Cambodian meal

I'm a bit behind on my blogging about Cambodia so will try and catch-up over the next couple of days...

One of my favorite things to do when visiting a new place is certainly trying the local food.  You never know if it is going to be good or if it will be safe to eat but it is definitely fun trying.  In Cambodia, as with most Asian countries, it is not safe for Americans to drink the tap water.  This also means you have to be careful with any fresh veggies that could be washed in water and also having ice added to your beverages.  Regardless, if you don't try the food you will miss out on such an important part of any culture.  So...I usually rely on recommendations from guidebooks such as Lonely Planet and feedback from friends who have visited.

The Lonely Planet guidebook did not disappoint in guiding us to the Angkor Palm restaurant in downtown Siem Riep...

Almost all of the restaurants in Siem Riep have open fronts meaning that you can choose to either sit inside or sit on the sidewalk just outside and watch the world go by.  A lot of them have seating on the second level so you can sit above the craziness of the road and watch from on high.

The Angkor Palm was recommended for its authentic Khmer cuisine.  We ordered their specialty which is a sort of combination platter...

I'll explain the food starting at the seven o'clock position and moving around counter-clockwise:

• Seven o'clock - Fresh spring rolls
• Five o'clock - Fresh mango salad
• Two o'clock - Green chicken curry...or yummy, yummy goodness
• One o'clock - Amok - baked fish curry in banana leaf...also yummy goodness
• Eleven o'clock - Lightly sauteed morning glory - a green veggie which is sort of a cross between spinach and asparagus
• Ten o'clock - pork spare ribs...slow cooked and melt in your mouth perfection

We also had dessert...

This is simply called Khmer dessert.  It is plantains in a sweet liquid made of condensed milk, tapioca, coconut milk, cane sugar, and a little bit of soy.  It was surprisingly not too sweet and was a refreshing end to a delicious meal.

We liked everything we ate and the Khmer style of cooking leads to a lot of flavor but food that is not too heavy.  Things tend to be baked or fresh instead of being deep fried like in Thailand and Vietnam. 

The best part of this meal is that the entire thing including a large bottle of water and two beers only cost us $20 US.  That is certainly a lot by Cambodian standards but coming from Singapore a meal of this quality would have run close to $60-$70.