A Khmer Lunch

As this is the man’s first trip to Phnom Penh, it seems appropriate to have Khmer food for our first meal in the city. We went to Khmer Surin South Gate (No.9, Street 57) for lunch. The friends have warned that this sort of restaurant would belong to the “expensive and blah" category. They are absolutely right.

I don’t dig Khmer cuisine- it just doesn’t appeal to my tastebuds. The ingredients and menu are very Chinese based and hasn’t exactly evolved into a stronger identity. I’m not quite used to Khmer food with its modifications that stemmed from the usual Chinese food I know, and I don’t even like the latter very much to begin with.

The red curry chicken didn’t look like anything I knew. I still bravely took a sip of that oily looking concoction. It tasted really strange. The chicken was literally swimming in chilli oil. Needless to say, I left the meat alone. The best was the omelette and the morning glory stir-fried Thai style. Once fish sauce and chilli were drizzled all over, they tasted rather good. I was very impressed that they offered the option of brown rice. It was almost fluffy. I liked that a fair bit.

I’m no cook or historian. But as I eat my way through Indochina, it does seem to me that Khmer food and flavors are somewhat confused. There is a distinct lack of spices used and most food turns out a little bland. I’m not sure if how much of it has anything to do with the history and culture of the people. In the region, Vietnam has a distinctive cooking style and focal points for their food. Food in Lao PDR is so similar to Thai flavors but with a few variations of their own. Further down, Thailand, of course has developed its food to fine dining levels and found a delicate balance between street eats and hearty homestyle fare.

I’m not sure how other tourists and expatriates feel, but I find it a little odd that in Phnom Penh, western food tastes a whole lot better than its traditional foods. Perhaps it's all about tastebuds and what appeals to the individual.