Restaurant-Dining Critiques » Phnom Penh

Kingdom Brewery Wishes You a Prosperous Lunar New Year – Phnom Phen, Cambodia

Kit Marshal — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 07:30:19 +0000

Open Wine Restaurant – Phnom Penh

Kit Marshal — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 03:42:21 +0000

The Wine Restaurant
No 219 Street 19
Tel. 855 (0) 23 223 527
Fax. 855 (0) 23 223 528
Phnom Penh
Kingdom of Cambodia

The hamburger (pictured above) with Bearnaise sauce was by far the most novel and interesting of the dishes we tasted. The bun was homemade, possibly coming from the same source as the rest of the baked goods, La Residence. To its credit, this restaurant stays open all day and throughout the evening without a break. Although the food is far from outstanding it is a good place to go, especially for lunch, once you have discovered the particular dishes you favor.

Hachis Parmentier was certainly not a stand-out dish but went down quite easily

Blanquette de Veau was not up to standards, bound with a gluey flour-laden sauce

SorbetApple Tart

Tavern Tipples . . . a drink called Vis-à-vis at the Elephant Bar, Phnom Penh

Kit Marshal — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 11:20:40 +0000

★ Tavern Tipples . . . Vis-à-vis a drink my daughter found very delectable at the Elephant Bar, at the Raffles Hotel, Le Royal, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
This exotic drink is made from banana puree with coconut cream and a touch of sugar syrup, blended and served in an out-sized, high-stemmed glass. It is listed as a non-alcoholic drink on the menu, however, rum may be added if you wish.

The Warehouse, Wine Shop – Phnom Penh

Kit Marshal — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 08:43:42 +0000

The Warehouse
32E1, Street 240, Sangkat Chaktomuk
Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh
Kingdom of Cambodia
Tel.+855 023 986 641
Fax. +855 023 986 642

The Warehouse is one of two excellent wine shops in Phnom Penh and the respective owners, although competitors, are good friends. I bought some bottles to take back to Bangkok*, some excellent wines that would cost a fortune across the border. The owner was very generous and opened a couple of bottles of wine to taste while we were waiting.

The Wine shop has a good selection of wines, both old and new world and they are kept in pristine conditions.

*The Thai tax makes them four times more expensive.

Atmosphere Restaurant & Bar à Vin – Phnom Penh

Kit Marshal — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 12:39:58 +0000

Atmosphere
French Restaurant & Bar à Vin
141C, Bld Norodom
Monument de l’indépendence
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh – Cambodge
atmosphereresto@yahoo.fr

Atmosphere French Restaurant & Bar à Vin has a casual feel to it and the cooking is very good. They offer the choice to grill most items, that adapt to this style of cooking, on their outdoor grill (pictured below) on the front terrace. I enjoyed this establishment immensely and in fact, I dined there on three different occasions on our week long visit to Phnom Penh. The owner, Didier Finot, was very cordial and treated us very well; he has managed to keep the same staff for fifteen years, this means he certainly is doing something right.

Steak with marvelous pomme de terre sauté

Soupe de poisson

Topaz Restaurant & Piano Bar – Phnom Penh

Kit Marshal — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 09:48:15 +0000

Topaz Restaurant
No. 182, Norodom Blvd
Tel. 023 22 16 22
Fax. 023 22 16 99
manager@topaz-restaurant.com

Topaz is acclaimed to be Phnom Penh’s top restaurant and it most probably is. I was surprised to see the former Maître d’hôtel from D’Sens Restaurant in Bangkok working at Topaz. The service was very good and the cuisine matched closely. They have a lively piano bar upstairs and overall this is a fun place to spend an evening.

Starters: including foie gras and escargot en croûte

Chicken fricassée

The Red Apron, Wine & Lifestyle Lounge – Phnom Penh

Kit Marshal — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 08:28:15 +0000

Red Apron Wine Boutique & Wine Gallery
Monday to Saturday 9am-9pm

NOW OPEN: Wine & Lifestyle Lounge
Monday to Sunday 4pm – Midnight

#15Eo, Street 240,
Phnom Penh
Kingdom of Cambodia
Tel. 855 (0) 23 990
951 855 (0) 17 588 191
Email: contact@redaproncambodia.com

The Red Apron wine boutique has been around for sometime now and is well accepted. The new Red Apron upstairs lounge was not yet officially open when we visited, although due to our friend Peter Brongers’s influence, he is CEO of Kingdom Breweries, Cambodia’s premier beer, we were offered some very good vintages. I can see that this will be a fun place to frequent!

Raffles Hotel Le Royal – Phnom Penh

Kit Marshal — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 06:57:42 +0000

Christmas at the Raffles Hotel Le Royal

Raffles Hotel Le Royal
92 Rukhak Vithei Daun Penh,
Sangkat Wat Phnom, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
Tel: +855 23 981 888
Fax: +855 23 981 168

The pool with the Landmark building (circa 1929) behind

Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh has melded old world style and fixtures with modern conveniences in an unnoticeable way, and without bastardizing anything either. It is truly a magnificent hotel with outstanding service, and a genteel feeling, which is of some comfort in a city where certain sections are quite dodgy.

“For over eighty years, the Raffles Hotel Le Royal has been the choice of royalty, dignitaries and celebrities travelling through the capital of modern Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Graced through the years by legends such as former U.S First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and French adventurer André Malraux, this landmark Phnom Penh hotel sets the benchmark for refined enchantment in Cambodia.”

The State building behind the lovely trees

Hallway leading to the Monivong dining room

An example of old and new; the old, dial telephone is fitted with push buttons

The check-in process is painless with a drink in front of you; no necessity to stand at a registration counter

A view of the pool through Plumeria trees from our room

Restaurant Le Royal

ELEPHANT BAR

BREAKFAST AT CAFÉ MONIVONG

Kingdom Breweries, Cambodia – Phnom Penh

Kit Marshal — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 04:08:40 +0000

Armand’s, The Ribeye Bistro – Phnom Penh

Kit Marshal — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 08:20:45 +0000

Armand’s

No 33, Street 108

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Reservations Recommended

Tel. 015 548 966

Closed Mondays

Open at 5pm

Armand is a good host, and absolutely runs the show at this small French bistro in the center of Phnom Penh. He is an accomplished Maitre d’hotel and does an excellent and professional job of cooking to order tableside. Booking in advance is a must in this place with just a few tables and a good sized bar.Armand’s

Armand’s
No 33, Street 108
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Reservations Recommended
Tel. 015 548 966
Closed Mondays
Open at 5pm

Armand is a good host, and absolutely runs the show at this small French bistro in the center of Phnom Penh. He is an accomplished maître d’hôtel and does an excellent and professional job of cooking to order table-side, the steak au poivre with fresh green peppercorns was especially good. Booking in advance is a must for this place as it has just a few tables although, the bar is large enough to wait for an opening.