Kroya Restaurant

Shinta Mani Siem Reap
Junction of Oum Khun and 14th Street,
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Tel: +855 63 761 998
Fax: +855 63 761 999

This is the latest addition to the Siem Reap food scene, located inside the recently re-opened Shinta Mani. Their take on the food is "a modern interpretation of Khmer food and I had the pleasure of dining there 2 times within a couple of days.

Arriving at the Shinta Mani, the first hurdle was actually finding the entrance. The hotel reminds me a lot of the De La Paix, but then it does belong to the same owner. With the help of the security staff, we eventually found the way in. The restaurant has used many of the same design elements as the De la Paix, including having beds instead of chairs around the dining tables outside. I am not a big fan of those, my legs tend to go numb after 2 minutes, so we chose a table inside.

Beds on the outside, I find them less comfortable than they look.

Staff were all over us immediately. They are all very friendly and helpful but English is not exactly their strong point. We were presented with the (rather limited) menu as well as a wine list. Some good wines on there, but when we tried to order a bottle, we were told that only the house wines (South African Obikwa) were available as the supplier purportedly had not delivered. Not really an excuse 3 weeks after ordering and considering there are a number of wine suppliers with plenty of stock located in Siem Reap. The staff should also mention the fact when handing out the wine list, would have saved us quite some time agonizing over which wine to choose.

The menu is not very large and it is not cheap.

All the food items looked very interesting, with a lot of unusual combinations of spices, fruits, and accompaniments. On my first visit, I had the "Herb and Chili Cured Salmon" as a starter and the "Pan-roasted Chicken Crepinette" as a main. The bread they served was warm and fresh but with only one choice. The Salmon was very good and went very well with the Papaya Salad. The chicken was also very good but just a tad bit dry.

Chili Cured Salmon

Presentation was excellent though every dish came with the same sesame cracker decoration. My friends also thought that their dishes were very good and there is not certainly much to complain about food-wise. As mentioned earlier, service staff are certainly trying but there seems to be lack of supervision. What was less impressive was that they started to turn off lights when they thought it was time to leave; not something I would expect in a restaurant that is trying to sell itself as up-market.

There are also a couple of design flaws with the restrooms being on the 1st floor (2nd floor for our American friends) and with a couple of small, but dangerous, steps on the way.

All this is minor stuff and did not stop me from going back a couple of days later. At least I did know where the entrance was and I did know to tell my wife not to bother with the wine list as there was no choice (I checked, the "supplier still had not delivered").

This time I ordered the "River Prawn Fricassee". Excellent taste and very well balanced, but a minuscule portion at USD 12.00 (all prices are plus 10% VAT and 5% service charge). Two prawns and 3 spoons of soup (I would call the dish a Consomme and not a Fricassee) is not exactly good value.

The River Prawn Fricassee was good but

for USD 12.00 a bit small.

My wife opted for the "Roasted Duck, Five-spice Orange Jus". Very good duck though we would have both liked the skin to be a tad crispier and for the fat to hast have been trimmed a little. The accompaniments were once again very good and on that evening nothing came with sesame crackers.

Duck was good and the accompaniments were interesting.

I had the "Grilled Spiced Beef Medallions". The meat was extremely good, but then at USD 25.00 I do expect good meat. I am not so sure about the salad. It is a herb I really like, a kind of Asian watercress called "Cang Cua" in Vietnam, but it has a very strong taste and was overpowering some of the other flavors; something I noticed on my first visit.

Excellent meat, but the "Cang Cua" tends to overpower everything.

I am not quite sure how to rate the restaurant. Food is pretty good but does not quite live up to the prices charged. Dinner set us back USD82.00, with starters ranging from USD 7.00 to USD 12.00, mains setting you back USD 19.00 to USD 25.00 and desserts between USD 7.00 - 8.00. The Obikwa is not a bad house wine but too expensive at USD 5.00 a glass, whilst USD 3.00 for a Kingdom Beer is acceptable (just). Again, there is 10% VAT and 5% service charge on top of all these prices.

Chicken Crepinette. On our first visit virtually all dishes came

with the sesame rice crackers.

The setting is nice though, like at the Hotel de la Paix, it is a case of love it or hate it. A lot of concrete and cement and I am not convinced with the oil lamps sooting and smoking up the entrance. It would also be nice to actually having a sign leading the way to the entrance.

The staff are extremely friendly but seem to lack some guidance and could certainly benefit from some more English classes.

I will go back as the food is quite different from the run-of-the-mill crap served in many restaurants in Siem Reap but currently neither food nor service quite match the prices charged.

Food: ****

Ambiance: **** If you are a fan of modern design.

Value for money: ***

Recommended: Yes

Dae Bak Korean Food & BBQ

Sivatha Boulevard

Tel.: (+855) 092 355 811

I have a confession to make: I think there are way too many Korean tour groups in Siem Reap at the moment. They come in huge hordes, do not care about anyone else (do not make the mistake of getting between a large Korean group and the luggage belt at the airport; you will be squashed like a bug); and their bloody buses block every street in town.

Above statement may not be politically correct; good thing I don't live in the US, Australia, UK or anywhere else where PC has gone completely overboard and I honestly do not give a toss if it i PC or not.

OK, with my rant out of the way, on to the food:

Go straight for the top left page if you want great value for money.

I am a big fan of Korean food and I am particularily fond of the numerous appetizers. I also like the barbecued meat and as such the Dae Bak ranks highly on my list of favorite restaurants in Siem Reap.

The restaurant itself is little more than a hole-in-the-wall on Sivatha Boulevard; next to VLK Royal Tourism and near Angkor Market. Pay attention boys and girls: there is another Korean restaurant right next to it, which is dire. Head for the one that has the grills out front (with the owner often personally doing duty on those).

Very popular with both visiting and expatriate Koreans;

surely a good sign.

The interior is not much to write home about. Maybe not as bad as in the North Korean restaurant but obviously loving decor comes way after the serious business of good food. Likewise the service: it is fast and efficient; do not expect any pleasantries being exchanged, a rare smile is the most you can hope for.

The "Banchan" (side dishes) alone are worth

a visit.

The restaurant always offers a little treat: either a baked sweet potato as a starter (do not finish it; there is plenty more food on the way) or a Korean sweet as dessert. A small but appreciated gesture I find, and something many restaurant owners should take note of. Within minutes there will be a whole array of "Banchan" or side dishes on the table, from the ubiquitous Kimchi to small omelets with herbs to Tofu soup and a bowl of rice; plenty to sink your teeth into.

Great stuff.

I am a little boring when it comes to this restaurant as I will always order the barbecued pork belly. It is absolutely delicious and it is what most people come here for. Apart from all the entrees the pork belly is "as-much-as-you-can-eat", though I have never managed more than two plates.

The menu is actually fairly large with mains going for anywhere between 15.00 to 25.00 and the small bottle of So-Ju priced at USD 4.00. The best value-for-money meal has to be the barbecued pork belly though: a table full of food at USD 5.00 all in!!!! If you are looking for a cheap and good feed then there can be few restaurants in Siem Reap that offer a better deal.....

Food: ****
Ambience: It's all about the food here
Value for money: **************
Recommended: Yes

Takezono Japanese Restaurant, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Sokha Hotel

Corner of National Highway 6 and Sivatha Street

(+855) 63 969 999

There are a number of Japanese Restaurants in Siem Reap, thanks to both a large Japanese expat population as well as gazillions of Japanese visitors; but this is one of our favorites. Whilst neither the hotel nor the restaurant will ever win any prizes for design, both food and service are spot-on.

Not sexy, but functional.

The food is not cheap, but then I have yet to come across a Japanese restaurant that offers good food at bargain prices. Appetizers and salads are around the USD 4.00 mark, Sashimi are between USD 4.500 and USD 5.00 for three pieces, and a piece of Sushi will set you back USD 2.00 - 4.50. The big Sushi Mori platter will hit your wallet for an eye-watering USD 90.00 but then there are 40+ pieces of Sushi on it; it is best shared with few friends.

The set menus are pretty good value.

Pretty good value are the set menus, the Salmon Teppan set for example is USD 20.00 and comes with Sashimi, the Salmon of course, rice, and Miso soup. I consider that pretty good value. A word on the prices: they are ++, i.e. without the 5% service charge and 10% VAT levied in Cambodia.

More than enough to eat with one of those.

I just cannot remember how much drinks are but the Missus seems to think that a small bottle of Sake is around USD 8.00 and a beer USD 2.50. Not as cheap as Pub Street, but pretty much standard for a 5-star hotel in Siem Reap.

The few times that we have been there we have never really seen the restaurant busy; this means that service is fast, friendly, and attentive.

Food: ****

Ambience: **

Value for money: ***

Recommended: Yes

Four Seasons Restaurant, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Four Seasons Restaurant

Sivatha Road

(opposite Pub Street)

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Four Seasons

Whilst there are many Cambodians of Chinese origin, and even more Chinese tourists these days, good Chinese food is not necessarily easy to find in Siem Reap. It is not just good Chinese food that is hard to find either, like many popular tourist destinations that started off as small sleepy villages there is a) not really a well established restaurant scene and b) many restaurants seem to approach business here with a sort of "our-customers-are-just-one-shot-tourists-that-never-come-back" attitude and not much attention is paid to good food.

Luckily, some things do not change; especially when it comes to Chinese restaurants: they are either called "Four Seasons" or "Ming Dynasty", the Chenglish is impossible to decipher ("Fried spared with bitter lemon" anyone?) and the interior is not very inspired.

Menu for Chinese Restaurants worldwide all come from the same factory it seems.

Who cares as long as the food is good though. The Four Seasons has a reputation of making very good noodle soup and is a popular place for breakfast. I went for dinner this time and, whilst ordering the soup anyway, I also wanted to see what else the menu has to offer.

The menu has a good 15 pages but from the taste I would assume that everything on it is prepared fresh. Prices are quite reasonable with most dishes in the USD 4.00 - 8.00 Dollar range for meat and vegetable dishes. Most seafood dishes have daily prices and some items need to be ordered in advance; I should think that these dishes cost considerably more (the prices for those are in Chinese). I have no idea what drinks cost as I never did get to see a drinks menu and subsequently stuck with the "Red Tea" that the staff kept on pouring.

The famous noodle soup; go for the pork thoufh.

Ordering is not too easy as the wait staff speak absolutely no English. However, the restaurant manager(?) was around and he spoke excellent English and I managed to get my order squared aqay. The couple of times I have eaten herepreviously I have had the Fried Dumplings. Stuffed with herbs and minced meat they are really delicious and I ordered these again. As I had very bad Sweet-and-sour pork in another restaurant a couple of days ago; I thought I'd see if they can do it better in this restaurant. With all the oil and fat I had Broccoli with oil sauce to add some more calories.....

The dumplings are great.

The soup came first and was really quite good. The noodles are hand-made and prepared to order and the broth is delicious. I would suggest that you stay away from the duck and order the soup with pork instead; the duck was pretty much bones only.

Nothing instant about the noodles here.

The Sweet n' sour pork came next. Much better than what I had had a couple of days earlier. The meat was obviously battered and fried to order, and it was meat; not just gristle and fat. The sauce was a tad to lemony for me; I prefer the "sour" to come from vinegar instead of lemon juice.

Sweet and Sour pork, no Chinese restaurant that does not have this on the menu.

The broccoli was excellent and luckily there was no oil in sight. Instead it was steamed to perfection, still crunchy, with just a little soy sauce. I love broccoli and I think the reason so many people dislike it because they have only had the cooked-to-death variety, leaving a great vegetable mushy and bland.

The dumplings once again did not disappoint. Piping hot and not oily at all. Not too sure what the herb is they use in the stuffing, but it certainly is good.

Portions are quite big and there is complimentary steamed rice with the main courses constantly being replenished by the staff. Service was good, apart from the communication difficulties. Actually, the service was almost a little to attentive; the waitresses would stand right by the tables and punce as soon as they thought there was something to top up. Well intentioned but a tad intrusive.

The restaurant can get very crowded during the high season and the lay-out of the restaurant can make dining a very noisy experience; especially if there are a couple of Chinese groups present. Not an issue during the current low season but you might want to come fairly late when Siem Reap is busy; the Chinese groups come early. Even when it is quiet the Four Seasons is not the place for a romantic tete-a-tete as the restaurant has absolutely no charme whatsoever.

No design awards to be won here.

I would not go as far as saying the Four Seasons has outstanding Chinese food but it certainly is one of the better choices in Siem Reap. If you know of any really good Chinese restaurant, or any good restaurant for that matter, in Siem Reap then do leave a recommendation.

Food: ***

Ambience: There isn't any.

Value for money: ****

Recommended: Yes.

Mumtaz Indian Restaurant, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Mumtaz Indian Restaurant

226 Bui Vien Street, District 1

Ho Chi Minh City

Tel.: +84 8 371 767

I have tried a couple off Indian restaurants in the Backpacker Zoo that is Pham Ngu Lao; with varying results. The Little India was crap and the Punjabi fluctuates a fair bit.

More by accident then design I stumbled into the "Mumtaz Indian Restaurant" today; at the far end of Bui Vien Street but still close (too close) to the dreadlocked banana pancake-eaters that throng this area. Luckily, these hordes tend to go to the "real" local restaurants because they are a) cheap and b) local (except that the only Vietnamese in there are the staff). The clientele at the Mumtaz appeared to be mostly Indian expatriates; never a bad sign.

Pretty big menu, 20-odd pages.

Admittedly, the Mumtaz and I got off to a rocky start. Well, not quite: I was greeted by a very friendly waitress that promptly brought the menu, a brass mug of water (I don't know why not more restaurants can offer some water in a boiling place like HCMC; costs nothing and is much appreciated), and a face-towel (regrettably of the plastic-wrapped kind which I abhor).

It was when the waitress, who spoke little English, passed the ball to the Indian owner(?) that things got unstuck a little. I ordered a Non-vegetarian Thali and a Mango Lassi.

The Mumtaz is not the cheapest Indian in the Pham Ngu Lao area but I still think prices are reasonable. Starters go from VND 19,000 for Pappadam to VND 70,000 for Fish fingers (at the time of writing USD 1.00 ~ VND 20,2000). Items from the Tandoori oven are from VND 75,000 for "Chicken 65" to VND 190,000 for the full Tandoori Chicken. Vegetable curries will set you back around VND 55,000 with meat curries priced around the VND 80,000 mark.

There is a fairly big selection of Indian breads. Apart from the usual Chapatti and Garlic Naan they also have Parathas and, for example, Rogan Naan which I do not recall having seen in HCMC before.

Beers start at VND 22,000 for a Bia Saigon and the Lassie are VND 35,000. Why an Indian Restaurant would promote a Japanese Beer and not, say Kingfisher, beats me; but if you must have a Sapporo Beer than it is yours for VND 33,000. Probably better than the "French House wine" at VND 280,000 a bottle; I very much doubt that at that prize it is anything else but plonk.

Why Japanese Beer?

Back to what I ordered: the Mango Lassi arrived after 5 minutes or so and turned out to be a Mango Smoothie more than anything else. A very good frozen Mango Smoothie mind; but certainly not a Lassi. The Thali was not quite what I ordered, either. I was looking for the meat in the curry; it took me a little while to realize that what I got was actually the vegetarian Thali. Now I have been accused of many things over the years, but being a hard-core vegetarian was not one of them. It might not be healthy, but give me meat, lots of meat!!!!

I therefore surprised myself by actually really liking the Thali. The presentation was nice and it came with plenty of condiments; something most Indian restaurants in Vietnam do not seem to do. The only condiment that disappointed was the pureed Mango; I do not know if that was supposed to be Mango chutney, but it was certainly tasteless.

Something that cannot be said about the rest of the food. For starters, the food was really hot. I am a bit particular about the temperature of my food. Hot food should be served really hot; I find that Indian and Chinese foods in particular suffer if they are served lukewarm.

Good enough to turn me into a vegetarian (almost).

The Paneer was on the spicy side; a good thing for cottage cheese that tends to be on the bland side. The Daal was maybe a tad on the thin side but that is really nit-picking here. The vegetable curry was excellent, and everything was rounded off with good rice, Raita, a Pappadam and some plain Naan. Actually the Naan could be improved; it appeared as it had been prepared quite some time before and just quickly re-heated.

But overall the restaurant has shot up to my list of "Best Indian Restaurant around Pham Ngu Lao". Admittedly the competition for that title is none to fierce but the food is great. Actually, I am planning to go back tonight and see what their meat dishes are like.

Not much of an interior...

Like most (all) restaurants around PNL there is no need to talk about decor, design, atmosphere; there is none. Doesn't bother me none; I am there for the food. And at least they refrain from putting cheesy pictures of the Taj Mahal or piping in Bollywood sound tracks.

or exterior for that matter.

They do home delivery and they also have a restaurant in Da Nang; if somebody could check it out?

Service: *** Difficult this one: fast and efficient, but maybe they should make a habit of repeating the order.
Food: ****
Ambiance: **
Value for money: ****

Recommended: Yes

Tavan Restaurant, Sapa, Vietnam

The restaurant is in the Victoria Sapa Resort & Spa where I recently stayed for a night. Obviously a little up-market, with prices to match, but I was in serious need of some pampering.

The hotel has been built in a sort of Swiss Chalet style, a theme that is repeated inside the restaurant. As the hotel is on a hill above Sapa Town, it offers great views (weather permitting) and dining both inside and on a terrace.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by a very friendly waitress who escorted me to the table and gave me the menu; shortly followed by a cold face towel and some delicious bread. The menu is not very large, with a page each of Vietnamese and European dishes; as well as a couple of set menus.

Tavan Restaurant.

I could not face a 7-course menu and I know from previous stays that the Sapa mushrooms are fantastic. I therefore ordered the Sapa Mushroom soup as a starter and the Sapa Mushroom Risotto with crispy egg yolk as a main course.

Not a very large menu, but I refer that to hundreds

of items out of the freezer.

The soup arrived piping hot; something that is surely appreciated during the cold winters (though it was bloody hot in Sapa that day). The mushrooms soup is not like the pureed and strained version often served in Western restaurants; it comes with chopped mushrooms and lots of them. As mentioned before: I think Sapa mushrooms are great and I was not disappointed here. The soup was seasoned to perfection and went down a treat.

Sapa Mushrooms rule.

The Risotto that followed was a bit small, without the soup I think I would not have had enough. However, this is the only criticism I can make. Risotto is not a difficult dish to make, but it is amazing how many restaurants can get it wrong; turning the rice into a soup or leaving it uncooked. Not here though; the grains were just the way I like them, creamy but still "al dente". I was not so amazed with the egg yolk; but I guess that is a matter taste. I am also a snob when it comes to the Parmesan usually served with Risotto. I would have preferred freshly shaved Parmesan instead of the ground version I got here but then that was maybe asking too much.

Perfect Risotto.

Menu prices range from USD 10.00 (for the Risotto) to USD 28:00 (for Black Angus Beef). There are obviously cheaper eateries all over Sapa, the town being a popular back-packer destination, but they obviously have different levels of service (from louse to non0existant) and quality of food (ditto). I think the prices are very reasonable for being treated like a king and getting outstanding food. Value for money is what it is all about in my book.

A real dining experience in Sapa.

I did take a look at the wine list, though no wine drinker myself, and here the prizes that make my eyes water; the cheapest bottle started at USD 38.00 and quickly moved well beyond that. I guess getting the booze up the mountain comes at a cost.

I think I am not going out on a limb here when I state that the bet food can be found at the Tavan restaurant and it would certainly be my choice if I ever make it up to West Tonkin.

Some candy floss for dessert.

Service: *****

Food: ****

Ambience: ****

Value for money: ****

Recommended: Yes.

Hanoi Noodle Soup (and it is not "Pho"

The restaurant does not have a name, menu, or much room.

I am a big fan of Pho, the noodle soup so popular in Vietnam. Arguably the best Pho comes from Ha Noi but as I have had more of those than I can shake a chop stick at, I tried something different this morning.

I happened onto a small restaurant on Hang Bac in Hanoi's Old Quarter following a tip-off. The restaurant is so small that I almost missed it but it is obviously very popular with the local neighbors, all 12 chairs or so were packed.

It was packed 5 seconds earlier and would be so again 5 seconds later.

I squeezed myself into the restaurant and on a tiny plastic stool, trying to keep my size-11 feet out of the kitchen. No need to ask for a menu here, there is only one dish and that is Bun Rieu Bo (though I need to verify that that is what it is). The noodles look a bit like Spaghetti but are made out of rice flour. These are dumped in a big bowl and ladled with an absolute excellent broth.

The kitchen, for all it's worth.

Unlike Pho, the broth is heavy on tomatoes and does not have much meat. It does have lots of fried Tofu. No big fan of Tofu normally, the Tofu here is actually pretty good. Add to that some chili, lime juice, lots of herbs and a couple of bread sticks and you are set for the day with a breakfast that beats many 5-star hotel efforts hands down.

Do not expect service or atmosphere, this place is about food and that is all there is to it. Go in, get your bowl, grab some iced tea, polish off your soup, pay your VND 20,000.00 (USD 1.00) and get out to make room for the punters waiting outside.

Bun rieu Bo.

Service: Are you kidding? This is a noodle shop.

Food: *****

Ambiance: Still kidding?

Value for money: *****+

Recommended: No, as I don't want hordes of Lonely-Planet touting backpackers descend on the place.

Little India, HCMC

Not very promising from the outside.

Whilst not quite as refined as Thai food, in my opinion anyway, good Indian food comes in a close second if well prepared. Regrettably, the "Little India" is not the sort of restaurant that does anything for the reputation of Indian food.

Located at 121/23 Bui Vien, the restaurant is in a tiny alley and easily overlooked. This probably explains why the owner was very surprised, no, outright shocked when I waltzed in. He recovered quickly though, kicked out the dog, woke up the Chef and brought me the menu. He was actually the nicest thing about the whole restaurant as he genuinely tried very hard to please.

Minimalistic design.

Before ordering food I ordered a Banana Lassi but they had no bananas. This is becoming a real trend for me around Pham Ngu Lao; see my previous post. I have no idea how they could not have any bananas, there was a lady selling them just outside the lane. Anyway, I took the Mango Lassi instead which turned out to be undrinkable. There was hardly any Mango in it, however they did out lots of grated, dried coconut; first time ever I have had that in a Lassi. The worst part however was that the yogurt had gone sour and was just plain nasty.

Cheap and all the usual items.

I was seriously getting worried about the quality of the food now and I certainly had enough time to worry as it took a good 50 minutes for the food to arrive; and I was the only customer! Not the owner's fault, but the restaurant is a corner of this very narrow lane; this means that there is a lot of honking as motorbikes navigate the turn and all engine noise echoes off the walls. Forget a romantic dinner in the Little India; though even without the noise the decor is not really inclined to encourage any tenderness.

The decor is so bad it is almost good.

When the food did arrive, it was what I had feared. I had ordered Chicken Pakora as a starter, and specifically asked that they be served first, but everything came at once. Presentation of the Pakoras was non-existent, as was any semblance of taste.

Tasteless Pakora.

The chicken "curry" I had ordered was swimming it what appeared to be ready-made tomato sauce with a couple of spices thrown in, the Jeera (Zeera) rice was tasteless and it was only the Butter Naan that was half-way edible.

Not very inspired.

I guess the prices are outright cheap, with starters from USD 2.00 - 4.00, curries below USD 4.00 and a Tiger beer going for less that USD 1.00. However, it is still piss-poor quality for money; it would be if the feed was free. I think the final straw was when nobody seemed to notice that the Lassi went undrunk and most of the food uneaten.

The curry sauce was heated tomato sauce.

Yet another place in the back-packer triangle of Pham Ngu Lao-Bui Vien- De Tham that manages to disappoint and is not worth a second visit.

Service: ***
Food: *
Ambiance: *
Value for money: ***

Recommended: No

Looks better from the outside.

Khmer Food, home-style

Off to the market.

OK boys and girls, something different today, I will not review a restaurant but talk a little about Khmer food. And when I say Khmer food I do not mean the "Fish Amok" or "Beef Lock Lack" served to tourists on Pub Street. This is more about where, and how, to eat real Khmer food.

Fried beetles.

Like all Asians, Khmer like their food fresh and thus the first hurdle to good local food is to get up early and visit the market. Forget Psar Chaa, or Central Market, this is just a tourist trap these days. The place to go is Psar Leu, a couple of kilometers outside Siem Reap along Route 6. Activity here starts around midnight when the farmers come in from the surrounding areas to sell their wares. No need to go that early, but 06:00 is a good time, both for the variety of goods, and to beat the heat.

Great veggies on sale.

The market would also be a good educational tour for Western kids that think all meat comes shrink-wrapped, chicken are born as McNuggets, and milk is something in Tetra packs. Nothing of that here, fish is so fresh that the vendors occasionally have to race after them and chicken are slaughtered on demand. Not for the squeamish but I believe in knowing where my food comes from. And I should think that the animals at least had a better life than the mass-produced stuff kept in tiny cages back home.

Pickled Fish.

The market is a riot of colors, smells, and sounds and usually very busy. Come with patience and good negotiating skills. It is totally acceptable to touch, prod, and smell the products before choosing, and the choice is vast.

Khmer herbs.

I am a big fan of Khmer herbs and vegetables as they taste much better than the stuff that comes from Dutch greenhouses. The choice of fish is also amazing, most of them from nearby Tonle Sap Lake and many of which I do not know. The meat and poultry can be tough as it is usually very fresh. If you have a fridge and the time, let it rest a little before using.

No Khmer meal would be complete without"Prahok". Often referred to as "Khmer Cheese" on account of its smell, it is actually made out of salted and fermented fish. A very aquired taste but, once one gets over the smell, it is actually pretty good with vegetables and barbecued beef. Psar Leu offers a wide range of Prahok, the difference being the quality of fish used (and obviously the price).

Prahok.

With all the regular shopping done, it is time to look for some more unusual ingredients not found at this market. Well, they do sell things like chicken ovaries and coagulated blood at the market, but in Cambodia this is not considered unusual.

Pretty much anything can be skewered.

To get an idea what can be thrown on a grill in Cambodia, get your butt out of Pub Street and head for Route 66 (it is actually Route 60, but I think 66 sound better). This is a very popular place with locals who will go there once the sun has almost set and have snacks and beer. Sit down on one of the Bamboo mats, grab a draught beer and then check out the different stalls.

Chicken ovaries and chicken blood.

Apart from regular skewers, you will come across the ovaries again, but grilled this time, fried frogs (so-s0), fried crickets (good), fried beetles (yuck) and "green eggs" (barf). The later really make my stomach turn, it is basically an egg due to hatch and the chick inside is pretty well developed. Certainly not for the faint-hearted....

"Green Egg".

I am sure pretty much everybody has heard of spiders being eaten. These are usually from Skuon, ca. 200 kilometers from Siem Reap. If you want to try, get live ones and prepare them yourself. I am not a big fan as the consistency is horrible, but here is a quick recipe:

They don't look it, but the spiders are alive.

Unlike these ones.

20 Spiders

Water

Oil

Lettuce

Kill spider by cutting through the back with a sharp knife (try not to get bitten). Clean well in water to remove the hears. Heat oil in a large wok until smoking and dump in the spiders. Fry until a nice golden-brown. Remove spiders, drain oil, and arrange on a lettuce leaf.

Like the spiders, insects are seasonal and are most easily found during the dry season.

Snake is available throughout the year, but it is actually illegal though this is not really enforced (like many laws in Cambodia). Unlike Vietnam, many of the snakes are caught wild and this is why I suggest you stay away from it. The same goes for all the other "bush meat" more or less openly available. There is intense hunting pressure and many of the animals served up are both protected and endangered.

A couple of tips for choosing am authentic restaurant: firstly, avoid anywhere within a 2-kilometer radius of Pub Street. Secondly, choose a restaurant that is filled with Khmer. Refrigeration is probably non-existent and you want to eat in a restaurant that has a high tuen-over.

Khmer BBQ.

Personally, I prefer to eat with a few friends at someone's home. So, after the market, it is time to get some (lots) of beer, order a whole cow on a spit, and head to the countryside. Khmer sure like partying and boozing, and there is nothing better than spend a Sunday afternoon lazying about, swilling a few cold ones and tucking into some beef.

Lunch with friends.

When it comes to barbies, basic is best. The cow will usually be already partially cooked and marinated, so it is just a matter of putting the spit over some hot coal and pass the time with a couple of Angkor Beers. Inevitably someone will jump (be pushed) into a nearby pond to catch some fresh fish. A word of caution: as a friend found out last time, catfish have a very nasty bite. With a bit of luck, a couple of frogs will get netted as well, they go on the grill too. Small fish go straight from the water onto the grill, the larger ones are gutted and cleaned.

Preparing the frog.

Whilst all this is going on, someone climbs a coconut tree for some fresh juice whilst the ladies are busy preparing Prahok (it is chopped and mixed with chillies, lemon-grass, garlic, and water to make a dipping sauce) and veggies to be eaten raw.

Once everything is cooked, it is time to kick back and enjoy. By now the traditional band will have gone through lots of beers and have found their tune. It will only be a matter of time before people start dancing; this will go on for the next few hours and I have had some of my best meals in Cambodia this way.

Give me a smoked ham anytime.

The Beef is pretty good after a week in the fridge.

Dried fish. ready to go.

The Chef stirring it up in a local restaurant.

Too many beers.

Entertainment during the barbie.