well-rolled, which is often an issue with sushi in Cambodia.<br /><br />Admittedly: I spend my days at the Khmer Rouge War Tribunal of late and sometimes day-dream about asking the anti-materalist anti-Western Communist leaders of yore - "Hey, did you know bunches of expats dine on Japanese imperialist food at rather high prices in your very own capital? Suck on it!"<br /><br />I will never get a chance to do this but it's kind of a dream.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/suzumeeel.jpg" /><br /><br />My personal favorite: eel and cucumber rolls. These were quite good, and had a nice fresh, sweet, nicely unctuous flavor. Simple sushi rolls are something I miss very much from the US. Had I known I would miss Tulane University cafeteria sushi so much. In any case, these rolls fill the void in my heart, and there's no "service charge" like that surprise tacked on at Rahu. Tasty as Rahu's sushi may be.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-23857156960841034802011-12-11T08:25:00.000-08:002011-12-11T08:26:42.644-08:00Mekong Korean: Cold Weather Food for the Tropics<strong>Mekong Korean Restaurant<br />Sothearos Drive<br />Phnom Penh, Cambodia</strong><br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/mekongkoreankimchi.jpg" /><br /><br />Korean restaurants are rife in Phnom Penh, and family restaurant Mekong Korean occupies a convenient location in the very center of the city. Dishing up rustic versions of Korean standards such as bi-bim-bap, tofu stew, stir-fried pork with red pepper and chicken stews, the restaurant has an entirely nondescript interior, few Western customers, and background music trending towards "Christian Celtic Songs Of the 90's." I find it all rather relaxing.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/koreasoupdetail.jpg" /><br /><br />My favorite dish here is definitely the bulgogi stew at $8. It's not <em>really</em> bulgogi - they use ground beef here - but I love the slightly sweet, beefy, sesame infused broth. It's served with cabbage, carrots, sesame seeds, onions, and a bunch of enoki mushrooms. All the vegetation can make you pretend you're being healthy. Also a great option when dining with people who are red pepper averse, which is a serious, serious malfunction in Korean restaurants.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/mekongkoreanstew.jpg" /><br /><br />Another good dish here is Korean chicken stew, an exceptionally homey dish of braised chicken in a spicy red pepper sauce with potatoes, capsicum, onions, and chilis. It's spicy and delightfuly rustic at the same time. Great over rice, big pieces of skin-on, bone in chicken, something you'd make yourself in cool weather. It's almost getting into the low seventies at night in Phnom Penh now so I feel cold-weather food is entirely justified. It's around $14 for 2, and the stew's serving size was big enough that Giant Iowa Boyfriend and I could share it and be more than satiated.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/mekongkoreanbanchan.jpg" /><br /><br />The reason Korean restaurants may seem somewhat pricier than other restaurants is undoubtedly due to panchan, the ubiquitous selection of side-dishes trotted out at any Korean restaurant worth a damn. As these side-dishes are always refilled upon request (or without request), you could consider a good Korean restaurant something more of an all-you-can-eat buffet—and entree portion sizes tend to be healthy as well.<br /><br />Mekong Korean does excellent marinated eggplant, fishcakes, beansprouts and daikon, but you'll get something different every time. I find their classic cabbage kimchi only OK, however. Something a little too harsh in the flavor. You'd be surprised how specific kimchi lovers can get. Also, how hard it is for kimchi lovers to get their non-Korean significant others to kiss them after they eat it.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-82933884361503076842011-12-02T02:32:00.000-08:002011-12-02T02:34:25.238-08:00Kimly: Crab Market Crab Shack, Awesome Fried Shrimp<strong>Kimly Restaurant<br />Crab Market (if you're in Kep, you can't miss it)<br />Kep, Cambodia</strong><br /><br /><br />Kimly is the most popular restaurant in Kep's Crab Market cluster of eateries, attracting a mixture of both Khmer and Western custom. Specializing in fresh seafood, and with a more extensive menu than other Crab Market restaurants, it attracts a cracking business during holidays, and is usually pleasingly quiet during the week. Everything is fresh, of course: you may note this place is built <em>over the ocean.</em><br /><br />Kimly is even so successful that they've built a guesthouse near Knai Bang Chatt: haven't been there yet, doubt they put crab-scented air fresheners in the rooms but one never knows.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/kimlycoconutcrab.jpg"><br /><br />I like the crab stir-fried with coconut milk the best: Kep's small, sweet, and tasty crabs pre-cracked and given a run through a thick and rather throughly spiced sauce. There's green capsicum and a little onion and green pepper involved as well. Kimly bears the virtue of never overdoing their crabs, rendering them chewy and displeasing.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/kimlysquid.jpg"><br /><br />We also tried the grilled squid with french fries. Simple enough - isn't everyone in the Crab Market selling squid grilled over a charcoal flame? - and pretty good with some beer. I confess that I'm not very keen on squid unless it is deep fried or stuffed with something, but my boyfriend deemed it very good. The fries were just OK, a bit limp, but there's really only so much one can expect.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/kimlypeppercrab.jpg"><br /><br />I went for the stir-fried crabs with Kampot pepper on my next visit. It's a rather similar sauce to that used for the coconut milk crabs, sans coconut milk: plenty of earthy spices, green pepper, and green onion. The standout flavor is of course the fresh crispness of Kampot pepper, which is green, edible, and a nice reminder that pepper doesn't actually generate in little glass table shakers. Kimly's version of crab with Kampot pepper is not subtle - for a subtle approach, I prefer Trei, down the Crab Market row a few establishments or so. But this is good.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/kimlyshrimp.jpg"><br /><br />The real winner at Kimly may be the deep-fried shrimp with batter (make sure to specify to the waiter that you don't want shrimp fried in *butter*). If you order the medium version, you get a massive platter of fresh, delectable tail on shrimp with a crunchy but not ultra heavy crust. Delicious stuff and made me long for some Carolina-style special sauce to accompany, although the sweet chili and ketchup on offer did the job condiments-wise. People at other tables were staring at these longingly and asking what we ordered. Do it.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-62919640035014073552011-11-28T10:30:00.000-08:002011-11-28T10:31:17.727-08:00Romdeng Again: Excellent Stuffed Squid, Still Don't Try The Spiders<a href="http://www.mithsamlanh.org/ventures.php?id=13&catid=3">Romdeng</a><br /><strong>#74 Street 174<br />Telephone: +855 092-219-565<br />Phnom Penh, Cambodia<br /></strong><br /><br />Romdeng is the Mith Samlanh street kid's charity Khmer training restaurant, affiliated with the more Western accented Friends, near Riverside. Set in an old colonial building, it's a salubrious place to try authentic Khmer dishes for a pretty good cause. The waitstaff, cooks, and I believe at least some of the management are all former street kids enrolled in hospitality training programs conducted by Mith Samlanh. It's a good idea, and, thankfully, the food is good too.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/romdengmintdrink.jpg"><br /><br />Both Romdeng and Friends do excellent frozen drinks, and I enjoyed this lychee/passionfruit/mint mixture. Would have been better with a little vodka, but this was a lunch-break-from-work type affair so I was forced to hold back.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/eggplantmushrooms.jpg"><br /><br />Khmer food is reliant on grilled or roasted eggplant. Especially popular is eggplant served with ground pork and, in some cases, chopped mushrooms, as can be seen here. This dish had a pleasingly smoky flavor from both the eggplant and the oaky shitake mushrooms - definitely Cambodian and something I would order again.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/romdengbasilchicken.jpg"><br /><br />Chicken stir-fried with basil and chili is one of those dishes that most Westerners would consider Thai. This is a point of enormous contention in Cambodia, of course - Khmers maintain that the Thais stole their cuisine many hundreds of years ago and added their own flourishes. A culinary historian with more free time (or a larger stipend) than myself might be able to sort this one out without igniting (another) border incident, but I'll just stick with calling it a "dish that straddles borders." Chicken with basil and chili may also be subject to contention because it's pretty darn good: fresh holy basil, some garlic, not-too-hot red chilis and some boneless chicken. I'd prefer it with bone-in chicken, though. What's with Westerners fetish for dark meat?<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/romdengsquid.jpg"><br /><br />Cambodians also love grilled squid stuffed with things (usually pork...it's usually pork). These small grilled cephalapods were stuffed with pork stir-fried with a touch of ginger. Pretty good stuff, and not too chewy, as is the unfortunate fate of many of our underwater friends. Sniff.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/romdengkhmercurry.jpg"><br /><br />This is Khmer curry with potato, green beans, pumpkin, carrot, and coconut milk. Khmer coconut milk curries taste quite different from Thai coconut milk curries. They're usually more subtle, considerably less spicy, thicker, and a bit less complex. This is often good news for those suffering from dodgy stomachs. You are unlikely to be seriously injured by Khmer food, whereas I was pretty convinced a couple times in Thailand that the chef was actually trying to kill me by means of tiny, tiny chili pod.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/romdengicecream.jpg"><br /><br />I don't like desserts much, with the exception of sorbet and ice cream, which can be ideal in a tropical, comically sweaty climate. (Fairly convinced people who eat warm chocolate brownies here are insane, possibly criminally so). I may or may not have forgotten what the flavors involved here were, but I know one scoop involved pineapple and the other passion fruit. I will devour anything with passion fruit in it, so the choice was easy. No, I don't care that passion fruit resembles alien brains.<br /><br />The more adventurous, or at least more masochistic, can also order Cambodia's infamous fried tarantulas at Romdeng. I haven't tried em' before (no one wants to share with me, it's not my fault) but I've heard they taste pretty much like shrimp. The tarantulas are becoming an endangered species since every tourist seems to want a Facebook photo of them eating one, or at least pretending to eat one, which I believe is one of those unanticipated environmental disasters.<br /><br />More accessible may be beef stir-fried with ant larvae, a Khmer dish that's often served with beer. "Ant season" tends to fall in the dry season, which stretches roughly from November to April. No, haven't tried that either. I guess I need braver family members. That's my excuse.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-85029281841787904512011-11-27T06:57:00.000-08:002011-11-27T06:58:30.844-08:00Touich Again: Awesome Family Owned Joint in Siem Reap; Free Jeep Ride<strong><a href="http://the-touich-restaurant-bar.blogspot.com/">Touich Restaurant</a><br />3 km outside center of town center: call ahead at 092 80 80 40 - 012 99 57 83 or email touich.restaurant @ gmail.com<br />Siem Reap, Cambodia<br /></strong><br /><br />Touich, a small Khmer restaurant set in Siem Reap's back alleys, has gained something of a cult following since I was last there in February. Owned by an English speaking and charmingly eccentric Battambang family, this surprisingly hip little joint is probably my favorite in Siem Reap. If you call ahead to make reservations, the restaurant will send a 1940's era military jeep to pick you up at your hotel, which is all kinds of fun.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/kohkerbass.jpg" /><br /><br />Touich specializes in sea bass baked with salt and stuffed with ginger. Although fish is often suspect in Siem Reap, they know where to source it, and it's fresh and good. The waitress will skillfully fillet the fish then serve it to you at your table, after cracking the salt crust - it's served with a spicy chili sauce. Beware bones, as is the case in Asia.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/kohkerpork.jpg" /><br /><br />This grilled pork rib with barbeque sauce was excellent and tender. So much so that my Southern father had to ask about the provenance of the pig from whence it came. "It was a very big," the restaurant co-owner said. "It won an award, actually. I think it was around 500 pounds." Well, that explains a lot. One enormous pork chop. He told us that super-size pigs are often raised in Buddhist pagodas here and raised until they attain truly monstrous proportions, when they are sold off. Both spiritually sound and delicious, I suppose.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/touichsquid.jpg" /><br /><br />Stir-fried squid with Kampot pepper is a perennial Cambodian favorite (in a country amply blessed with both tender cephalopods and fresh pepper) and was very good here, in a slightly sweet sauce with the very unique bite of fresh green pepper. I will miss fresh green pepper very much in the event of my leaving Cambodia. There's nothing quite like it.<br /><br />Westerners who aren't from the Deep South usually are highly disinterested in eating frog, but you should really give the Cambodian frogs a try. These fat, placid beasts really DO taste like chicken, and it's worth navigating around the small, delicate bones.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/touichfrog.jpg" /><br /><br />Touich stir-fries the frog with ginger and some herbs. Frog is also good barbecued on a skewer. Don't knock the local protein source. Further: my mighty Louisiana ancestors have been noshing on these things straight out of the swamp for many generations right alongside Cambodia, so I'm the last to get all snooty.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/touichlemonsoup.jpg" /><br /><br />Chicken soup with lemon is Cambodian comfort food, and something I eat a lot when sick, not-super hungry, or just feel like a simple meal. The tangy broth is accented with ginger and some very subtle fresh herbs, and is really refreshing after a long, hot day of touristing around the temples. I like to toss some white rice into mine for extra texture.<br /><br />There's a pretty impressive wine list and a "wine rack" presided over by the Wine God. Mostly French stuff - we went with a fruity French white.<br /><br />Sidenote: Touich plays awesome music. Bob Dylan, Beirut, Sinatra and Delta blues were all on the playlist when we visited.<br /><br />Don't miss Touich for a fun dinner experience in Siem Reap. Scorn the massive tourist restaurants, and come for the free jeep ride and a good meal instead.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-79299760750697829982011-11-25T21:05:00.000-08:002011-11-25T21:06:19.111-08:00Angkor Palm: How to Sample Khmer Food Without Any Awkward Commitment<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Angkor Palm</strong><br /><strong>Psaa Chas (near the Old Market)</strong><br /><strong>Siem Reap, Cambodia</strong><br /></div><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/khmersamplerdetail.jpg" /><br /><br />The Angkor Palm is an attractive Khmer restaurant on the main drag of Siem Reap's backpacker ghetto. The restaurant's primary draw is its Khmer sampler platter, a convenient and cheapish way to sample a bunch of Cambodian dishes without the need to fully commit to a single one. I like to bring visitors here as a nice intro-to-Khmer food - and the fish amok and morning glory are pretty good by themselves, as well.<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/khmersampler.jpg" /><br /><br />So what's on the plate, anyway?<br /><br />Fish amok, a Cambodian baked dish of fish and coconut milk, with aromatic spices. A perennial favorite and one of Cambodia's not-so-numerous distinct dishes. Backpackers tend to eat little but if they take to it. I've almost overdosed, but I need to learn how to make it in the event of leaving Cambodia. Great stuff.<br /><br />Stir-fried morning glory with oyster sauce, garlic, and chili. A Cambodian mainstay, this slightly chewy and delicious green vegetable is grown in small ponds and patches of standing water across the country. Aggressively good for you and surprisingly tender.<br /><br />Deep-fried pork spare-ribs. Cambodians love their pig, as evidenced by any journey through the Cambodian countryside, where scary-looking pigs upwards of 400 pounds root about in the undergrowth until their time is up. A fried sparerib is a fried sparerib, but they're certainly something Cambodians LIKE.<br /><br />Fresh vegetable spring rolls are another perennial favorite here, stuffed with vermicelli noodles, carrots, cucumber, peanuts, and a lot of fresh herbs. I like most Southeast Asian herbs but find fishwort - an herb with a small, almost gingko-shaped leaf - to be absolutely abhorrent. Your mileage may vary.<br /><br />Green mango salad with small smoked fish and chili. It's a lot like papaya salad, with a slightly more sour, slightly more fruity flavor. The smoked fish are quite chewy and may be an acquired taste.<br /><br />Khmer green curry is in essence a less spicy and more vegetable-heavy variant on the Thai stuff, with pumpkin, onion, green beans, chili (small quantities), coconut milk, some meat, and whatever else was hanging around the kitchen. I suspect the Khmer curry philosophy is fairly similar to that of gumbo: if you've got it, toss it in the pot. It's a good comfort-food dish and something I find myself ordering quite often. Will not blow your face off like the Thai stuff, as is usually the case with Cambodian food.<br /><br />We also had some slightly too breaded fried squid, while my boyfriend and my mother had fried rice. I'm not even sure if it's really possible to rate fried rice. You only really notice if it's really bad or really good. Maybe I'm wrong - I mean, I love fried rice - but it's basically the Staff of Life in this part of the world.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-63684387717636947622011-11-15T08:01:00.000-08:002011-11-15T08:05:52.265-08:00Really Really French Food at The Wine Restaurant - in Phnom Penh<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>The Wine Restaurant</strong><br /><strong>Street 19 (Right off Street 240)</strong><br /><strong>Telephone: 023 223 527</strong><br /><strong>Phnom Penh, Cambodia</strong><br /></div><br />The obviously named Wine Restaurant is a popular oasis for French expats, who enjoy the large wine selection, highly French-ified menu, and nice, open dining area. Most Phnom Penh residents hit up the Wine Restaurant for its high value $10 three course lunches, which I can verify are very nice: goat cheese toasts with salad, boeuf bourguignon, and strawberry sorbet, all nicely prepared and at a rock-bottom sum.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cheberet.com/winerestaurantamuse.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>A very pleasant amuse bouche of puff pastry filled with shrimp in cream sauce. </em><br /></div><br />Things get a lot more expensive at night, which is when my visiting parents charitably took Phill and I to the restaurant. Everything is both ala-carte and exceptionally French, although Kampot pepper sneaks into the menu. There's an emphasis on steaks, cream sauces, fresh seafood, foie gras, and cheese - and, obviously, the wine accompaniments to such delicacies. Good news is we were feeling hungry.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cheberet.com/foeiwine.jpg" /><br /></div><br />My father and I shared an appetizer of seared foie gras with fruit compote, over a salad. Foie gras is an elemental, slightly perverse dish in its all-encompassing richness - you love it, you hate it, you think it's cruel, whatever. I love it, at least in somewhat reasonable quantities, and this was very nice with the slight sweetness of the jammy fruit. It was served with somewhat unpleasantly bitter greens with balsamic, which actually made a nice counterpoint if eaten in tandem with foie and jam. This stuff ain't good for you, but it's certainly warranted every once a while. Well, except for you PETA types. Sorry.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cheberet.com/winerestaurantscallops.jpg" /><br /></div><br />I selected the seared scallops with mushroom sauce. They were presented very attractively, in a circle around a subtle balsamic reduction and a bit butter lettuce with mustardy dressing: the creamy mushroom sauce was served in a small cravet on the side, which I thought was rather clever. A scallop is easily overwhelmed, and allowing the diner to select how much sauce they'd like is a good idea. The sauce itself was a nice, vaguely boozy cream sauce and very nice: it would also suit a steak.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cheberet.com/winerestaurantsteak.jpg" /><br /></div><br />My father, ever the meat lover, ordered a simple rare strip steak with a side of frites - a classic French dish - with a side of red wine sauce. My dad, who knows his way around a steak, reported that it was good, and the red wine sauce was also a serviceable effort. Worthy of particular note are the fries, which are crisp, thin, nicely salted and generally good. Pretty much a requirement in a French restaurant that's actually trying.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cheberet.com/winerestaurantduck.jpg" /><br /></div><br />Suspicious of Cambodian beef (although I believe they import everything here, as do most expensive restaurants in Phnom Penh - Cambodian beef is stringy), Phill and my mother both ordered the seared duck. This was a seared breast of duck served with a Kampot pepper sauce, some salad, and the aforementioned Good French Fries. Accolades all around: nicely cooked and high quality meat. Duck isn't ultra common in Cambodia, but the good stuff is easy to get: duck herders sell their plucked, fresh off the farm wares on the road to Siem Reap, while duck herders move their charges about in many areas of the countryside.<br /><br />We finished with fresh passion fruit sorbet with a small wafer cookie in it, perhaps the ideal dessert in Cambodia's climate. Some other French desserts are on offer. I can't remember what they are. Sorry.<br /><br />The Wine Restaurant is a fine choice for a high-end Gallic meal - with a formidable wine selection - in Phnom Penh. Especially relevant if you have finally tired of fish amok, loc lac, and fried rice, and would really like to eat something incorporating a cream sauce. The dining room is respectfully hushed, while service is on-point and well trained.<br /><br />All the actual French people seem to filter into the restaurant from 8:30 onwards, so you may have the place to yourself if you come early. An added plus for those with kids: there's an outdoor play area with a totally bitchin' dragon-themed play car. It's been hard to resist the urge to jump into it many times myself. Mostly when drunk.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-30942940725058730902011-11-06T20:18:00.001-08:002012-11-20T23:48:52.720-08:00Palm Beach Seafood: Giant Ass Crabs And Devouring Them in Singapore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><a href="http://www.palmbeachseafood.com/pbs/index.html">Palm Beach Seafood </a></b><br />
<b>One Fullerton Road</b><br />
<b>Tel: +65 6227 2332</b><br />
<b>Singapore</b><br />
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I went to Palm Beach Seafood for my first Chili Crab Experience in Singapore last year, had a nice meal, and figured it would be fine for us to go back again. It's one of the chili crab emporiums that gets regularly recommended to out-of-town types willing to pay for the experience, and it's also in an indisputably enviable locale at One Fullerton Place, within post-dinner stroll distance of the Merlion and many, many high-end shopping opportunities. (Like all of Singapore).<br />
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Palm Beach is a standard Chinese seafood house and you can tell by the dining room, which has white tile floors, fake foliage-adorned walls, a bunch of large bubbling fish tanks at the back of the room, and is pitched at a very, very high volume. Chinese seafood houses are roughly the same everywhere insofar as I can tell.<br />
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The menu has a range of fresh seafood dishes, along with some non-seafaring specialities to even out the menu. The standby is of course crab, and there are a number of different species and sizes on offer, priced by the weight, and with a number of different cooking styles. You can pick your own victim from the tanks. Most people get the Singapore classic chili crab, which is cracked crab stir-fried in a sweet and spicy red sauce, served with bread rolls for sopping purposes.<br />
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Palm Beach really does do an epic chili crab, and this supposedly "medium" stone crab was an impressive specimen of the species. It was roughly as big as my head, in fact. Staring down a gigantic crustacean at dinner time is one of my (many) definitions of a good time, and once we were given Palm Beach branded seafood-bibs and some implements of destruction (crab crackers), we were well on our way.<br />
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<i>The demise of Pinchy.</i></div>
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I don't really remember much about digging into a good crab, as I tend to enter what is commonly known as a fugue state, but it was tasty, really tasty, and there was a lot of it. I must say that I prefer my family's home-made chili crab to the restaurant stuff - the sauce is too sweet - but this was pretty excellent all the same. They didn't overcook and undercook the crab, which is an occasional complaint. Chili crab is in essence a fairly simple thing, or it should be.<br />
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We also tried some very good milk-fried prawns: bursty little beasts fried in hot oil then served with buttery crumbles mixed with fried curry leaves and a touch of garlic. Curry leaves are a favorite of mine, rarely encountered in the West, and they gave the dish an exotic, subtle South Indian flare. I am not sure where the "milk" part comes in, but maybe it has something to do with the buttery crumbles. They were very good, and an interesting departure from the stand-by of salt and pepper shrimp.<br />
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We ordered some fried duck to go with the seafood, which was a mistake at a restaurant that specializes in seafood: overcooked and too tough, except for the drumstick, which naturally I got when my parents weren't looking. Skip it. A better side dish is spicy fried morning glory, which was very good the first time I was here, and is a natural, nutrient-rich accompaniment to seafood dishes in Southeast Asia.<br />
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Palm Beach does nickle and dime, as many Chinese seafood places do. Being charged extra for a supposedly complimentary plate of prawn crackers and pineapple sambal is a bit tacky: if something is on a table in front of you at most restaurants, it is a tacit agreement that it's free, or at least it is in my book.<br />
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The place was chock-full when we arrived and the hostess put us in a rather lame seat right next to the door, which incensed my father since we did arrange through the hotel concierge and called in advance in the morning - and a walk-in group got a nicer table immediately upon arrival.<br />
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After some poiteish posturing on the matter (well, polite as posturing about table location gets, I guess), we were put somewhere nicer. If you book far enough in advance, you can also be seated outside with a view over Marina Bay while you do horrible things to innocent sea creatures, which does sound pretty salubrious.<br />
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Addendum: I have always wondered why human beings love to gaze wistfully over the sea from whence the creatures they are messily devouring came from. Maybe it makes us feel like we are the brave fisher-people our ancestors hailed from. Maybe gazing over the sea makes us feel like conquerors of what lies beneath, never mind that the vast majority of the under-sea species we eat really aren't much brighter than, well, a lobster. <i>(Exceptions made for octopi and whales. I'm sorry, guys. Real sorry.) </i><br />
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Or, maybe people just really dig a sea-view and like to assume that what they are eating was pulled wriggling and feisty from the very ocean they are looking at, even if in reality, dinner came from somewhere far away and was (if it was lucky) dumped into a holding tank before the inevitable end. This is rarely the case, of course - except in Cambodia, where crabs, fish, and prawns are kept in wicker boxes tied to over-the-water restaurants, and are fished out as need desires. Convenient enough in its way, except for in a typhoon.</div>
Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-34505181014740010842011-11-06T06:55:00.000-08:002012-11-20T23:53:20.437-08:00Sup Tulang: Singapore's Most Obscene Food (And Possibly The World's)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Haji Kadir & M Baharudeen Sup Tulang</b><br />
<b></b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Address: 505 Beach Road, #B1-13/15 Golden Mile Food Centre, Singapore</span><br />
<b>Tel: +65 6294 0750</b><br />
<b>Opening Hours</b><br />
<b>Daily: 12pm – 1am </b></div>
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This is a blog post about Sup Tulang, which is one of the more viscerally carnivorous things I've ever eaten, and in the incredibly civilized locales of Singapore, to boot. It's a Malay-Indian dish of beef or mutton bones, which are cooked in a spicy cumin and chili infused (and BRIGHT red) stew until the marrow inside gets soft and spreadable. You may have seen Anthony Bourdain slurping down the marrow with a plastic straw on TV, which is where my Dad got the idea from.<br />
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Hell bent on consuming sup tulang in his lifetime, my father put me to the task of finding out the best place to eat it. The Internet food oracles told me that would be the Golden Mile Food Center, closeish to Singapore's Little Arabia district. After an Indian breakfast and a morning spent wandering Little India and buying all manner of counterfeit shirts, we headed for the food court and the Haj Kadir food stall.<br />
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The stall, thankfully, is easy enough to find - bottom floor of the shopping center, to the right of the entryway - and is advertised with big, slightly green-tinted pictures of gory looking marrow bones. The elderly stall-men took our order, we sat down at a picnic table, and ordered fresh lime juice and lemon tea, as well as a serve of chicken-rice for my mother, whose sensibilities are more delicate than those of my father and I. Soon enough, a plate of four marrow bones for 7 Singapore dollars were plonked down on our table. We were given plastic straws for the marrow and some bread for the sauce.<br />
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It's a pretty obscene food. Tasty enough, but pretty obscene. The sauce is delicious: it's got some gamey, mutton infused, smoky flavor, with chunks of chopped chili floating in it. The bones don't have much meat on them, but the meat isn't the point, really, it's the marrow inside.<br />
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I decided to go for the marrow first - the sounds you make when sucking marrow out of a big-ass bone in a public place, well, I'll leave those to your imagination. Then, I picked up the bone, which was really very slippery, and gnawed off the meat. I don't think I made any growling sounds while I was doing this but I also can't say I didn't.<br />
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It was a very happy experience for me, as I am a dedicated carnivore and everyone who knows me is pretty sure I retain ancient race memories of Stone-Age ancestors. In that I'd be super happy crouching by a fire tearing big chunks off a mammoth haunch while snarling and snapping at the semi-domesticated wolf pack that might bother me for scraps. Napkins, what are those?<br />
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<b>The old men who ran the stall </b>sat at the table next to us and watched me eat the marrow out of the bones while talking animatedly to each other in Malay. According to my mother, they appeared to be somewhere in between profoundly disgusted and impressed by the enthusiaim and verve with which I went at the marrow bones. Probably more disgusted.<br />
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Two cute little Singaporean ladies were eating sup tulang at a table near us, wearing cute little clothes, and they were somehow eating sup tulang *delicately*. I have no idea how but am fairly certain whatever dark magic they had been trained in to pull this off is far, far beyond my meager powers.<br />
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The real problem with sup tulang is encountered after you're done with it, when you realize that the red dye they use to color the sauce doesn't come off your fingers, even if you scrub them really hard with liquid soap in the cleanish dining hall bathroom sink. It sort of comes off your face, but only sort of.<br />
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<b>Therefore, every Singaporean</b> will know for the rest of the day that you have eaten sup tulang. This is not exactly embarrassing, but few foods we encounter in the Western world actively <i>mark </i>you for the rest of the day. I ended up taking a long bath with a lot of intensive scrubbing, and my fingers were still stained red for a couple days. Although at least it took care of the facial Marks of Doom.<br />
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Anyone even vaguely squeamish about eating meat should probably steer well clear of both sup tulang and the people who are willing to eat it, is what I'm getting at. I suffer from no such moral compunctions and think most cute animals are preferable roasted on a spit with a nice marinade, but I know I'm not speaking for everyone.</div>
Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-46520255378360690762011-11-03T02:46:00.001-07:002011-11-03T02:46:50.027-07:00Some Thoughts on Singapore Food Halls<img src="http://cheberet.com/carrotcakesing.jpg" /><br /><br />You can't go to Singapore and not eat at food halls. This is both because it's a cultural touchpoint and a Quintessential Experience, and because it is practical: Singapore is an expensive-ass place and food hall meals tend to be at least cheapish.<br /><br />There are a lot of them, and some are renowned for a certain speciality, some are beloved by tourists, and some you stumble across in little back-alley neighborhoods. I am of the opinion that you can get pretty good food in all of them if you've got a nose - Chowhound.com and a cursory Google hunt are all you need to find the good stuff.<br /><br />Further, as insofar as I can determine Singaporeans don't actually cook, food halls are usually great spots for people watching, as people of every imaginable ethnicity chat, bicker, and pontificate over large portions of....just about everything. You can get anything from Mexican food to Bengali food to New York cheesecake at the largest of these institutions, but it's the street dishes you should be looking out for.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.laupasat.biz/">We paid a visit to the Lau Pau Sat Festival Market nearish to Raffles Quay, </a>which is set in a gracious old building and is a big favorite with power-lunchers from nearby high-rises and office buildings who are the mood to slum it. I was looking for a couple specific Singapore dishes and zeroed in on the Char Kway Teow hawker stand roughly in the middle of the hall, which had a couple of classics on tap....<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/singaaporecarrotcake2.jpg" /><br /><br />I would like to disabuse the general public of the notion that Singapore carrot cake has anything to do with carrots or cake, or cupcakes, or dessert. This curiously named street food dish par-excellence is in fact sliced radish cake, stir-fried with sweet soy sauce, egg, and onions, in the "black" variant - a soy-sauce free variant exists that is called, shockingly enough, "white." It's a bit odd at first to the Western palate, but I've developed a real liking for the stuff and consider it a first-rate breakfast meal.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/singaporeomlet.jpg" /><br /><br />This is a Singapore-style oyster omelet with a bit of onion, and it's a nice greasy, salty, slightly funky bite - perhaps best avoided if you're not already the kind of person who goes nuts for oysters (me) and to be sought out if you are (me). Singapore has a way with grease for a place with such an at times noxiously squeaky-clean reputation.<br /><br />Oysters have a dodgy reputation just about everywhere in Asia - my family had to stare me down from eating one the other day in Cambodia, but I like to live dangerously. However, Singapore is a place with food safety standards, and, even more pleasingly, graded ratings placed in prominent positions behind every food stalls counter, which makes your choices easier.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/singaporechickenrice.jpg" /><br /><br />Then there's Singapore chicken rice, a classic breakfast in these parts, and really quite fiendishly simple: rice cooked in chicken stock served with boneless chicken (boiled or fried, most often boiled), a sweet soy sauce of some type and a hot chili sauce of another, and a bowl of chicken stock soup. It's just about the best thing possible for a weird stomach (and it will happen to you in Southeast Asia) and is available just about everywhere, usually at reasonable prices.<br /><br />I like to get fresh fruit juices or sliced fruit for snacks on ridiculously hot days in Singapore. Thankfully, food halls are fully aware of how goddamn hot their homeland is, and getting a nice fresh electrolyte-loaded beverage is an easy matter. They'll mix your fruits for you or blend in some ice if you ask nicely. I also have a real thing for sweet fresh lime juice - they call it nimbupani in India, which is a delightful word - and it is easy to obtain here. Sugar cane juice is a bit cloying for my taste, but someone will happily press you some for a buck or two at the stalls: look for the guy with the sugar cane stalks. (I know, I give such useful, specific advice).<br /><br />Finding out what is good and what is not at food halls is easy: who is being mobbed by hungry Singaporeans, and who is not? Rocket science, it isn't.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-19124381741844230672011-10-31T07:06:00.000-07:002011-10-31T07:08:17.408-07:00Bayang: Fancy Indonesian Food in Singapore, Food on Sticks<a href="http://www.katrinahldgs.com/restaurants.html">Bayang</a><br />3A River Valley Road,<br />#01-05 Clarke Quay, Singapore<br /><br />Indonesian food: a cuisine that's just about impossible to find in most of the USA, and for reasons I find unfathomable - peanut sauce, fried rice, fresh ingredients and less aggressive spicing than Thai food, what's not to love? Thankfully, I live in Southeast Asia now, and we decided that we'd pay a visit to Bayang in Clarke Quay for our final dinner in Singapore.<br /><br />Clarke Quay is a bit of a zoo at night, full of US marines on the hunt and young Singaporeans dressed to kill and backpackers really feeling their vow of partial-poverty, but it's kind of a fun vibe - the same as any Where Young People Go pre-fab destination in any major, wealthy city. As a resident of Phnom Penh, it felt rather exotic.<br /><br />Bayang is also a bit of a pre-fab restaurant, with a chic and subdued interior, an English menu that explains things, and friendly waitstaff. The food is more than serviceable and attractive (though I'd like to go to some sort of po-dunk authentic Indonesian joint in Singapore, <em>someday</em>), and the location is convenient for a post-or-pre meal wander along the river on a busy weekend. I dock them some points for a curiously beat up menu - time to print out some new ones, tiger - but there's a nice selection of Indonesian classics with a special emphasis on grilled stuff.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/bayangsatay.jpg" /><br /><br />We very much enjoyed the satay sampler with beef, chicken, and shrimp. All three meats were very tender and nicely marinated, and the lemongrass skewers were an attractive touch. Something about satay is bizarrely charismatic. I chalk it up to a nigh-universal human love of Food on Sticks and peanut sauce. Well, except for those of you with food allergies. Guess it sucks to be you.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/bayangfish.jpg" /><br /><br />Whole grilled marinated fish was also done nicely, with tender meat that didn't require rocket-scientist levels of precision to fillet. A delicately seasoned marinade with lemongrass, ginger, and chili gave the white flesh a nice additional kick - the three house-made dipping sauces on the side were another nice touch.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/bayangnasigoreng.jpg" /><br /><br />Nasi goreng, Indonesia's ubiquitous fried rice with Stuff on the Side was on offer, complete with a shrimp cracker, sambal chili paste, and an additional stick of chicken satay. It had an appropriately smokey, coconut infused flavor and was quite tasty - there's a reason one of the planet's biggest countries is absolutely nuts over the stuff. I still haven't tried <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rijsttafel"> the epic Dutch-influenced Rijstaffel spread</a>, which all my expat relatives grow a bit misty about when discussing the dish, but someday, someday, someday.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/gadogadobayang.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gado-gado">And then there's gado gado</a>, Indonesia's classic mostly-boiled warm salad smothered in delicious peanut sauce. Another dish I'm astounded hasn't hit big in the US - are we THAT scared of peanuts? It's made differently just about everywhere, but the regular players are hard-boiled eggs, cashews, green beans, cabbage, shrimp crackers, bean sprouts, cucumber, tofu, and whatever else happens to be lying around the kitchen that would taste good with spicy peanut sauce on it. I love the stuff and could probably eat it from mixing bowls.<br /><br />I can suggest Bayang for upscale and reasonably priced Indonesian food in a pretty setting in a great location - good for a meal and a stroll. Probably worth looking elsewhere for true authenticity when it comes to Indonesian cuisine in Singapore, but hell, do you need that all the time?Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-90169987644196088582011-10-26T01:28:00.000-07:002011-10-26T01:30:01.966-07:00Komala Vilas: Real Indian Breakfast Food in the Heart of Singapore<strong><a href="http://www.komalavilas.com.sg/index.html">Komala Vilas Restaurant</a><br />76/78 Serangoon Road<br />Singapore 217981<br />Tel: +65 6293 6980<br /></strong><br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/littleindiastreet.jpg"><br />Singapore's Little India neighborhood.<br /><br />I love South Indian breakfast food, I really, really do. Started when I lived in Bangalore in college and has persisted ever since, coming to a boil whenever I go back to India (like last year). The rarity of good dosas, vadas, uttapham and other AM Indian delicacies in places not India kills me inside. Phnom Penh does have a pretty good little dosa-slinging joint, but it's not quite the same. Thus, I was very happy to come across Komala Vilas in Singapore's Little India, a restaurant that effectively transports you to a busy morning somewhere near Bangalore or Chennai.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/komaladosa.jpg"><br /><br />We had a rava masala dosa, an Indian crepe made with semolina flour and stuffed with potatoes, fried onions, green chili and spices. Like most South Indian breakfast items, it's served on a steel plate with small cups of tomato and coconut chutneys and sambar, South India's ubiquitous tamarind vegetable stew. You eat with your hands, ripping the dosa apart and dipping it in the little cups of flavor: it's really pretty perfect. Would only be enhanced by the addition of a smidgen of melted cheese - why can't you find a cheese dosa outside India?<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/komalautta.jpg"><br /><br />We sampled an uttapam as well, a pancake with red onion and chili mad with a fermented rice and daal batter. Uttapam is in essence a thick, flat variant on the dosa and is eaten with the hands in approximately the same way: the red onions weren't too sharp and made a nice counterpoint to the sambar.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/komalasamosas.jpg"><br /><br />Komala Vilas also does excellent, flaky, hot samosas, which are served with chutney and provide a spicy, interesting AM departure from a boring ol' crossiant. Great with chai tea, but everything is. There's also fresh juices and good, strong, super sweet South Indian coffee on offer, just like I fondly remember it.<br /><br />Komala Vilas has been doing its thing since 1947, serving cheap and simple South Indian breakfast items to a diverse crowd of Singaporeans. It's a bit of a zoo on weekends, but the people watching is, to me, a real perk - you can pour your tea from saucer to cup and listen to the cacophony all around you. "Quiet" and "Indian" don't go together. Saunter down the street after breakfast, buy some knock-off junk and tasty food products in the Indian run shops on Serangoon road, and pop your head into the Hindu temple if you're feeling nostalgia for the subcontinent. This is the fun part of Singapore.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-8313055060279054152011-10-20T03:20:00.000-07:002011-10-20T03:22:00.533-07:00Coolabah Hotel and Restaurant: A Hint of Class Amid Backpacking Hordes<a href="http://coolabah-hotel.com/">Coolabah Hotel and Restaurant </a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">14 Mithona Street</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ochheuteal Beach Road</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sihanoukville, Cambodia</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">+855 (0)17 678 218</span><br /><br />The Coolabah Hotel and Restaurant is an Australian-owned hotel-eatery-bar located along one of Sihanoukville's main backpacker drags, close to the popular party-ground of Serendipity beach. The Coolabah, newly renovated, tastefully decorated, and with a good restaurant, is a delightful breath of fresh air in an area that is sliding, with some speed, into the realm of the sleazy.<br /><br />My boyfriend and I were unlucky enough to be in Snook during a truly impressive three-day rainstorm, which meant we spent a lot of time inside our very nice $25 dollar hotel room, and a lot of time in the hotel restaurant willing for the rain to please please please stop.<br /><br />Luckily for us, the Coolabah's restaurant, spread across the main-room and by the small hotel pool, happens to be excellent. We chatted with the affable Australian owners, watched the rain bash against the windows with truly aggressive force, and ate a couple of really good lunches. (I also found a 2004 guide to Ireland's Best Vacation Resorts in the hotel's left-books library. How did this even happen?)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cheberet.com/coolabahsalad.jpg" /><br /></div><br />I will submit that the Coolabah's Caesar salad is the best I have had in Cambodia. All the essentials are there: a good dressing with a hint of fresh anchovy, chicken still warm from the grill, shaved real parmesan cheese, big home-made garlic croutons, and big chunks of bacon, as well as some nice hard-boiled egg.<br /><br />They don't use giant-ass romaine leaves that I have to cut myself at the table, which inevitably leads to my getting Caesar salad splattered across my face. I only wish there was somewhere in Phnom Penh I could get one this good.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cheberet.com/coolabahseafoodchowder.jpg" /><br /></div><br />The seafood chowder was also excellent, as one would hope when eating by the ocean. Boneless (importantly) chunks of fish, shrimp, scallop and squid in a cooked down and creamy broth with a delightfully pink tinge, served with a little toasted bread. A great dish for a rainy day and something that exploits all the good seafood treats Cambodia has to offer. Another dish I wish was found more often on Cambodian menus.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cheberet.com/coolabahfishandchips.jpg" /><br /></div><br />My boyfriend deemed the fish and chips another best-in-Cambodia candidate: a light cracker crust (Panko?), covering some nice flaky barracuda, with big, beefy, Australian style "chips." Although he disdains tartar sauce, the philistine, I ate his instead and thought it was pretty good.<br /><br />Breakfast was also a winner: an omelette with mushroom and ham was big and nicely executed, with a slightly but not excessively creamy center, and there was fresh baked brown bread and a selection of jams to go with it. House-made yogurt - not too sweet and all natural - with homemade fruit preserves made for an awesome afternoon snack as well. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/russianwarship.jpg" /><br />This Russian Pacific Fleet ship = why I was in Sihanoukville in the wet season.<a href="http://www.thefastertimes.com/cambodia/2011/10/10/the-love-boat-cambodian-russian-diplomacy/"> Read about my Slavic adventure here. </a><br /><br />Washed down with a fresh passion fruit soda, the snack almost made me forget that my journalistic business trip was being ever so slightly stymied by the fact that the streets were running with muddy, fetid water and giant snakes were infesting (other people's) homes, or that's what a damp-looking Australian guy hanging out at the pool table told us happened to <em>him. </em><br /><br />You gotta love the tropics.<br /><br />The Coolabah's clean and well-maintained rooms (the bathrooms left me in awe) and the equally clean and well behaved clientele offer a delightful contrast to the patchouli scented and icky hordes of backpackers that emerge from their hovels in Snookie whenever the sun shines. Beware! Beware the dreadlocks! Go to Kampot instead! But if you must, stay at the Coolabah.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-88489975860895975562011-10-11T02:43:00.000-07:002011-10-11T02:45:05.948-07:00Cantina: Mexican Food That Doesn't Suck in Cambodia, Crawling with Feral Journalists<img src="http://cheberet.com/cantinasign.jpg"><br /><br /><a href="http://cantinacambodia.com/">Cantina</a><br />347 Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, Cambodia<br />023 222502 <br />CLOSED SATURDAYS DON'T PANIC NO ONE HAS DIED<br /><br />It's hard to properly review Cantina for me. <br /><br />Hurley, the owner, is a friend, a fellow (<em>vastly more experienced</em>) journalist, and someone my boyfriend and I spend a lot of time sitting outside with, talking about nothing in particular, on rainy Phnom Penh nights. Cantina is also a dependable place to find a real, live Actual Journalist in Phnom Penh, unlike the FCC. Seriously: journalists can't afford to eat there. Don't even bother. <br /><br />Cantina, as may be indicated by the name, serves Mexican food. Much to my shock when I first tried it, Hurley's food is extremely tasty and is not an abomination before the Lord, as Mexican food eaten pretty much anywhere other then Texas, Mexico, or Calilfornia is. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/cantinataquitos.jpg"><br /><br />Hurley, as he told me a while back, has some sort of supply line going with Long Beach Cambodians who get him Mexican ingredients - chilis, salsas, hot sauce, beans, that sort of thing - on a regular basis. Further, they hand-make the tortillas, and everything is very fresh. You can even get good guacamole here if you come during the wet season. Mondolkiri province has enough elevation to grow good avocados. <br /><br />We usually get taquitos to start off with, because who doesn't like a good taquito? And these are good, made with home-made corn tortillas and lots of chicken, and a very excellent creamy avocado sauce. Also, there's Tapatio here. God, I miss Tapatio sometimes. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/cantinaatmosphere.jpg"><br /><br />I'm a tostada fan. Sort of like a taco salad without the fuss. The home-made corn tortillas really shine here, deep fried, covered in refried beans, cheese, meat, lettuce, tomato, salsa, hot sauce, and some guacamole, and you're good to go. I usually smash em' up with a fork, but the fried tortillas have enough give to allow you to break them into chunks. I have been told this is by design. They have good ground beef here - the Taste of Home - but there's also excellent slow-cooked spicy pork. Definitely give that a shot. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/cantaintaquitosbeer.jpg"><br /><br />There's also tacos, fajitas, chili verde, quesadillas, gringas, enchiladas, nachos, and most of the other usual suspects. Mexican beer and good margaritas as well, including a frozen strawberry one that I have avoided for reasons of mental health. The decor is "Old war photos, most of them authentic, mixed with old raunchy Mexican movie posters," which I happen to find charming. <br /><br />Most of the clientele are pleasantly-surprised Americans feeling home sick, though we shared a good laugh the other night when some French tourists walked by, one exclaiming loudly, "Oi, this is zee....Mexicaan food?" <em>Oui, oui.</em> <em>Si, si. </em> <br /><br />Also, journalists. Let me explain. <br /><br />Shoals of journalists come through Cantina on certain, special nights of the week, drawn there by some special signal - I believe it's the same lunar message that drives fingerling fish or certain species of eels to shore to spawn. Or could be because most of us — not all of us— have figured out how to send out mass text messages.<br /><br />This makes me ask - why exactly do you, <strong>Presumed Fantasy Phnom Penh Tourist, </strong> want to meet a journalist, anyway? They have good stories, sure, but they also drink a lot and argue about weird socio-political matters, and then they drink some more. And then some more. <br /><br />You might be talked into buying a round for a bunch of louts, or you might be forced to listen to some fuck talk for like an hour and a half about the time they got trapped in Kashgar during the Bad Days, whenever the Bad Days were (and there's always bad days).. <em>After the bottle of bourbon, so the story makes even less sense.</em><br /><br />Also, a lot of us are assholes. Present company included.<br /><br />Consider Meeting Journalists in blanket terms before you actually run out and do so, that's all I'm saying.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-10378230568495039452011-10-08T08:57:00.000-07:002011-10-08T08:58:58.978-07:00Kandal House: Home-made Pasta in Cambodia, Go Figure<strong>The Kandal House Restaurant<br />No. 239BEo, Sisowath Quay<br />Phone 016 800 111<br />Phnom Penh<br /></strong><br /><br /> Not all restaurants on Riverside in Phnom Penh suck. Yeah, it's backpacker-ville and views of water tend to lead to mediocre food, I get that, but Kandal House is one of the exceptions. A small joint with a menu curiously divided between home-made pizza and pasta and standard Khmer dishes, it's one of my favorites for a quiet and inexpensive week-night dinner. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/kandalravioli.jpg"><br /><br /> I usually get the cheese and spinach ravioli with Bolognese sauce, though you can get it with a cream sauce if you so desire. There's also beef and four-cheese ravioli on offer. The sauce is a vegetable-heavy Bolognese, which may bother the picky bitches among you but is a non-issue with me. The main thing here is that the home-made pasta is very light and delicate and the filling is fresh and tasty - no chewy, pre-made stuff here. One benefit of eating Western food in Phnom Penh is that restaurants have to make a lot more stuff themselves, meaning you're eating considerably less Sodexo-vintage food than you might be in the USA. I'm OK with this. <br /><br />Fettucini with bolognese is what my boyfriend always gets (yeah, we get predictable sometimes) and that's home-made and good too. My carb addicted signifigant other likes that Kandal House piles enormous quantities of lightly toasted sesame baguette onto the table whenever you order an entree, complete with butter. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/kandalchicken.jpg"><br /><br />Curiously enough, Kandal House also has awesome chicken nuggets, which we discovered inadvertently as they're called strips on the menu. Circular, fried pieces of white meat chicken with sweet chili sauce are, insofar as I can tell, a huge hit in every culture (barring vegetarians, I guess) everywhere world-wide and these are really good - light batter, perfectly snack-able. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/kandalhousesalad.jpg"><br /><br />OK, it's a salad, but it's got a light vinegary Thousand Island dressing on it that I go nuts for for reasons known only to myself, and there's a lot of it for $3.00. I find it difficult to consume pasta without salad on the side - and if I knew why, I'd tell you - but this hits the spot.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-64117391649453954142011-09-26T01:25:00.001-07:002011-09-26T01:26:21.589-07:00Mike's Burger House: Inn and Out Knockoff in Phnom Penh, or Why Globalization Is Awesome<strong>Mike's Burger House<br />Russian Boulevard, in the Sokimex gas station, Tuol Kork<br />Phnom Penh, Cambodia<br /></strong><br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/mikesinside.jpg"><br /><br />An Inn and Out knock-off in the dark heart of Phnom Penh? Believe it. Cambodian owner "Mike" spent much of his adult life in Los Angeles and developed a taste for the indisputably tasty stylings of Inn and Out Burger in California. Upon returning home to Cambodia, he opened Mike's way out of town, on the way to the airport. Globalization is <span style="font-style:italic;">awesome</span> sometimes. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/mikesoutside.jpg"><br /><br />The restaurant's been moved a little closer to the thick of things, into a Sokimex gas station on Russian Boulevard, but the basic concept - cheap, large unapologetically American cheeseburgers alongside a few other US stalwarts - is unchanged. And man, do my boyfriend and I appreciate it. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/mikesburgerhalf.jpg"><br /><br />Sometimes a cheeseburger with fake cheese, fries, and no weird Asian interpretations of such is what our little expat hearts most desire in the world, and that is what Mike's delivers. Even better, we can actually afford it. Cheeseburgers start at $2.50, a plate of fries so big that me and my comically oversized boyfriend can't finish it is $3.99, and you can finish off with an A&W rootbeer float. Man, I'm almost tearing up over ground meat. There's also a counter of US candy, some US grocery products, and a few other random things on offer. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/mikesbaconburger.jpg"><br /><br />I find these the best, or at least the most intrinsically comforting burgers in Phnom Penh, for a couple of simple reasons. <br /><br />1. Fake cheese. Most places serving burgers here use real cheese and that is totally off-point. Fake, melty cheese makes a good fast-food burger. So sue me <br /><br />2. Real sesame buns. Not sure where Mike sources these wonderful things as I haven't seen them elsewhere in town, but they're good. Also, toasted. <br /><br />3. Special sauce. I don't care if it's actually ketchup, mayo, and mustard with some pickle juice, or whatever, it is of vast and all-encompassing import. <br /><br />4. Size. Burgers that are actually American-sized are a true rarity here. Actually, I'm pretty sure these burgers are bigger than Inn and Out's stuff. Also, thick, non-frozen beef patties are always nice, especially in The Country of Suspicious Cow Meat. <br /><br />5. Plenty of crisp iceberg lettuce and, if you ask for them, grilled onions. Grilled onions always make a cheeseburger better. I can actually show you a scientific equation to prove this if you give me an hour notice. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/mikeschickensandwich.jpg"><br /><br />If you're some kind of Hindu or something, you can get a chicken sandwich, though it is by no means any better for you than a cheeseburger. Cheese, chicken breast, special sauce, grilled onions, green grilled chili and lots of lettuce. Pretty good and simple. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/mikeschili.jpg"><br /><br />It's pretty damn hard to take a sexy photo of a chili burger without some serious cosmetic alterations, but I tried. The chili burger is a very LA sort of thing (well, according to Californians) and this is a worthy effort, though I will and always shall be kind of a chili snob. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/mikesfries2.jpg"><br /><br />Excellent fries, the finishing touch. Some places have good burgers and distinctly mediocre fries, but you'll still eat there - fries are sort of the finishing touch. I think he hand-makes em', which is all the better. They're salty, crispy, and thin-cut, and Jesus Christ there are a lot of them. <br /><br />It's a hike out here, which means the clientele is mostly expats, Cambodians with a taste for American food, and a whole bunch of missionaries post-church on Sundays. Sometimes crowded, but seats always open up fast, as is the way of fast food giants. There's even serve-your-own condiments. Man, be still my heart. I love you, Mike's Burger House.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-5490358671260269122011-09-22T04:07:00.001-07:002011-09-22T04:19:27.194-07:00Warung Bali: Cheap Indonesian Eats<a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=59876306838">Warung Bali</a><br />#25, Street 178, across from the National Museum<br />Phnom Penh, Cambodia<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/warungbalioutside.jpg"><br /><br />I love Indonesian food, but it's extremely difficult to find in the USA, even in the multi-cultural hodgepodge that is Northern California. I'm certain someone can tell me <em>why</em> the Indonesian diaspora doesn't tend to open restaurants in the USA, but, whatever: there's excellent Indonesian food right here in Phnom Penh. <br /><br />Warung Bali is an Indonesian food specialist with extremely cheap prices - it's hard to top $10 - and a pretty extensive menu, with a particular focus on interesting soups and tempeh dishes. There's also lots of fruit drinks, including a great tamarind shake with brown sugar. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/balisatay.jpg"><br /><br />Everyone loves meat on a stick, those without horrifying peanut allergies love peanut butter (those WITH horrifying peanut allergies should stay five feet away from Indonesian restaurants), and the combination is pure magic. <br /><br />This is definitely the best satay in Phnom Penh, and, at the princely sum of $2.50, a real deal. The peanut sauce is also absolutely superb: perfect, flavor, texture, crunch everything. Hoard the plate and toss it on your rice when your main course comes. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/balinoodles.jpg"><br /><br />I hadn't really known that glass noodles were an Indonesian thing, but these stir-fried glass noodles with chicken and vegetables are a big favorite with my boyfriend and are indeed excellent, a slightly more delicate riff on the thicker, denser noodles that keep a healthy majority of Asia on its feet. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/balirendang.jpg"><br /><br />Beef rendang, stewed meat in coconut milk and spices served with coconut rice, is one of Indonesia's most iconic dishes and is something I occasionally really, really crave. Good thing is that this stuff is delicious - even the rice is good enough to warrant eating on its own. <br /><br />I should add that it is impossible to attractively photograph beef rendang, but I tried. <br /><br />I've also had the beef and coconut milk soup, and the beef, sweet soy sauce, and vegetable soup, both of which were excellent.<br /><br /> It's a great budget option and quite popular with both Indonesian and Western expats, and conveniently located near the tourist mecca of Riverside. <br /><br />Warung Bali is a family restaurant in the most classically Asian sense of the word, which means various relatives amble through the restaurant and everyone lives upstairs, or at least I think they do. You walk through the rather close kitchen to reach the bathroom. Someone's kid might come over and stare at you. This is all part of the charm for some.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-16661757955927407712011-09-19T09:35:00.001-07:002011-09-19T09:39:17.374-07:00Shawarma: One of Lebanon's Better Innovations<strong><a href="http://www.leliban-restaurant.com/Shawarma-Leliban-Cambodia-1.html">Shawarma</a><br />Sisowath Quay, near Mao's bar and the Night Market<br />023 720 011 for delivery <br />Phnom Penh, Cambodia <br /></strong><br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/shawarmasandwich.jpg"><br /><br />Shawarma are a staple of late-night drinking life throughout much of the world - though curious enough, not the USA - and Phnom Penh's barhoppers have taken to these Lebanese pita bread sandwiches in a big way. <br /><br />Which explains the two PP outposts of Shawarma, specializing in various riffs on the theme, along with a variety of Lebanese snack items, all at delightfully cheap prices. There's chicken, beef, kafta, shish taouk, kebbe, and lamb varieties on offer, as well as whatever specials strike their fancy. There's also hummus, feta cheese salad, falafel, and some phyllo-dough Lebanese pastries on the menu. They also deliver for a buck, which is convenient when you want to eat something incredibly messy at work. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/shawarmadetail.jpg"><br /><br />Chicken shawarma with garlic sauce ($3.00) is pretty much my simple-and-good standby, and, as the place is apparently owned by Genuine Lebanese People, it really is good. Fresh pita bread warmed on a griddle with marinated chicken, fried onions, creamy garlic sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and mint. Yum. Shawarmas fall apart within about five seconds of being bitten into in my experience, especially when you're drunk, but they provide plates. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/shawarmahummus.jpg"><br /><br />Shawarma also offers excellent fresh hummus, served with pita bread. A drizzle of olive oil and some kalamata olives on top. Definitely satisfies my occasional, profound hummus cravings. Very smooth and not grainy like some efforts around here. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/shawarmaveggiemenu.jpg"><br /><br />Vegetarians will be happy to know they are adequately provided for here in the Lebanese junk food department. The falafel, as is to be expected, is excellent. <br /><br />It's a little restaurant with overly bright lighting and some cool paintings on the wall, and you can watch the cheery waitresses make your sandwiches while sipping on an Orangina. Music wise, there's always either Akon singing about how he wants to <em>fucckkk you fucckkk yooouuu</em> in autotune, or sentimental 70's music on in the dining area. It's almost to the Pavlovian point where listening to Akon makes my boyfriend and I really want to eat shawarma. <br /><br />There's one outlet on Sisowath Quay, open all day and until around 9:00 PM, and another outlet on Street 51, across the street from the Heart of the Darkness, that opens around 9:30 and closes at - sometime really, really late, as I've seen them still putting shawarmas together in the vicnity of 5:00 am. (Admitting freely I have spent time wandering the skeezy environs of Street 51 at unholy hours of night here, but I think that's a rite of passage for new Phnom Penh expats....right?Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-77203845007393903482011-09-15T02:05:00.000-07:002011-09-15T02:06:23.283-07:00Freebird: Americana, Anyone?<strong>Freebird Bar and Grill<br />#69, Street 240<br />+855 23 224712<br />Phnom Penh, Cambodia</strong><br /><br />Cambodia has a thing for American-style bars. My theory is that they exist to make mostly-male-expats feel slightly more comfortable: something about a place with license plates and movie posters on the walls and TGI Friday's-like red lighting makes em' feel like they're <em>not</em> in a small and mostly ignored Southeast Asian outpost. This is where Free Bird on tourst-friendly Street 240 comes in.<br /><br />Free Bird is American and wants you to know about it - it's like walking into a Chilis or something, down to super friendly (and cute) Khmer waitresses, beer on tap, really high tables with barstools attached and dark, reddish lighting.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/freebirddog2.jpg"><br /><br /> The menu hits all the American classics, along with some Italian and Mexican food (also American) - there's biscuits and gravy, chili dogs, pretty good cheese burgers, burritos, pizza, and even, so help us God, make-your-own-hotpockets. And buffalo wings. Can't forget the buffalo wings. Most main courses come with a choice of two sides, and portions are generous, in the best American tradition. Prices are moderate by Phnom Penh standards, as is to be expected with foreigner food. <br /><br />The food is only OK, but I think Freebird functions more as an exercise in ambience than a culinary adventure. It's a comforting place for the American set. Even I admit to needing a little rank Americana in my life sometimes.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/freebirdtacos.jpg"><br /><br />They do have pretty good ground beef crispy tacos, which come with pico-de-gallo, sour cream-like substance, and pretty good refried beans with cheese. It satisfied my occasional, embarrassing, Taco Bell cravings.<br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/freebirdquesadilla.jpg"><br /><br />A chicken quesadilla, the perennial classic, good if you're suffering from some sort of goddamn stomach parasite, as I have been for what, two months now? For some reason, Cambodian restaurants have not grasped that a quesadilla is generally a food that can be picked up, and doesn't need to be eaten with a knife and fork. All right: the filling was an odd, finely minced combination of chicken, cheese, and beans, in a very soft flour tortilla. <br /><br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/freebirdsloppyjoe.jpg"><br /><br />My boyfriend rated as acceptable the chili dogs and the sloppy joe, though he did complain to me (in this hilariously aghast voice) that there were vegetables in the sloppy joe, <em>what kind of obscenity against God is that?</em> I suppose you have been warned. <br /><br />The cute Khmer waitresses are incredibly friendly and constantly, feverishly replenish your complimentary supply of salted peanuts with deep- fried garlic and a dash of sugar, which is far more delicious than it sounds.Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-58423722762085053852011-09-03T12:09:00.000-07:002011-09-03T12:13:30.429-07:00Khmer Surin: Everyone Needs a Company Restaurant<strong>Khmer Surin
<br />No 9, Street 57
<br />Phnom Penh, Cambodia
<br />023/993-163</strong>
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<br />Khmer Surin is my Company restaurant in Phnom Penh. Set in a beautifully designed Khmer style wooden house with an extensive water garden, the menu has all the Khmer classics as well as more familar Thai dishes, reasonable prices, and good service. It's a great intro to Khmer food for friends - all the flavor without the possible health code violations, since I don't want to send anybody home with THAT sort of souvenir. I'll even eat at Khmer Surin when people aren't visiting, which is quite the testimony.
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<br />I was taking my dear Tulane buddy Bojo out for a pre-Tuol Sleng lunch—and you'll need the calories if you're going there. I'm not going to insert some sort of punchy joke line here because 1. out of line as hell and 2. Seriously, I can't do it. Moving on.
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<br />My boyfriend and I love the fried squid here. It's a simple dish, but they do it really well. Light crispy batter, nice tangy dipping sauce, and the squid is tender and doesn't require five minutes of chewing to get through. I like fried food that isn't so violently greasy that I can feel my arteries hardening upon consumption. Well played.
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<br />Fish amok is served here in small individual servings, which is a bit annoying if you're the type who orders one fish amok all for yourself (usually me) but is very handy if you're 1. in a group and 2. introducing the wonders of fish amok to another person for the first time. This is what I use Khmer Surin for - first introductions to Khmer food for friends - so this serving style works fine for me. It's also good amok, with plenty of flavor and a very uncomposed, soft texture - I don't like it too thick.
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<br />Everyone loves satay. Something about marinated meat on a stick in tandem with spicy peanut sauce turns on the synapes of just about everyone I've ever met. Vegetarian? You can do it with tofu. Satay rocks. And this is good satay. Tender, which is the main thing, since bad satay entails gnawing beef jerky off a wooden stick which is never fun. The peanut sauce is a bit oily, but nothing insurmountable.
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<br />Want to get your friends to eat water lily? Order the water lily with chicken and peanut sauce, evocatively called "Swimming Rama" on Khmer Surin's menu. Combine two universally loved food products (except for those with peanut allergies, poor bastards) with one certified Weird Thing and you've got a handy loophole. Also, water lily, despite the fact that it is grown in large sludgy ponds by people who live in floating villages (most of the time) is actually delicious, nutritious, and close enough to spinach for most people's needs.
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<br />Khmer Surin also makes a fantastic Thai-style stuffed omelette. It's a thin omelette stuffed with diced pork, green pepper, onion, and a slightly sweet ketchup-chili sauce, and it is absolutely fantastic. The Pad Thai is missable - the noodles are too thin and not enough flavor - but don't pass up that omelette.
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<br />Khmer Surin is best appreciated at night, when you can dine sitting on silk cushions on a lovely wooden porch while listening to traditional Khmer music. Even if you're a Jaded Expat, it's a nice reminder that you do indeed live in a cool and exotic place. A reminder you sometimes need when much of your average week in said Exotic Asian Wonderland may involve fighting with sketchy mototaxi drivers, killing malevolent insects the size of your goddamn face, and dealing with sudden and brutal downpours. The adventure is still there, you just have to remember it sometimes.
<br />Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633764.post-11449530269348293592011-08-30T10:44:00.000-07:002011-08-30T10:47:55.838-07:00Good Sandwich at Jave Cafe<a href="http://javaarts.org/">Java Cafe
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<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">56 Sihanouk Blvd,
<br />Phnom Penh, Cambodia</span>
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<br />Java Cafe, a combination art gallery and cafe along Sihanouk Boulevard in Phnom Penh, is a bit of an institution. It's been using the art and chick-food combination successfully for eleven years, and is one of the most recognizable and oft-utilized meet up spots in town.
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<br /><img src="http://cheberet.com/javasammich2.jpg">
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<br />Walking into the place on a rainy evening, it was difficult for me to believe that I was not in Northern California. Jazz on the speakers, contemporary art on the walls, funky yet tasteful furniture, twee table settings, organic smoothie selection - is this some sort of perverse dream? No, just Java. My boyfriend remains skeptical but I'm glad to have Java. Also, they make good sandwiches.
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<br />Like this ham, mushroom, and mozzarella "pizza" panini on herb foccacia, served with home-made potato chips and garden salad. Anything meant to simulate pizza that is not actually pizza fills me with suspicion and revulsion, but this was delicious. Lots of oozy, melting cheese, and a nice, authentically pizza-like flavor. The availability of good bread in Phnom Penh amazes me even now. I should also add that home-made potato chips are always a good idea.
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<br />My boyfriend ordered pancakes, which he deemed good. They're not the French style pancakes, which are actually crepes and should be labeled as such on the menu to avoid insurrection, or at least complaints. Java also has a pretty good chicken kebab salad with beetroot and yogurt sauce - sounds weird, is actually excellent. I've heard baked goods are hit and miss, but they make a good cup of coffee.
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<br />And you can look at nice contemporary Cambodian art on the walls while listening to Mingus and pretend for a bit that you're living a more sophisticated lifestyle then the one you actually lead (featuring: daily grinds, motorbike accidents, persistent tropical parasites) which is sometimes what you need. Fainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815287754387647975noreply@blogger.com0