Phnom Penh at the table: royal recipes, the river and the market

About Phnom Penh at the table: royal recipes, the river and the market

By the ULTIMATE Phnom Penh Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Cambodian cooking is a cuisine of balance: fish from the Tonle Sap and the Mekong, palm sugar, lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime pounded into kroeung, the fermented fish paste prahok, and Kampot pepper from the south coast. In Phnom Penh it is served at every level. Restaurant Le Royal at Raffles serves royal Khmer cuisine, some of it from recipes given by the Royal Palace; Malis, in a courtyard with a fish pond on Norodom Boulevard, carries the vision of the Cambodian chef Luu Meng; Kravanh, in a villa on Street 174, cooks classic Cambodian dishes from produce its founder sources across the country. French cooking has its own long history here, at Topaz and at La Coupole in the Sofitel.

The Khmer table

A Cambodian meal is shared: rice at the centre, a soup or a curry, something grilled, a salad sharp with lime and herbs, and a dipping sauce. Fish amok, steamed with kroeung and coconut milk, is the dish most visitors know; num banh chok, rice noodles with a green fish curry, is the breakfast of the markets.

Royal and modern Khmer

Restaurant Le Royal (Raffles) serves royal Khmer cuisine alongside modern Khmer gastronomy. Malis, at 136 Norodom Boulevard, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a courtyard with a fish pond and private dining rooms. Kravanh is at 74 Oknha Ket Street (174). At the Rosewood, Iza, Brasserie Louis and CUTS are among the hotel’s restaurants.

Order fish amok, the steamed curry set in a banana-leaf cup, and something with Kampot pepper: then you have tasted the country.

French Phnom Penh

Topaz serves French fine dining with a long wine list at 162 Preah Norodom Boulevard, and a second Topaz at TheCommune, 15 Street 347. In the Sofitel, La Coupole is the French brasserie; at Raffles, Le Phnom 1929.

In the markets

The Central Market (Phsar Thmei) and the Russian Market (Toul Tom Poung) have food halls of noodle and rice stalls, best in the morning.

Our advice: book Malis or Le Royal for your first night, and keep a market breakfast for the morning after.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Phnom Penh at the table: royal recipes, the river and the market before you go.