Evening Cyclo Tour – Phnom Penh, Cambodia

A late afternoon- evening cyclo tour is a very good way to enjoy the best of Phnom Pehn.

Some ‘don’t miss’ highlights include:

Central market

Lady Ping memorial

Riverfront at sunset past the Foreign Correspondents’ Club

Royal Palace especially the Sunday evening picnicers eating Phnom Penh style in front of Palace (this happens every Sunday evening, but the extra lights are especially for the water festival coming up).

Independence memorial

Finishing with Cambodian delicacies like deep battered fried frog (watch the bones) and duck egg with embryo, at a local restaurant at first French built school in Phnom Penh now Sisovath High School.

The insider’s guide to eating like a boss in Goa

THE HUNGRY REVIEW

With its bounty of fresh seafood and its myriad influences through the centuries, the current state of tourist Goa is akin to that of a burgeoning food paradise.

To the uninitiated, Vindaloo and Fish Curry are be all and end all of Goan cuisine.

Here, it is necessary for one to understand this, there are two indigenous forms of Goan cuisine and the types of meat/fish that are prominent in each:

[1]Goan Catholic

Christian

[2]Goan Saraswat

Hindu

shark

lobster

chicken

pork

beef

bombay duck

surmai (seer)

kokum

bamboo shoot

various dried fish

Pomfret, prawns, crabs, squid, mussels, mackerel are popular in both

Besides these two local cuisines, there are a few other cuisines and, let’s say, styles that have made Goa their home over the last three or four decades and have come to define the Goa experience in their own ways.

[3] Western (Continental)

[4] Fusion Gourmet

[5]…

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Turkish Pide House, Woden

The Turkish Pide House in Woden has lovely outdoor seating and inviting interior seating.

It also has a menu full of interesting Turkish dishes and a very convenient location for Woden workers.
The tricky challenge has always been how to order an interesting range of dishes to share and leave feeling content but comfortable.
A banquet (starting at $19.50 and including a glass of wine) is an easy way to share but is way too much food.

However, an alternative for sharing between a group of six is to order a dip and Turkish bread to start with another entrée item and a couple of salads with chicken veal or seafood as well as a pide.
This works out at around $13 per person.

Entrée:

Carrot Dip with Turkish bread – carrot, olive oil, garlic, yogurt, mint & herbs $10.00

Kabak Mucver– Crispy zuchinni puffs served with yogurt & dill dressing $12.50 (halved)
(Two different dips would also work)

Mains
2 Salads:

Meditarranean Tavuk Salatasi- Tender chicken pieces char-grilled and tossed with mesculin lettuce, roma tomatoes, cucumber & topped with croutons. Served with a savoury piquant dressing. $19.00

Other choices include:
Prawn Salad– Char-grilled King prawns, tossed in mesculin lettuce with roma tomatoes, cucumber and infused with a tangy dressing. $20.00
Calamari Salad -Grilled Calamari, tossed in mesculin lettuce with roma tomatoes, cucumber, & infused with a tangy dressing. $19.00
Aegean Salatasi- Thinly sliced veal, char-grilled and tossed in baby spinach, fetta cheese, mesculin lettuce, tomatoes & topped with tzaziki dressing. $19.00
Karisik Balik Salatasi -Grilled seafood salad including salmon, prawns & calamari $22.00

1 Pide

Vegeterian Deelite – Roasted pumpkin and potato with fetta, garlic, capsicum, onion & cheese topped with pesto aioli. $18.50

BYO is also welcome at around $4 corkage per bottle.

Cardamom Hotel, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The Cardamom Hotel in Phnom Penh is centrally located near the central markets and opposite the wonderful Romdeng Hotel. The Deluxe double room number 609 (see below) is an excellent at $78 US a night.
It offers a room safe, fridge and tea making facilities. It also generally caters for groups.

A standard room (like 605 below) is $58US.

Breakfast is a buffet, offering a good range of options….

…including a combination of traditions such asFrench baguette, Khmer soup, tropical fruit and sweet sticky rice.

Overall it’s a good business hotel with free wifi and pretty good breakfast, a cafe and a handy location.

Urban Bean, Woden

Urban Bean is located at the bottom of Scarborough House in Woden. It does a great job of servicing the surrounding offices for breakfast, lunch and coffees.

However, it is well worth considering in it’s own right as a lunch venue as it has good food offered in generous serves that are best enjoyed at one of the outside tables in warm weather.

Dishes include large gourmet burgers wraps and open sandwiches served with aioli and chips for around $14 each. These are way too much for one appetite but perfect for sharing between two people.

The Warm Chicken and Cashew Salad with mustard chicken tenderloins on a bed of mixed leaves, tomato, cucumber, carrot, Spanish onion with lime aioli and crunchy cashews is a good choice if eating light.

It’s ideal for sharing, but you might also want to order a side of Turkish bread to round off the meal.

Intrepid’s Cambodia Real Food Adventure

A good way to kickstart a food themed trip to Cambodia, is to use the Intrepid 8 day Real Food Adventure to get your bearings.

Priced at around $1000 per person (less if you sign up for the email newsletter and make use of the frequent discounts, or use the $100 discount link), it’s good value.

Accommodation is quite good and usually includes a pool. It includes an excellent cooking class, a street food tour, a great cycle tour of Phnom Penh, the chance to try many ‘delicacies’, a bike tour of Battambang cottage food industries, the highlights of Cambodia like Angkor Wat, local village life and the opportunity to ride on the Bamboo train and enjoy a home cooked meal.

Central Market Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Well worth a visit, particularly for the colourful and lively fresh food section (still operating in the late afternoon). More open and airy than the Russian Market.

Touk Restaurant – Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Upstairs, overlooking the river and across to the Foreign Correspondents Club is Touk Restaurant.

Good for happy hour it usually offers 4:30-7:30 pm 50% off Angkor draught beer and cocktails are $4.50 US per glass.

Not as atmoshpheric as the Foreign Correspondents’ Club and not as good for food as Romdeng, Friends or Mali’s, it is however good value and has a choice of western and Khmer food. It also has a great view at sunset.

Fish Amok $6 Fried rice

Duck salad with spicy herbs Salmon fillet and green mango salad

Vegetarian pizza Lok Lak

Eating fried tarantulas in Cambodia

Romdeng restaurant in Phnom Pehn is a perfect spot to try the Cambodian famous deep,fried tarantulas and dipping sauce.
The spicy peppery sauce is wonderful and the spiders are crispy and tasty.
The legs are not tough reminded me of well cooked pork crackling.
The body is soft and creamy and reminded me of smoked tinned oysters.

Foreign Correspondents Club – Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The Foreign Correspondents Club is a must do in Phnom Penh.

Go for two for one drinks at happy hour $3.40US for two gin and tonics, $4.95 US for two cocktails and watch the sun set over the Mekong while nibbling the complimentary hot roasted peanuts.

The pizzas also looked good if you’d like a little more.

The history and heritage is wonderful to share and the furnishings and views worth a visit in themselves.
Service however, is exceptionally slow, so,it’s good to have plenty of time.