Phnom Penh: Experince the food, not your surroundings
Phnom Penh may distract or even confuse you with its quirky interior, but its friendly service and mouth watering cuisine make up for all of that.
It’s late spring; Summer is on the verge of taking over, but it’s not apparent today. Though the temperature is mild, rain has been pounding down in erratic spurts throughout the morning.
The restaurant is located on King St. East just off of Princess St. It is away from the bustling vehicles, but still close enough to feel the excitement radiating from “the Heart of Kingston.”
I escape the daggers of rain and duck into the rustic building.
I am greeted promptly and warmly by a waiter and given a table. I’m impressed with the service at this point.
Once at my table, I take a look around.
The walls are splashed with deep reds and greens and large landscapes hang delicately around the room. It feels quaint at first glance, but then I’m slightly confused.
They are offering me Thai and Cambodian cuisine, but the paintings are clearly from all different cultures and there are paper lanterns and Christmas lights decorating the restaurant. Maybe it isn’t just me who’s confused about ethnicity.
The waiter returns in a mere moment with water and menus. Again, I am impressed.
That is until the glass draws my attention to the small and slightly sticky table in front of me.
Owner and chef, Lay Soleak, emerges from the kitchen for a light conversation. Though this may seem over the top, he repeats his actions when the next group comes in. It isn’t special treatment for a critic; it’s just the way he is.
During the conversation, I learn that Soleak took over the restaurant in November of last year. Phnom Penh is his first venture.
He has no official training in cuisine, but comes from Cambodia where he learned about the food. The last owners also showed him a thing or two before they left. I’ll see if it’s enough.
I order Thai Curry ($10)—this price reflects the rest of the menu—and wait only minutes until the food is brought to me.
The plate is placed in front of me and I am overwhelmed by the sheer size of the helping. But quality trumps quantity.
On my dish are a number of items: strips of chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, green beans and a side of rice. This is all smothered in red curry sauce. Though not exactly a pretty presentation, I am very tempted by this meal.
The spices of the curry sauce bounce in the air around me, pulling the envious stares of my fellow diners toward my plate.
Without another second of hesitation, I jump into my first ever experience with Thai food.
At first, all I can taste is the sauce; it is an explosion of flavour. Though it has a kick, it is not completely overwhelming like the green curry sauce—an option that is offered with this dish.
The broccoli and cauliflower are cooked to perfection and soaked in the hot curry sauce. My teeth grind down, crumbling them to nothing but flavour.
The white rice is cold and lacks all aspects of life, especially colour. Though it cannot stand on its own, a splash of the fiery sauce changes all of that.
The chicken is tantalizingly slippery with sauce. And unlike other places, they are not skimpy with their meat. There is more than enough on my plate.
Individually, these ingredients are not so special, but together, the succulent vegetables, mild chicken, plain rice and red curry sauce, create a sublime puzzle of food, fitting together deliciously.
Though the interior with its mismatched themes and objects is somewhat tacky, there are many upsides to eating at Phnom Penh.
The quality of the cuisine is as large as the quality, but the price isn’t. The amount of food you receive for $10 is unreal; it’s sure to fill anyone.
And it’s anyone that eats here. All different people come to this restaurant when they do, they are sure to find exactly what the menu offers: “exotic and delightful Thai and Cambodian cuisine.”
It’s good food at a good pric
Best spicy green curry ever, to have it separate the tough from the wimps!!!
Best authentic green curry I have ever had, that being said it is not for the faint of heart. You will find out if you can handle spicy when you eat this dish. Now if Momma is cooking the heat is even higher. So if you want a milder version find out when Pappa is cooking (family run as you can guess).
I've been to Phnom-Penh many times, and have tried probably at least half of the items on their menu. They give you a good sized serving at a reasonable price.
The food itself is great and they offer a lot of dishes that I regularly alternate between depending on my day's palate. If you ask the staff, they usually give you good recommendations; most dishes can be customized in order to accommodate customers who prefer more mild/spicy foods, and substitutions aren't a problem.
In my experience the service is good; the servers know the menus well and are accommodating and polite; the food is always delivered quickly. The only exception is on busy weekend nights at peak hours when you might have to wait a little bit longer for your meal, but this is understandable and the wait is worth it. To other reviewers: remember that this is a fun family restaurant and not a place to go for more formal fine dining; the level of service is good and appropriate for the style of restaurant; customers pay at the bar at the end of their meal.
If I could recommend a few dishes, I'd suggest trying their #1/11/19 (same red curry dish w/ different chicken/shrimp/tofu), 5, 6, 9 (or 2 if you like pineapples), 12 (get it with red curry if you don't like spicy food, or get 23 instead if you want the same thing without meat), 15, 21 (get 'firm' tofu), 27 (love this one), 28 (add hot sauce -- love the flavour), 30/31, 36. Also 17/Sp#1 and Sp#4 are great noodle dishes and a little lighter. Oh and their soups are decent, but the portions are HUGE so always share them or treat them as entrees.
Oh and this is a Cambodian/Thai restaurant, NOT Vietnamese (as it says above).
Walked in, unimpressed with unauthentic decor. Fairly friendly waiter. All waiters/waitresses looked like university students and white. Prompt service. When food arrived we were astounded at its presentation. Food was literally falling off the plate, sloppily piled on, excess sauce. Runny and watery appearance. Looked like a greasy spoon thai restaurant. Food was so bad, wife went outside and vomited once outside restaurant, and 3 times heading back to car. And yet again once in the car. Food was not over spicy, but of poor quality. Nothing special about the food
the pad thai that i had was not orange or even red in colour, they used soya sauce or black bean sauce and it looked black. It tasted alright but something fishy about it. The soup wasn't even clear, it was entirely something else other than what it's supposed to be.
To top it off, it lead to an undesirable GI episode.
Frankly, this is a place to avoid.
We went on a Friday night around 8pm and were able to get a seat without difficulty. The atmosphere is on par with all asian type restaurants...you go for the food and not the ambiance! Our spring rolls were very tasty as were the sauces that came with them. Very good. My husband loves spicy food and asked for his golden chicken to be spicy (you have the option of mild or spicy) and found it waaay too spicy to the point he was in pain eating it! My shrimp dish was perfect.....nice presentation, good portion of shrimp and just delicious. The service was just okay, certainly not great. There were about six people working and spent most of their time hanging out together behind the bar (maybe because it was the end of what was probably a busy Friday night however we still expect decent service!). Our server didn't come back to ask how our meal was and we had to flag down another server to ask for more diet coke (especially since my husband's mouth was on fire!!). We will definitely go back as we love the food
I never quite get what the smell is in this place, but the food is very good and the service is either spectacular or (when the owners daughter is serving) iffy. Portions are large and quality is fine. A bit pricey but the place is always packed at lunch time. Not for grandma and grandpa down for the weekend but a nice place for lunch with coworkers.
TV behind the bar is annoying.
Always my favorite place to get take out. Never had less than great food. Everyone I introduce to it is just as impressed as I am. And there is something for everyone from mild to super spicy and meaty to vegetarian.
The Lemon Grass Beef is hands down the BEST meal I've ever had! There is no where else in Kingston or even Ontario with this delicious mixture of flavour.
They were also very accomadating, a couple of my friend are vegetarian and the waiter was able to help them order their perfect meals. It was much appreciated!
Service was nice, they were very packed, but managed to keep us all happy. Will definately go back over and over and over!
Soup A was absolutely delicious! Everyone I was...
Soup A was absolutely delicious! Everyone I was with loved their meals. Great prices for giant portions. Service was friendly but a little slow since it was a busy night.
Living in Kingston and trying many of the different restaurants over the year, this is by far one of the best Asian places ive eaten at. Each order is made from scratch, none of the pre-made crap like many other restaurants. My family loves the restaurant, and it has a very high credibility for quality and quantity and its customer following within Kingston is extremely strong and loyal. Being away at school 8 months of the year, i dont eat there much now, but i still get my mother to send me the sauce from the Number 1 occassionally!
great restaurant
A must do for tourists to the area
The Phonom-Penh is one of Kingston's culinary treasures. Since the selection is so vast even the person who may not be accustom to the spice that they could order a milder, tamer dish. Overall the Phnom-Penh is great for take-out or a sit-in dinner or lunch
This is one of the best restaurants I have ever...
This is one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. If you drive by phnom pehn and don't try it out I guarantee you will hear about it from one of your friends. I have been weekly since I found it. The food has so many layers of flavour that now I find the food I used to eat seems, well frankly, bland. I highly recomment this restaurant, great food, great price, and a great place to bring the family.
The food here was exceptional...the menu was so...
The food here was exceptional...the menu was so extensive it was difficult to make a choice! The decor is a little lacking but the servers were charming and the food scrumptious. Also - they offer take-out which is now a new found addiction. Definately a fan.
I've been to this restaurant once and i love it...
I've been to this restaurant once and i love it. We ordered a dinner for two (fairly priced) which was a lot we couldnt finish it. The spring rolls were good. The soup was amazing. The dishes were awesome. The waitress was friendly. It's the atmosphere i didnt really enjoy, but everything else is good.
EXCELLENT for take-out!!!!!!!!!! The service was below average when we went to eat in. The waitress just left half way through our meal...and didn't tell us she was leaving and someone else would be taking care of us!! No one took care of us after she left!!! AWFUL service but yummy food, so I suggest take-out.
I've only tried the Pad thai and spring rolls through takeout, so I'm not sure how it is if you actually eat in the restaurant.
The spring rolls were ok, but I wouldn't order them again.
I spent some time traveling in Thailand, and the pad thai is nothing remotely close to the real thing, so I was dissapointed. My roommate liked it, but I was quite unimpressed.
