Ombrelle & Kimono

The low season has started in Siem Reap, and with it the same bad old habits. Figure this: Here I am as a restaurant owner and I have few guests. So what do I do? Try and attract the few remaining visitors and expatriates by making an extra effort? Nah, that would be to easy. How about reducing the quality of food and services instead? That's right; that is exactly what happens in this town every day.

Which leads me to the Ombrelle & Kimono on Wat Bo Street. After a couple of unsuccessful tries when the restaurant was closed either due to flooding (not their fault, of course) or being closed on Mondays (French owned and 35-hour working week I guess), we finally managed to have a meal there.

First impressions were rather favorable: a very welcoming waiter and an unusual design. The latter might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it does make a difference from all the other generic tourist eateries in this town.

Regrettably, things went downhill from there. I asked for a bottle, any bottle, of beer, but all they had was Angkor beer in cans. I don't know about you, but as far as I am concerned canned beer should only be drunk in emergencies. I guess it is better than no beer at all, but any decent restaurant should have bottled beer. On top of it, they charge USD 3.00 for a can of Angkor, even the Raffle's doesn't charge that.

Funky design

The menu sports some very imaginatively named salads such as "Zebra", "Giraffe" or "Panther". However, when I tried to order one of those, the reply was "no have", which brings me back to my opening statement. To all the restaurant owners in Siem Reap: stop not stocking things because it is the low season. You still charge the same prices as during high season, so I expect to have anything on the menu. Apart from everything, you might consider making an effort to attract people who stay here year round instead of going only after the tourists.

Spot the Steak.

Back to the food. The missus ordered grilled pork with lemon grass at USD 5.00 and I went for the grilled beef with "tapenade" (suggestion: get an English-speaking back-packer, buy him/her a couple of beers, and let them check your menu) at USD 6.00. It was with the food that things really headed South. I do not expect imported beef for that sort of money, but the cow that my meat came from had obviously died of old age; neither my knife nor my teeth got very far with what was essentially a piece of leather. This was not helped by the fact that the meat was raw, when I had ordered it medium. My wife's pork was just as bad. Not only was it tough as hell, there was also no sign, taste, or smell to be had of the lemon grass it was supposedly to come with. Basically, the food did not only seem to be old, it had nothing that even the most good-willing reviewer could call "taste".

Prices are decent enough. The salads sound great at USD 5.00, but as they do not have them I can't judge. Mains are between USD 5.00 and 7.00. Not expensive, but poor on the value for money front. As mentioned, the beer is outrageously expensive at USD 3.00 a can; I have never paid this much in Siem Reap. The house wine is more reasonably priced, at USD 2.50, and juices are USD 2.00.

Conclusion: wasted potential. Something could be done with this restaurant but the impression is that the owner doesn't give a sh*t. Yes, he was there that evening; but he was obviously not concerned about his business.

Rating (out of 5):

Service: ****
Food: *
Ambiance: ****
Value for money: *
Recommended: No

P.S.: Still don't know what "tapenade" is, and I cannot really be bothered to look it up; this is one restaurant we won't be going back to.

Angkor Palm Restaurant

This restaurant proudly advertises itself as having won the "Restaurant of the Year 2006", without actually going into details by whom the prize was awarded and for what reason. Reviews on other sites range from the ecstatic to the disappointed.

As the Missus and I felt like some Khmer food, we decided to give this place a try.

The welcome was promising enough, we were greeted by a very friendly waiter who quickly brought us cold face-towels; much appreciated what with the current heat wave. However, I could not help notice some very bored staff hanging around in the background.

A look at the menu confirmed what I had feared: yet another place catering to tourists on a budget. This seems to be a common problem in Siem Reap and, I suspect, in many other touristy places: what do we care about the quality if the punters are only here for a couple of nights anyway? Keep it cheap, have Beer Lao in the fridge, and put a big sign "Khmer owned" and guests will roll in.

Anyway, back to the menu: main dishes ranged from USD 1.50 to 4.50, soft drinks started at USD 1.00 and beers were anywhere from USD 1.50 to 3.50. We opted for the "Angkor Palm Platter for Two" at USD 14.00. I quote from their menu: "Combining the authentic taste of Cambodian country cooking with western attention to detail...."

This is what the platter looks like according to the menu:




In theory a dish with a lot of potential: Fresh Spring Rolls, Green Curry, Mango Salad, Fish Amok, Spare Ribs, Fried Water Spinach and Rice. All easy to make but a lot more difficult to make well.

The presentation was a let-down straight away:



Note to all restaurant owners in Siem Reap: dumping your food in banana leaf cups and throwing a couple of strips of Chili on top is NOT presentation; it shows a lack of imagination and care.

However, even worse was the fact that the food was cold. I can stomach a lot, but the only things I want cold on my table are beer and ice cream. No matter how good the food, serving it cold will just about negate any efforts made in the kitchen.

Though I must point out that it was not much of an issue in this case as the food was pretty tasteless anyway. Why do restaurant owners in Siem Reap think that only utterly boring and bland food is suitable for the tourists' palates? Even worse was that the dishes that MUST be fresh (Spring Rolls, Mango Salad, Water Spinach) were not. They weren't spoilt, but they had certainly spent a few days in the fridge. I understand that it is the low season; but inventory control is not really my problem.

At least the entertainment was good. The restaurant faces the Old Market/Pub Street Area and we had a steady stream of ill-dressed "travelers" passing by; at least they took our minds off the food.

Conclusion: If you are on a budget, you think you must have Beer Lao to go with your Beer Lao T-shirt, and if your taste buds are fried from too many Banana pancakes on Khao San Road then this restaurant is for you. Anyone in search of a decent Khmer meal: steer clear.

Rating (out of 5):

Service: ****
Food: *
Ambiance: *
Value for money: *
Recommended: No

Got to love the color-matched Bandana and singlet....