I’m hopeless when it comes to cooking Khmer dishes (mainly coz I haven’t tried hard enough..yet) but I love eating Khmer food. I’m actually passionate about home cooked Khmer food. And thankfully, I have a really awesome mom-in-law who indulges my cravings. Whenever she cooks up some of my favorite Khmer dish, then she’ll always send some to our house.

And this was what she cooked for Mother’s Day. I was feeling bit blue that day coz Hi-ace was on a trip so it was just me and the kiddo at home. And so of course, this made my day.

Kari Nom Yah with Nom Ban Chouk noodles.

Nom ban chouk noodles are freshly made and usually served with a fish based sauce – check out my previous post about the typical Nom Ban Chouk noodles. But Kari Nom Yah is slightly different. It still uses fresh nom ban chouk rice noodles, same kinds of veggies goes in, but its the sauce that makes the difference.

Fresh Nom Ban Chouk Noodles Wrapped in Lotus Leaves

The sauce still uses flaked fish, but its flavored a bit like curry and its red. The ‘curry’ is not as heavy as the meaty Kari Nom Ban Chouk, its lighter in flavor and consistency. And the taste? I love it. very very tasty and I like the balanced flavor.

veggies: basil,peppermint (+some more greens, I don't know what to call), lotus stem, sprouts, cucumber and can't do without chili

The Sauce. This tasted so good, I swore I'll learn how to make it!

I also like adding a lot of peppermint leaves for extra zing and chopping in a lot of lotus stems for the extra crunch. I ended up liking it so much that I asked M-I-L for another set last Thursday. I know I’m getting too spoiled here. Lol.

Two weeks ago, we went up Bokor Mountains to check out the new road and the new resort/casino as well as some sights there. Whenever we go on road trips like this, we usually don’t pack a lot of food, just the basic snacks. The kiddo doesn’t like eating ‘old’ cold food and we always try to eat somewhere local.

We did the same thing this time, but I was also apprehensive if there was any food places up there coz as far as I know the casino has just had its soft opening and not all facilities are operational yet. But I needn’t have to worry as we found out when we got there coz they have a coffee shop as well as an Asian buffet. Check out their web site – Thansur Bokor.

Hungry as we were, it was no brainer that we opted to go buffet. The whole spread cost $6 only. Which was a great great deal coz it was not a measly spread. There were a lot of options, vegetable salads, fruit salads, vegetarian dishes, Asian and stir fried viands, soups, porridge, plain and fried rice, drinks plus lots of breads. I didn’t take photos of the buffet table as there were a lot of people there and  I think it would be rude.

I took snapshots of our plate though. Here’s what hubby and I shared:

my veggie salad. their dressings are really good.

fish fillet with shredded mango salad, pork and tofu saute, some pastries.

my fruit plate. I had two servings of this. It was that good.

I also love the bold decor. I usually think too much color like this becomes an eyesore, but they somehow managed to keep it together. And it was an easy guess that I would beeline for this purple seating. Of course, I could never resist anything purple. Ha!

An entry for:

A friend told me a few weeks ago that I’m lucky, I’m in the front row seat when it comes to experiencing Khmer cuisine. I mean real Khmer food. The one’s cooked at home, not those delicious but often ‘fusion’ or tweaked food to suit the visitor’s palate. I never really thought about it, but then most of these things I consider ‘normal’ or a daily routine. I eat mostly Khmer food now, so I guess I took it for granted.

Sure  there are a lot of Khmer restaurants around, but those catering specially for tourists don’t really offer the real Khmer food. More like a semblance of Khmer food. I think its a bit hard to find, authentic Khmer food in those restos. Probably, the most usual Khmer fare that tourists and some expats taste would be amok and lok lak which is a shame coz the country has a lot to offer in terms of food. Take for instance, their wide variety of samlors (soups), its a must try but they are often hard to find. That’s why if you have Khmer friends and you get invited to their homes to eat, I would suggest jump at the offer (I know it sounds mercenary but..) you might be in for a little palate adventure.

While its a bit hard to find authentic Khmer fare in most city restos, you can still find something close to it across the Japanese bridge. I’ll let you on a little secret: this place is my favorite place to relax during weekends – those little stilt huts with hammocks along the river! Mind you, these places aren’t posh, and not for those who prefer their napkins to be sparkling white. But its an experience you’d find in no other place.  This is an entirely Khmer affair and celebrates the Khmer love for lounging around on mats, hammocks and food.

There are a couple of places like this a few minutes drive away from the Japanese bridge, but the ones we usually go to are the one’s near the Chinese temple. I’m not sure exactly about the directions and the restaurants usually have Khmer names. But these places are a fantastic places to relax, be with family and friends. The food is also cheap and really really really delicious.

Just a few weekends ago, we went there again to enjoy the food and some quiet time. Here’s some pic spam..

The food..

grilled shrimps with garlic-chili sauce, served with herbs, cucumbers & tomatoes

chicken stir-fried with ginger & spring onions

samlor koh kor – veggies, fish, spices and flavored with roasted rice..this is super delicious.

Nice, relaxing place..

fabulous river views..

little huts for some privacy

the super happy to be there kiddo. she loves the hammocks obviously.

This is an entry for:

A few days ago, I was just tagging along with hubby and the kiddo. They were on a date, and I was the third wheel hahaha. Yes, we do have this ‘date’ time with our daughter every once in a while. During the ‘date’ it was our kiddo’s choice that’s usually followed (within reason, ok?). That day, she wanted to eat pizza and pasta (sigh, what else is new?) and she picked Pizza Company.

She chose this: Spicy Sausage Pasta. This pasta is serious about being spicy. There were about 5 large dried red chilies on it, not counting the chopped/sprinkled chili. It was just WOW!! Since she can’t eat much of it, I had to finish it but it was good and I managed to eat all of it along with almost a pitcher of soda. LOL.

We also had this sausage-stuffed crust seafood pizza, which was okay. At least it wasn’t spicy. The taste I think has been adjusted to suit Khmer palates, its a bit sweet and not too much tomato sauce on it.

This is an entry for:

We were really hungry by the time we arrived in Siem Reap at around 2 pm. After dumping our backpacks in our hotel we wandered about in search for food, and we chanced upon a small alley near Pub Street. We picked out this resto called Neth Socheata on a whim.  We had no idea about what they served but it looked like food and yes, our prime concern was to be fed. We were that hungry. Haha. The nice colorful interior also looked inviting enough.

We ordered Fish Fillet in Olive Oil and Herbs, Beef with Veggies and Basil. I also got a refreshing drink of watermelon shake.

And one word about what we ate: Delicious!

Neth Socheata Hotel and Restaurant
84, 2Thnou Street, directly opposite the Old Market, Siem Reap

you can enter the small alley from Thnou Street (near Old Forest shop) or you can also enter via Pokombor Ave. (alley right next to Body Tune Massage)

This is an entry to:

My first dining experience in Steak Kitchen with the Queen of Wishful Shrinking wasn’t exactly a very impressive experience, so I was really surprised that I gave the place several more chances. It could be that there are only a few places you can eat in Sovanna Mall that isn’t so crowded and maybe because my daughter became a huge fan of their Seafood Crumbed Platter (huge platter for less than $5!).

Now Steak Kitchen has become a family favorite. And luckily the first time lackluster dining experience was not repeated and all subsequent meals we had there has been really good. They have an extensive menu and very very affordable prices.

Here’s what I had last time.. Grilled Chicken Breast with Pepper Sauce and Grilled Pork Chop.

An entry for

Steak Kitchen is located at 5th Level, Sovanna Shopping Center, Phnom Penh Cambodia