An Evening in Siem Reap

Another day of temple trekking, another hungry group of people. This time we wandered into the centre of Siem Reap for beers at the Red Piano, before meandering up and down ‘Bar Street’ trying to choose where to eat. We settled on In Touch restaurant, for it’s mixture of Thai and Khmer dishes and it’s upstairs balcony seating, with views down over the action.

We started off by ordering a bottle of white wine, to be told that it was out of stock… so we ordered another to be told the same thing. We could kind of see where this conversation might be leading, so asked what they did have in stock – turned out they only had one wine, a red, out of the entire wine list, so we stuck with a jug of Angkor beer and turned our minds to eating.

We started off with some Pork and Prawn parcels with a plum dipping sauce, which unfortunately were a little blander than their golden crispy exterior promised

We then mixed things up a bit between Thailand and Cambodia, going for a Thai Beef Panang curry

A Thai Green Chicken Curry with Eggplant

And a Cambodian Pork Lok Lak – marinated pork strips cooked in a fiery peppery sauce.

And of course some stir-fried vegetables.

Our initial impression wasn’t altogether favourable – the food was cold and the dishes slightly bland. However, as we ate on, the flavours seemed to develop and we found ourselves quite enjoying the meal.

So not as successful as our evening before… but we left fairly satisfied nonetheless… although I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t return…

In Touch – Bar Street, Siem Reap (opposite the Red Piano)

Khmer Cuisine

We had managed to build up a fairly large appetite during an afternoon of exploring the awe-inspiring Angkor Wat, so we jumped in a tuk tuk and made our way to the Luxe Guide-recommended Viroth’s. We were certainly glad we did – Viroth’s provides a lovely little open air oasis tucked away on a side street in Siem Reap, complete with decking, running water, tropical foliage and twinkling candles.

More importantly, the food was fantastic and a great introduction to Khmer cuisine, a first for all of us. We dove straight into the main courses – the Eggplants sautéed with Minced Pork, Ginger and Local Herbs

The Roast Chicken Khmer Style which was roasted with ginger, onions and Chinese basil and served with morning glory and a lemony dipping sauce which was just superb

The Amok Fish, which is Cambodia’s signature dish, which is fish cooked in coconut milk, lemon grass and local herbs, and is delicious – not too thick and coconuty, but light and fragrant

And some Sautéed Vegetables, which was a mixture of vegetables including pineapple and tomatoes cooked in an oyster sauce and local herbs, which was the perfect accompaniment to the other main dishes.

We were of course extremely full by this stage, but couldn’t leave without sampling their Bananas Flamed in Rum, which were sticky and gooey and lovely, and perfect with the coconut ice cream.

So we left Viroth’s very satisfied… and very happy to be in yet another country with such fantastic cuisine….

Viroth's - http://www.viroth-hotel.com/restaurant.php

Angkor Beer

We were in Siem Reap for a long weekend to visit the fabulous temples of Angkor.

All that temple trekking can be thirsty work I can tell you... well thank goodness for Angkor Beer.

It's not my favourite beer in Asia, but damn it tastes good when your feet are weary and legs aching from tramping up and down those steep Khmer stairs... cheers...