Sala Baï Hotel School

The Sala Baï is not a "real" restaurant per se, rather it is an outlet of the Sala Baï Hotel School (more information here: http://www.salabai.com/html/index.php?p_lang=en) and is meant to give the students a chance to practice their newly learned skills. Thus, not only will you do a good deed when eating there, you will also come across lovely kids that try very hard to hide their trembling hands. I can sympathize with that; been there, done that. The restaurant is only open from Monday to Friday, opening hours are 07:00 - 09:00 and 12:00 - 14:00 and it is located on Taphul Street.

The restaurant interior. Nice enough.

As soon as you get there, you will be greeted by a very friendly hostess that will positively fuss over you. This attention continues; it can be a bit much at times but then do remember that they are still learning the ropes. The setting of the restaurant is nothing fancy but friendly enough (can a restaurant actually be friendly?). Lots of second-hand books in case the food takes a little longer, though I always found the service more than fast enough.

The menu is very small, but they do have a choice of an Asian or Western set menu that changes every week. The menus usually are between USD 6.00 and USD 8.00 for a three-course meal, I do think it is excellent value for money; I have eaten a lot worse for a lot more. Mind you, today I heard the next table complain that "c'est pas donné" (it is expensive), but then they were French and in my experience the French make everybody look like big spenders. Some people shouldn't travel, but maybe they were still pissed off at the dismal showing by the French national team in the World Cup. Drinks are USD 2.00 for fruit shakes, USD 2.00 for an Angkor can, and USD 3.50 for a glass of wine.

Watermelon Gazpacho! But the cheese was excellent.

We both had the Western menu, even though I am not a big fan of Gazpacho and even less of watermelon. I ordered it for the fresh cheese that came with it. I ended up eating my daughters Gazpacho, she likes it even less than I do. Bummer!

Pork chops with Mushroom Risotto.

The pork chops that came as the main dish were really good, as was the Risotto, though I would have preferred the latter just a little bit more "al dente"; it was a tad over-cooked. Like the service staff, the kitchen staff are also still learning; though they do better than a lot of the restaurants recommended by Lonely Planet....

I am on a chocolate diet.

The dessert was a highlight for me. According to the menu it was supposed to be a frozen chocolate cake; luckily it was more of a chocolate mousse and I will be damned if it wasn't one of the best I have had in Siem Reap!

This is certainly a restaurant I would recommend, but only to people that remember that things can go wrong. Having said that, in my 10 or so visits, this place has never let me down; no burnt food, no soup in my lap, just a bunch of extremely willing (if nervous) kids that would be a credit to many a regular restaurant out there.

Rating (out of 5):

Service: ***** (taking into account that they are trainees)
Food: ****
Ambiance: ***
Value for money: ****
Recommended: Absolutely; good food, good cause, what else could one wish for?

Good Nah

After some not so glowing reviews, I can finally write about a restaurant without bitching non-stop. Now I know nothing about Filipino food and can't say if the food is authentic, but it tastes darn good. The restaurant is on Taphul Street; behind the Hotel de la Paix and next to the Salabai Hotel School.

Not exactly suitable for a 300-strong wedding party

The restaurant is very basic, as is the presentation. But then main dishes are only in the USD 2.50 to 4.50 range, with both soft drinks and beer at a Dollar; certainly value for money as far as I am concerned. They do have excellent music, not Filipino but contemporary stuff, makes a change from the Muzak so many restaurants seem to prefer.

The owner, who I guess is a Filipina, as well as the Khmer staff, are extremely friendly and helpful. The menu is only a couple of pages but I actually prefer that; restaurants with menus the size of the New York phone directory must have huge freezers in the back. And a small menu also means that the Missus doesn't take 2 hours to choose. Even with the small menu, do not expect your order to arrive all at once. The kitchen is tiny and they do a dish at a time. You don't want to be in a rush eating here. Oh, and don't use the face towels; they are so horribly perfumed that your sense of mell might take hours to get back to normal

Can't remember what that was. Adobo perhaps?

We have eaten there a number of times, but one of my favorites is the Kaldereta Baka, or beef stew with tomatoes and coconut milk. The meat is cooked to perfection and is so tender that a knife is not necessary. The deep-fried pork hocks, Crispy Pata, are also very good.

Pork stew: not suitable if on a diet.

The only thing I would give a miss is the draft beer. I guess they do not have enough turn-over and the beer tasted flat on the couple of occasions I tried. The other minor discomfort, which is no fault of the Hood Nah, is that the garbage truck does its rounds between 19:00 and 19:30; if you have a sensitive nose you may want to avoid that time.

If you are looking for an unpretentious but good meal, then I can certainly recommend the "Good Nah". As I am writing this, I am actually tempted to go back tonight.

Rating (out of 5):

Service: ****
Food: ****
Ambiance: ** (though not without a certain rustic charm)
Value for money: ****
Recommended: Yes

La Volpaia

A fairly recent addition to the Italian restaurant scene, this place is not far from the museum. It certainly has potential as it is set in a garden, well away from the road. As with a previous visit, we were the only guests when we arrived and we had to rouse the staff. I sympathize though, the town is completely dead at the moment and the location that far from Pub Street can't help. However, once up and running the staff were extremely courteous and efficient, certainly an asset to the restaurant.

The restaurant is well set back

As the garden wasn't really set up, we decided to sit inside. A mistake really as the air conditioning was not working and there was a very musty smell because of that. I suspect that the A/C does work but staff have order to switch it off to cut costs. The restaurant interior has all the charm of a railway station waiting room ca. 1950; the atmosphere was not helped by Kenny G coming over the loudspeakers at full blast. Not sure where Kenny G's elevator music fits in with an Italian restaurant?

Please hire an Interior Designer!

Starters range from USD 3.50 - 8.00, Pasta goes from USD 5.50 to 8.50, and Pizzas go for anywhere between USD 6.00 and 8.50. They only have 3 meat dishes and one fish dish; the meat starts at a whopping USD 16.00 and the Salmon Steak goes for USD 14.00. Soft drinks are USD 1.50 and beers are USD 2.00 - 2.50. There is no wine list (in an Italian restaurant) though they did have house wine on offer. The beer was also a little too warm, can't be because the restaurant was that busy/

The missus had what she always has in an Italian restaurant: Carpaccio. This was supposed to come with rocket leaves, but they were out; so it came with a mixed salad instead, this for USD 6.50. I am no big Pizza fan, but as I was not too impressed with the meat the first time I went there, I ordered a Pizza "With four different kinds of Cheese" at USD 8.75.


Just like during our first meal there, our orders came well apart; amazing considering we were still the only people. The first time my wife had Carpaccio in this restaurant, it was quite good. However, whilst the meat the first time round seemed to come from (imported) fillet, this time the source must have been a water buffalo that died of old age; the Carpaccio had the consistency of chewing gum. Fair enough, but if the owner decides to downgrade the meat, he should do the same with the prize. On a positive note, the shaved Parmesan cheese on top of the Carpaccio was very good.

Nice presentation, tough meat

Not much to say about the Pizza. After all, it is not easy to mess up a Pizza. The cook certainly wasn't stingy on the cheese, which I like. He was a tad stingy on the baking time, which I like less. Now I know that some people like a thick base, I prefer Pizzas (if I eat one, which rarely happens) with as thin a base as possible; if I want a slice of bread, I'll ask for one. At the La Volpaia the bases are paper-thin, which is fine with me. The spicy oil they had as an optional topping was excellent and packed a good punch.

Pizza and Beer, staple diet world-wide.

Conclusion: Yet another restaurant with wasted potential. Great spot if you are taking out the secretary and don't want anyone to see you, not the best spot in town for good Italian food. I think the owner has a problem positioning the restaurant: the menu is that of a cheap Pizzeria, the prizes on the other hand are anything but. Get that right, work on the interior design, and this could really become a first-rate place, especially if he can keep the same staff.

Rating (out of 5):

Service: *****

Food: ***

Ambiance: */**** (Inside/outside)

Value for money: **

Recommended: No/Yes (Inside/Outside)