Phnom Penh

We don’t make it down to Chinatown very much anymore and it’s probably been a few years since we’ve been to Phnom Penh.  It’s a little sad to see so many of the old shops and restaurants closed down in Chinatown now but I guess that’s partly to do with so many Chinese moving out of the area and the shops in Chinatown failing to adapt to the changing demographics. 

Phnom Penh is one of the old school holdouts in Chinatown (along with New Town Bakery) that still manages to attract steady business despite their location… actually, I think the hole-in-the-wall diggs actually works towards their advantage as many Bourdainian-type foodies finds the dichotomy of finding good food in an otherwise unattractive location to be appealing.

The menu is extensive and boasts both Vietnamese and Cambodian dishes.  We decided to start off with the Shrimp Salad Roll.

We were a little surprised to find our shrimp salad rolls had meat (chicken?) in the middle – we’re used to it being just rice vermicelli.

No visit would be complete without having their signature Phnom Penh Deep Fried Chicken (this is their 1/2 order).  We’re not a big fan of the dipping sauce and the wings taste pretty darn good on their own.  The batter is nice and light and the chicken is juicy and tender.

We had a difficult time deciding what to have so we went with their Combo B… a large platter filled with some of the finest Vietnamese fare available:  steamed rice rolls, prawn supreme on sugar cane, spring rolls and Vietnamese ham on rice vermicelli with salad.

We also got the Beef Filet Luc Lac with Fried Egg on Rice.  Doesn’t everything taste better with a fried egg on top?

Not to diminish the awesomeness of the fried egg, but the sliced beef in sauce was really the star of this dish… mmm!  This was a very comforting dish and took my mind off the gloomy summer weather we’ve been having.

Because it was so busy, it was sometimes a little difficult to get the attention of the wait staff.  If you decide to go, try to avoid the peak times or be ready for a bit of a wait.  I think they could probably fit more diners in if their seating arrangements were optimized a bit better… there were lots of two-party patrons sitting in tables meant for four people.

Check out our latest post on Phnom Penh – Dinner Party

Food:  5 / 5
Service:  3 / 5

244 East Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC