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

Sushi Bar Koh Kong, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Pub Street

Siem Reap, Cambodia

(+855) 63 963 400

This is a fairly recent addition to the food scene in Siem Reap, but has already managed to garner a solid reputation among the expatriate crowd. Most of the Sushi comes from Koh Kong on the Cambodian coast and is darn good. So good in fact that I flaunt my personal rule of never setting a foot on the back-packer circus that is Pub Street. That is the only down-side of this Sushi Bar: seeing some of the unwashed freaks wandering along below is not good for one's appetite.

The Sushi Bar is located in the heart of Pub Street.

The Sushi Bar has outside seating downstairs as well as indoor seating on the ground and first floors. Our place of choice is the minuscule balcony though. It hardly seats 5 people, like birds on a wire, but is a great spot to hurl snide comments, derisive laughter, and the odd empty beer can at the banana pancake-eating crowd below.

Instructions on how to eat Sushi????

The menu is fairly small, but then this restaurant is all about Sushi. There are about twenty different Sushi Nagiri on offer, ranging in price from USD 2.00 - 5.00 for two pieces (though many were sold out on our last visit) and about 10 Sushi Rolls, the latter costing between USD 2.50 -4.50 for 6-8 pieces. There are a couple of Tempura selections at USD 7.00 - 15.00 and a couple of other non-Sushi items. Personally, I think the best choice is the Sushi and Tempura Deluxe at USD 14.00. A decent-sized meal and very good; with the Sushi fresh and the Tampura not an oily mass of batter but fluffy and light.

As usual I did not pay attention to the drinks prizes. There wasn't much choice but I seem to recall that, while a little more expensive than the 50 Cent draft beers available on Pub Street, the beers were reasonable enough.

Service is friendly enough, but a couple of the girls speak little/no English. However, with a little effort we have never failed to get what we ordered.

The Sushi and Tempura Deluxe.

There are only two things I like a little less about the Sushi Bar Koh Kong:

1. The place mat that endeavors to explain to the punters how to eat Sushi. I am a paying guest and will eat my Sushi any bloody way I like.
2. The staircase back down to the ground floor. Both very steep and extremely narrow this probably explains the meager choice of alcoholic beverages on offer; no way I could make it down with more than a beer in me.

Pitiful gripes really; the place is great for a quick Sushi fix and I do hope that they keep up the quality and do not end up with too many items "sold out".

The Sashimi is also very good and fresh.

Food: ****

Ambiance: *** + * for the balcony and the views it gives one of the circus below.

Value for money: ****

Recommended: Yes, great place for a quick bite before heading out for a beer.

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

Viva Mexican Restaurant, Siem Reap, Cambodia

• #697, Group 10, Mondol 1 Svay, (opposite Pub Street)
• (855)-63 96 31 51

Since the only other Mexican Restaurant in Siem Reap closed a year or so ago, Viva is the only place for that Tortilla fix. I have been there on a few occasions, not because I think the food is particularly good but as I do get these cravings for Mexican food every so often, including last week when I once again headed for the Viva.

The restaurant is opposite Pub Street and impossible to miss as it is pretty big and painted in a sickly orange.

The good news is that the food is pretty cheap with most mains around the USD 5.00 mark. The bad news is that prizes like that mean the place gets its fair share of obnoxious back-packers. Drinks are also cheap, with Margaritas USD 2.00 and draft beer USD 1.00 (USD 1.50 and 0.50 respectively during the low season).

It is admittedly cheap to eat here.

Service tends to be a mixed bag: some of the girls are really good whereas some of the guys tend to be preoccupied chatting to each other. Either way, the food comes fast, too fast: I specifically asked for the starters to come first but, once again, starters and mains came together. This is a pet peeve of mine as I would like to a) take my time eating and b) prefer my food hot and not have the main course go ice-cold whilst I am demolishing the starter. I also do assume that everything has been prepared in advance as otherwise they could not possible serve the mains in five minutes flat.

The Nachos were good but everything could have been a tad spicier.

Portions are big, with plenty of meat in my Burrito. However, the beef was overcooked and of poor quality (admittedly, I did not expect imported beef for the prize). The "salad" that is supposed to come with the Burritos was basically two salad leaves with a dollop of sour cream on it. What is definitely lacking is a good kick; I like my Mexican food spicy whereas at the Viva it is a really weak-assed affair.

Can't say much about the drinks as I do not like Margaritas, but the Coconut juice was good and cold.

The meat was overcooked and the "salad" is a bit of a joke.

A mixed bag really. Yes, the food is cheap, but also not extremely good. They do get a lot of rave reviews on TripAdvisor but either the posters never had good Mexican food or they had a few Margaritas too many. Having said that, I will be back as Phnom Penh is a little too far to go for some Mexican food.

Food: **

Ambience: **

Value for money: ****

Recommended: If there was a choice, I'd say "no". But there isn't any; if you want Mexican in Siem Reap, than this is the place you will have to go to.

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.

The Nest

This restaurant has been around for over a year but I must admit that I was reluctant to go in there at first as it appeared a little too "design" for me. Nothing wrong with design of course, but experience has shown me that often the more design, the lousier the food.

There are exceptions to every rule and I am glad to be able to report that The Nest certainly is one of those exceptions. Situated right in the middle of Sivath Boulevard, it starts with a great location; perfect place to duck into after having done the shopping at the nearby Angor Market.

The good impression starts on arrival where we were greeted by friendly staff and let to a table every time we have been there; certainly something many restaurants in Siem Reap should take note of. In more than one restaurant I have been to, not only was there nobody to greet and meet, I had to find and/or wake up the staff.

Restaurant interior.

One can choose to sit at tables or lounge in huge couch thingies. I tried the latter but find that, whilst they might be OK for a drink, they are not very comfortable to eat on; at least not for stiff old me. The whole design of the restaurant is very open, which I like. It does obviously pose a problem though when it is either very hot (they use fans with water spray, but even that is not enough when it is really boiling) or when the rain really hammers down and comes in sideways. However, minor inconveniences for a real al Fresco experience.

You can choose to dine here.

The menu is heavy on steaks and I suggest that this should be the main reason for any potential diner to come. Whilst the Khmer food is not bad, there are plenty of Khmer restaurants around. It is also a sort of Khmer fusion which just does not convince me. But the Steaks, oh my God the Steaks!!! They certainly must be amongst the best in town. Therefore, do not waste your time and head straight for the steak menu.

Beef Tenderloin, very yummy.

Service is friendly and very attentive throughout. Cold face towels and pretty good warm bread come straight away. The one time we had to wait a little longer, the staff came, apologized, and explained that a group of about 30 people had just ordered. I have no problem with waiting, especially in a restaurant that has German Erdinger Weissbier on promotion (Newsflash: that promotion is currently no longer available, darn).

Al Fresco dining, not advisable during the rainy season.

Prizes are around USD 4.00 for starters, USD 5.00 - 8.00 for noodle dishes, USD 12.00 - 22.00 for mains, and Steaks are from USD 15.00 - 18.00. The drinks menu is extensive with soft drinks and beers starting at USD 2.50 and going all the way to USD 40.00 for some very decent bottles of wine. There is also a large cocktail menu; probably just the thing for those lounge chairs. Go for a Champagne Cup at USD 250.00 a pop; it serves 45 drinks and I am sure that by the time you are done, the bill becomes but a minor nuisance.

Caprese with Buffalo Mozzarella.

If you do order a starter, and keep in mind that the steaks are quite big, try the Caprese of ripe plum tomatoes and Buffalo Mozarella. Unlike in many places in Siem Reap (including Italian restaurants) the salad comes with real Mozarella and not the plastic-like cheap Ersatz cheese so many restaurants prefer. I also liked the Pork Gyoza though they could have been a tad warmer.

Pork Gyoza.

We inevitably order Steaks each time we are there. They are all good and they are all decent chunks of meat at 300 grams each. Side dishes come extra (USD 1.90), I can recommend the Pumpkin and Risotto Croquettes. There are 6 different sauces to choose from, the Pink Peppercorn and Passion Fruit Sauce is very good, as is the wild Mushroom sauce (though the latter could have used more mushrooms last time I was there). Hard to say which steak is the best, but if I had to choose a single one, it would probably be the Australian Beef Tenderloin. I suggest you order the meat one stage less cooked than you usually do (i.e. if you normally order medium, order medium-rare here). Not only will you do justice to the quality of the meat, but as the steaks come in pretty solid chunks you risk that the outside of the meat is overcooked otherwise.

The Missus did try the Mackerel for a change last time we were there, whilst the Couscous was very good, the fish was a tad dry; as I said earlier: stick to the meat.

Pan-fried Mackerel.

Not a big fan of desserts personally, and the selection is pretty small, but the Mango with Sticky Rice is sinfully good. Probably worth a few hundred calories, but if you have made it until here, than you just know it will be salad and gym for the next couple of weeks anyway.

Tempura ice-cream, 412 points at WeightWatchers.

Overall, a great dining experience. If there was one thing I could change, it would be the uniforms. Both waiters and waitresses were these baggy, past-the-knee shorts that might look OK on back-packers on Khao San road but which are totally out of place in this restaurant.


Rating (out of 5):

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

Recommended: Oh yes! Whenever the carnivore in me awakens, it is inevitably The Nest I head for to sink my teeth into a bloody piece of cow.

Master Suki

Master Suki, Green Suki, Angkor Suki, Hawaii(!) Suki, SK Suki. Many different restaurants all over Siem Reap serving basically the same thing: hot-pot. Electric plate in the middle, pot with broth on top, and then you order whatever you would like to chuck in there. A simple enough concept and one that is very popular with locals as well as with Asian visitors. It is fast, cooking your food is fun, and prizes are pretty reasonable.

We went to Master Suki, the only reason being that it is close to where we live; as far as I am concerned the food tastes all the same in the different Suki restaurants. The only diffence is that in some restaurants the food comes on a conveyer belt, much like in a Sushi restaurant, and in others it comes on small plates.




Like in all the Suki restaurants, the decor is pretty basic; I guess it is the Asian-influenced answer to Mickey Dee's or KFC. The punters are supposed to come in, eat, and bugger off to make room for the next guests. Service is also spotty. They were all very friendly, but I am guessing the girls are hired from the booneys as they are cheap; this shows in both the feet-dragging and the absence of English. No worries though; the menu comes with lots of pretty pictures.

The individual dishes are all around USD 1.50 each, but portions are small and you would have to order quite a few if you are hungry. As with all hot-pots, this is best enjoyed with a few people as that makes it possible to order a wide variety of dishes. Add some veggies and mushrooms and you are laughing. If you do not like hot-pot very much, then there is always the option of meat, fish, or fried rice dishes. Prizes vary according to the meat and size of the dish, but range from about USD 3.00 to USD 6.00. Juices are around the USD 2.00 mark, as are the beers.

This particular restaurant also has a Chippie connected to it; good if you cannot face anymore Asian food. The fish is really not bad and decent value for USD 5.00. I couldn't tempt my daughter with it, so she went ahead and ordered "Bowels Beef (sic)", Pig's Intestine and Jellyfish. Just kidding, she may be half Vietnamese, but she prefers to stick to more conservative food.


As usual in Suki restaurants the food arrived about 2 seconds after we ordered. The hot plates are very efficient, bringing everything to a boil in no time at all. Is the food tasty? It really depends on you and what you dump into the broth, you can make it as yucky or as yummy as you wish.



Now if only they could do something about the uniforms:





Rating (out of 5):

Service: **** staff appear little motivated, but are very friendly and willing to help
Food: From * to ***** depending on what one chooses
Ambiance: *
Value for money: ****

Recommended: If you want a quick meal, do not like KFC, and think it is normal to eat hot-pot when it is 37 degrees outside: yes. Seriously, it is actually quite good and at least the food is fresh.