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.

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.

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

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.

Stella Restaurant

The quest for halfway decent food in the Pham Ngu Lao area in HCMC continued yesterday. The town was heaving with the up-coming "Liberation Day" (North Vietnam "liberated" South Vietnam on this day in 1975) on the 30th of April; followed by May Day. All I wanted was a quick bite to eat so the first stop was at a "Subway" on Pham Ngu Lao proper. The conversation went something like this:

Young male sales person that would rather have been somewhere else (YMSPTWRHBSE): Good evening.

Yours truly (YT): Good evening.

YMSPTWRHBSE: What do you want?

YT: (looking around a branch of Subway): a sandwich I guess.

YMSPTWRHBSE: What bread?

YT: Rye?

YMSPTWRHBSE: Finished.

YT: Wheat?

YMSPTWRHBSE: Finished.

YT: Right, what do you actually have?

YMSPTWRHBSE: White bread (which I do not like).

YT: No choice, I guess.

YMSPTWRHBSE: (pointing at the displays behind him) Which sandwich?

YT: I'd like to build my own.

YMSPTWRHBSE: Cannot.

YT: The sign here says I can?

YMSPTWRHBSE: If you insist (unhappily).

YT: Bye-bye.

This little chat set the tone for the evening. Next stop was the Boston Pizza and Sports Bar on 175/6 on Pham Ngu Lao. I was getting hungry now but the visit here was short-lived too. What appeared to be the owner/manager was sitting at the bar working very hard to dislodge something from his teeth. This one I could have ignored, but I was not so happy with the waitress doing the "what do you want" bit. How about parting with my hard-earned cash to get some food and less questions? Whilst waiting for my Strawberry smoothie I took a couple of picture. Now the waitress got really rude; giving me the 3rd degree as to why I was taking pictures. So up I got and continued looking for food (yes, I did pay for the smoothie even though I did not actually have it.

Next stop a branch of Wayne's Texas BarBQ on Bui Vien. I hear the steaks are pretty good here, but I never got that far. Asked for an OJ: finished. Asked for fresh coconut juice: finished (in Vietnam, a country with more coconut palms than motorbikes).

Menu has a good selection without being worryingly large.

I was ready to go to bed and cry myself to sleep when I walked past the Stella on 121 Bui Vien. I had walked past this place a few times before, noting that they are not exactly bashful, with a big sign proclaiming they have the "Best coffeein town" and also thinking they should find someone to correct their sign.

The interior is not much to write home about, but I was greeted by a couple of very friendly waitresses. A clean and fairly extensive menu was presented in no time at all and once again the waitress was on the ball, quickly taking the order.

The interior does not exactly scream "Italian".

I ordered a Beef Carpaccio which at USD 5.00 was not the cheapest starter available. However, the Chef was not miserly with the beef, there was heaps of it. The color was a little strange, a bright pink, but the quality was very good. The lettuce the beef was on was fresh and the Parmesan was better than what many Italian restaurants serve. I would change the vinegar used in the dressing though. It was obviously a cheaper vinegar which was sour in a not so nice way.

Plenty of meat and yes, the color did look a tad strange.

I ordered Saltimbocca as a main dish, like most dishes it was around USD 5.00. Beers go from just over USD 2.00 with milk shakes and juices from USD 1.50 to USD 2.00. As this came with either vegetables or mashed potatoes, I ordered the potatoes and a "Insalata Stella". The Saltimbocca arrived after about 20 minutes and both meat and mashed potatoes were piping hot, the way it should be. The meat was excellent, though obviously not veal which is hard to get in Vietnam (and the menu did say that the meat was pork loin); well grilled without being dry. The sauce was great as well, though I did miss the sage. Not sure what the herbs were but they had little taste.

Excellent meat.

The salad was pretty good with decent Olives and Feta cheese; once again many Italian restaurants use awful Olives and plastic cheese; I'd go back for the salads alone. I will also have to go back for a coffee and verify their "best coffee in town" claim. Whilst I was having dinner a number of patrons came in just for the coffee, so maybe the owners are not exaggerating.

Massive salad and not stingy with the cheese.

The restaurant has an air-conditioned area; not common on Pham Ngu Lao but a welcome relief as it was stinking hot yesterday. Inside and air-conned also means some respite from the ever-present touts and trinket sellers that prowl the back-packer ghetto.

I saw some comments on the web that the Stella is too expensive. It might be a little bit more expensive than some of the dives in the Pham Ngu Lao area, but both service and quality of food are also considerably better. My total bill was less that USD 20.00 and I was close to bursting as the portions are certainly not small.

Update 18/05/2011:

The "best coffee in town" could not stand unchallenged so I went back for lunch today.

The Mozzarella salad was OK; the tomatoes were fresh and tasty but the Mozzarella was a little "blah".

The Tagliatelle al Funghi on the other hand were excellent. The sauce was expertly seasoned with the taste of the mushrooms really coming through. I'll go back for that one.

The coffee: couldn't order one last time as I went for dinner; if I have a coffee after 16:00 I'll be dancing the jitterbug all night. Today all I had to look forward to was a tedious meeting in the afternoon; perfect to try a coffee. I ordered a Cappuccino but I am still not sure if it is the best in town; haven't had enough coffee in HCMC yet.

One thing is for sure though, it has to be one of the friendliest coffees in town; first time a Cappuccino wished me a "Happy Day":

Service: **** Friendly and attentive.
Food: ****
Ambiance: ***
Value for money: ****

Recommended: Yes.

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.