Food Trip Friday: Phnom Penh’s Napoli Pizza
Yes, you all already know me, hubby and the kiddo are really just pizza eating machines pretending to be human. Lol. And a few Saturdays ago, we were just driving around when we thought of refueling out tummies with what else but pizza. So we headed over to Kampuchea Krom Blvd, thinking of just grabbing a pizza at Pizza Company. But parking there is like expecting to find a 100 dollar bill on a crowded sidewalk so we just drove on.
A few blocks after, my daughter screamed, ‘ I see PIZZA!!’. She was pointing at a resto called Naples Pizza. So of course, we had to go try it. And thank God we did. I think I have a new favorite pizza place here in Phnom Penh!
I like the huge variety of pizza’s you can choose from on their menu. They also have Greek, Canadian pizzas and lot and lots of other choices. But of course, we had to try out first the thin crust, sausage stuffed seafood pizza. And it was soooooo good.
I had iced coffee..
They also had free desserts (taro and tapioca pearls in sweet coconut milk) which was nice, though I forgot to take photos of that.
The service was also efficient and friendly. Prices are affordable, and they also have free pizza promotions during weekdays. Let’s just say, I’ll be going back there again soon to try the other pizzas. I do wish they’d have more branches closer to city center..
Living in Phnom Penh: Randomeness #3
Hey, how was your Chinese New Year celebrations? Ours was really fun and merry with lots of food involved. Lol. Khmer-Chinese really celebrate the lunar new year with much fervor. Even local Khmers are now joining in with the festivities! While this is not an official holiday, well, people do take a break. Lots of shops and businesses are closed for three days. So the cities empty out and a lot of people go to provinces to just relax and have a bit of downtime.
Chinese lanterns @ Koh Pich (Diamond Island) Park
As for us, we observed the usual Chinese rituals, offering food, incense and prayers to departed ancestors. Then the next few days were spent eating, playing cards, spending time with the whole clan and it was capped with a road trip.
Now, I’m pretty much tired but revved up. I feel like I’m all in good mood and hearing good music. I guess that little break has done wonders to my mind set.
The food and celebration though has wreaked havoc on my diet so I started today doing vigorous high impact aerobic exercises. I feel really good afterwards and its like my own body metronomes are all in tune and working! And the good news is that when I checked the weighing scale..I didn’t gain any weight. Uh, thank God for healthy Chinese food and the workouts. Lol.
Read MoreA Visit to Wat Vihear Sour in Prey Veng
Prey Veng is a Cambodian province not usually mentioned in tourist guides, and for some reason places like these appeal more to me. So when my sister-in-law suggested we go there, visit some family friends and also visit Wat Vihear Sour, a well known pagoda, I was all set to tag along. We also heard that in this pagoda, there is one temple that is home to a deity, said to be generous in granting wishes of good luck, wealth and specially fertility. I think this is one of the reasons why my in-laws wanted to make the trip. My younger brother-in-law and his wife have been trying for a baby for some years already and now they wanted to make an offering in that pagoda and ask for help to make their wish come true.
When I heard about this I was mighty curious. I’m not Buddhist but that doesn’t mean I don’t try to learn more or understand more of their beliefs. I always try to keep an open mind about these things and who knows if your wish can be granted. We’ve also been talking about having a second child, with the kiddo very eager to wear her little nurse uniform and be a ‘baby sitter’. Lol. So it wouldn’t hurt if we pray for one while we are there. And besides this reason, drives to Cambodian provinces is always delightful for me. You never know what you’ll see or encounter, aside from the lush, almost undisturbed countryside.
We left about 9 am and the drive was really pleasant. Just under 2 hrs with the roads all new and paved. To say that it was a picturesque drive would be an understatement. Most of the places around Phnom Penh are vast and unpopulated. Most are farmlands. Which makes me realize that Cambodia really has a smaller population compared to other places or perhaps majority are just concentrated on urban areas. Anyway, I’ll let the pics tell my story now…
Wat Vihear Sour has this huge ‘lake’..
This pagoda complex is huge and has several temples you can offer prayers and receive blessings. One can offer food, flowers, incense. In this pagoda you can also get some blessed water and wash your face with it for good luck.
Read MoreGong Xi Fa Cai From Phnom Penh!
Everybody (well, almost everybody that is, hehe) is in a frenzy. The streets are getting clogged, the markets are getting more jampacked (if they could get more jampacked) and I keep seeing those pretty red lanterns on a lot of houses and shops. Well, Cambodia is celebrating along with Chinese! The Chinese New Year is one of the biggest festive events here in Cambodia, and while its not an official holiday, the rest of the Khmers are all celebrating this. I think this comes second to Khmer New Year in terms of their celebratory fervor. So now, we’re all getting ready to usher in the year of the dragon!
As for me, I’m leaving all the cooking to my mother-in-law. Hahaha. I’m a lucky, lucky girl! So it’ll all just be eating, offerings, leisure time for the weekend. On another note, I dread the havoc the holidays will wreak on my diet. I guess it’s time to bring out the plus size dresses or maybe I should be doing more intense exercises now to counter the effect of too much eating? Or maybe I should just stick to this particular favorite of mine…sesame seed snacks! Hahaha.
Enough of my blabbing. I just wanna wish everyone, good health and wealth for the coming new year! Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Read MoreFood Trip Friday: Swensen’s Vanilla Brownies Ice Cream Cake
One should really stop wondering why my efforts to lose weight seems to be futile. Here’s one of the reasons: Ice Cream! We love it and lately we’ve been so into Swensen’s Ice Cream cakes. It’s a whole new way to enjoy ice cream eh? But the added calories with those creams and toppings…Oh well. I always say, I’ll just exercise more. Heh.
Vanilla Brownies: vanilla ice cream on top of chiffon cake. Then topped with cream icing, chocolate shavings, cherries and brownie chunks. How’s that for sugar rush?
And oh, all their cakes have a ‘happy birthday’ thingie on top. But it was nobody’s birthday, we were just craving for some ice cream. Hehe..You gotta love how they pack their cakes. It includes ice on both sides of the cake box, then they give out free paper plates, plastic spoons, plastic cake cutter and candles. And since we had those free candles what else could we do but light it up and take turns blowing it out. Lol.
Living in Phnom Penh: Mission Impossible @ Legend
I really should be doing this regularly. I know some friends and a small group of readers who are movie buffs and I’ll be posting ‘what’s showing’ feature regularly from now on. If you’re looking for some weekend and New Year entertainment, check out Legend Cinemas (City Mall) and they are showing a bunch of cool movies at this time. The latest in the line up is Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.
Huge fan of Tom Cruise, I am not so I was actually dilly dallying about watching the advance screening of his movie, but I was surprised that I really enjoyed the movie (in fact I think its the only MI film I actually enjoyed). It was fast paced, lots of fantastic action sequence, a cool enough plot and of course Simon Pegg’s witty dialogue was in its favor. I also must admit to developing a size-able crush on Jeremy Renner. I didn’t know this guy could be funny, but he is. And he does have that really soulful looking eyes. Ha! But that’s another story lol and I know I kinda have it bad.
Do check out Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Visit Legend Cinema’s website for the screening schedules.
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