/ dining /
A LOCAL-CUISINE CRAZE IS RAGING
in Phnom Penh. That Cambodian food is
popular in Cambodia might not seem like
news, but as more money flows into the
capital, it is noteworthy that up-and-
coming talent is embracing its heritage
rather than looking abroad for
inspiration. The most buzzy new eateries
showcase Khmer and indigenous home
cooking. “In the five years I have been
here,” says Bernard Cohen of MA ADS, a
hospitality operation company, “they
have gone from the tackiest food-and-
beverage scene you can imagine to some
of the coolest restaurants in the region.”Phka Slaa Khmer Restaurant
This airy Khmer eatery offers a breezy
experience, with fans replacing air
conditioners and verandas spilling out to
the street. The blackboard-and-chalk-
doodle wall, wooden tables, mosaic floors
and hanging-light fixtures ooze Europe,Khmer Comeback
FROM TOP: Inside the Battambang-
style Labaab; oysters at Nesat
Seafood House; outside the breezy
Phka Slaa; janang soup with
noodles at Chun Cheat Doeum.while the menu is a collection of
Cambodian classics, like beef noodles,
and chicken rice. Try the lunch set
(US$6), an assortment of appetizers and
mains that rotates daily, and might
include pumpkin-flower salad, pork-rib
stew, morning glory and tofu, and fresh
fruit. fb.com/phkaslaa; mains US$4–$10.Nesat Seafood House
The seafood here is delivered daily from
Kampot and Kep. Order the Nesat
Madness platter, a medley of Kampot-
pepper crab, barbecue seafood and tom
yum soup with white clams. Co-owner
and designer Sophal Thim is behind the
lush plantscape and rustic look that
invites diners to pull a stool up to a
shared wooden table. fb.com/
nesatseafood; mains US$3–$12.Chun Cheat Doeum
Yun Mane, owner of this bolt-hole, is on a
mission to protect the indigenous
cultures in Cambodia by offering a
tangible taste of their rural communities.
The menu boasts dishes like janang, a
pork soup with bamboo shoots and
eggplant, which is a staple for Kreung
and Tumpuon groups in Ratanakkiri. If
you feel daring, order pi-pea, a Phong
soup with beef entrails, wild ginger,
lemongrass and garlic, or the samlor bok
with pumpkin and chicken bones.
fb.com/iprestaurantkh; mains US$2–$12.Labaab Restaurant
Its name means “soil of the Mekong” in
Khmer, representing the bounty along its
banks, and the restaurant juxtaposes
traditional rural cooking with urban
views of Vattanac Capital Tower. Try the
fish amok, a toothsome take on the
signature curry dish, and the prahok
ktis, a blend of fermented-fish paste,
coconut milk and minced pork. fb.com/
labaabresto; mains US$6–$8.+ Kraya Angkor (fb.com/krayaangkor.
restaurant; mains US$5–$25) showcases
largely forgotten royal Khmer cuisine dating
back hundreds of years. That means grilled
frog with vermicelli noodles and na tang,
deep-fried sticky rice served with pork sauce.
+ Cafe Dei (20 Street 590; mains US$5–$20) in
Tuol Kork, goes old-school when it comes to
cooking (fish grilled in bamboo tubes, chicken
smoked in a clay jar) but stays modern on the
design front—the three-story space is covered
in contemporary art.TWO MORE TO TRY28 OCTOBER 2017 / TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
FROM TOP: COURTESY OF LABAAB RESTAURANT; COURTESY OF NESAT SEAFOOD HOUSE; COURTESY OF PHKA SLAA KHMER RESTAURANT; COURTESY OF CHUN CHEAT DOEUM
Phnom Penh’s trendiest new cafés and bolt-hole diners are
serving up recipes in settings that pull colonial charm into
modern-day style. BY MERRITT GURLEY