Russian roulette in PP

Eating in Phnom Penh (PP) can be a little like Russian roulette, with every mouthful you just pray the chamber is empty.

As a Singapore based journalist friend of mine recently found if it goes wrong, it goes wrong big time. Looking forward to a nice weekend in PP, she contracted a very bad case of food poisoning. Her husband, who was only there for the weekend, got to see nothing of PP other than the very uninspiring trip from the airport.

We had no such problems on our trip a week later. On the whole the food was excellent and not a dodgy tummy was to be had.

The city is riddled with eateries to suit all palates and wallets, from mobile hawker stalls, to genuinely high class French eateries. In fact I’d go as far as to say that my new favourite restaurant is in PP, and sits on a quiet street just behind the royal palace.

Open Wine, on 219 street, is a typical French bistro. It has a selective menu and wine list and doesn’t try to be all things to all men. What it does, it does superbly.

We started by sitting outside, decided that, even in the night air, it was still too warm and asked to be moved inside. No problem.

The clientele were a mixture of expats and French speaking Cambodians, while the décor is of a typical French bistro; dark wooden tables and chairs, accompanied by French white linen tablecloths. French cultural icon Edith Piaf sings hauntingly in the background.

The staff flitted around us at the new table inside, offering drinks rolls and practicing their English. They all smiled.

Having spent the last eight years in Sydney I’m not really used to this. In that great city they prefer the standoffish approach, which is now all the vogue, with added extra snarl if you dare ask for a top up of anything, or complain.

What is it about sullen restaurant staff? I’m always polite to them; it’s my one rule when I go to a restaurant. I want it to be an enjoyable experience for the both of us. There is nothing worse than obnoxious customers that look down there nose at staff. For gods sake they are only trying to earn a crust.

But the opposite is also true, for crying out load if you don’t enjoy working in a restaurant, get another job. Don’t bring my night down just because someone three weeks ago glared at you when you brought them a white roll instead of a brown one.

Sitting at our table I noticed that a guy on the next table had a cricket shirt on, unable to resist I started chatting to him, causually dropping that the team I play for in Singapore would be keen for a trip up to PP.

The conversation quickly turned to the restaurant though. He sidled up to me, rather conspiratorially, and in a hushed tone said:

“You've done yourself a favour coming here, it’s by far the best restaurant in Phnom Penh.”

And, of the ones we tried, that turned out to be true.

Having perused the menu my ever suffering wife Sharon started with the Fois Gras, a generous serving that melted in the mouth and was incredibly flavoursome.

I started with smoked salmon, served with a shot of vodka - sorry doc – together with pepper, salt and capper condiments. The fish was fresh and the vodka provided some punch.

For mains Sharon had the Duck served on Cassoulet. This was incredible; the slow-cooked bean stew was prepared to perfection, sprinkled with liberal chunks of sausage and bacon. The duck, a generous proportion, was tender and moist.


For my mains it was impossible to ignore the deer. Succulent shreds of lean meat covered in a rich juis and toppled with a fluffy mashed potato round.

On the side were French beans served in incredibly aromatic garlic butter.

Wine was a French Semillon, not particularly expensive, but with great body and the typical citrus flavours one would expect from a young wine of this style. I also snuck in a glass of the house Pinot Noir. Again the wine was fresh, with cherry overtones that perfectly matched both the duck and deer.

The whole thing came to just over US$100 and admittedly while this is a lot of money in Cambodia, restaurants in both Sydney and Singapore could take a leaf out of this eateries book. Open Wine provided us friendly top quality food, service and ambience without charging an arm and a leg.

Cheers.

Blocka

Pottering around Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh (PP) will not be everybody’s cup of tea.
The streets are festooned with rubbish, piled in uneven reeking heaps along the dilapidated roadsides, as much of it sits there decomposing for days. Someone could make a fortune offering the city a proper sanitation service.

All that said I found Phnom Penh incredibly liberating.

The tourist sites, such as the royal palace and national museum, are well put together and interesting. While the markets are vibrant and, if you can laugh off the beggars, an enjoyable place to wile away a few hours picking up cheap art and silk.


Bartering is a must. I’m ok at it but still suffer pangs of guilt as I try to drive a stall holder down another dollar! But don’t be fooled, they also know how to play the game, and are incredibly skilled at it.

You can, of course, just walk away and this, sometimes, will push the price down further, alternatively you can hear the stallholder mumbling under their breath, I’m guessing that they are saying what a cheap skate you are!

It’s also hot, damn hot. While I’ve lived in my fair share of Asian countries, and survived quite comfortably, PP’s April heat, in the run up to rainy season, saps your strength and drains much of the will to see the city’s sites.


Saying that, a throng of Cyclo, Moto Taxi and TukTuk drivers incessantly tout for your business, ensuring that you never have to wander too far on foot, unless you want to. The drivers also seem to have a fairly healthy sideline in the hawking of narcotics. A number of times, after declining a ride, we were offered their alternative goods.

Just remember to smile when you are saying no, it lessens the blow. Smiling generally works as a sure fire way of getting people onside for most things in PP.

In our hotel, the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC), walls were quickly broken down with a cheery hello and a smiling thank you. Simple equation, smile and people do things for you, with pleasure; scowl and you could be waiting an eternity for your drinks to turn up.


This is no different from much of South East Asia although considering the genocide that occurred barely 30 odd years ago, it is almost inconceivable as to how the country has recovered from such a disaster so quickly.

A cynic of course would say it is purely a case of chasing the almighty American dollar, the country’s main currency, and of course I’m sure that is part of it but don’t let that lessen your enjoyment.

To wind down we wiled away early evenings at the FCC’s happy hour - 5pm to 7pm - most drinks half price and draught beers US$1.

The bar is a fabulous place filled with old leather chairs, seats at the open veranda that overlook the Mekong and staff that smile and can’t get you a drink quick enough.

This makes for comfortable afternoons sitting on the balcony, drink in hand, cooled by ceiling fans, whose steady drone can put you into an almost trance like state, or that might be the drink.

Cheers,

Blocka

Ideas

Please feel free to drop me a line with suggestions and/or ideas.

Cheers,

Blocka