Eat: A delectable feast at La Coupole

The Boy and I are both terrible at anniversaries. Invariably we are super busy around our anniversary and we agree that, rather than 'squeezing something in' will do it in a week or so.  But before you know it a week turns into a month, a month turns into three, and you know what... we might as well just start planning our next anniversary instead.

Which is why I was determined that we would at least go out for dinner this year.

After much tooing and froing over where to go, we decided to give the buffet at La Coupole (at the Sofitel) a go.  To be honest, I was a bit worried.  I don't have the best relationship with the Sofitel Phnom Penh.  I've found the service generally very ordinary and the staff not particularly helpful to guests and often downright rude to their colleagues.  But, we had heard that their buffet was perhaps the best in Phnom Penh and so worth a try.

To cut a long story short, we were thoroughly impressed.  The selection is huge and a lot of it is prepared on the spot, including noodles made to order and home-made (delicious) pasta and salads.  There are plenty of hot dishes and the buffet staple, roast meats and vegetables.  There was also plenty of fresh seafood and sushi.  As well as meat and seafood barbecued to order.

There was also an amazing selection of fresh breads and imported cheeses.  Honestly if you love cheese, like I do, come here.

But even better than the main meals, were the desserts.  I felt like Charlie in the Chocolate factory.  There were the usual mini cakes and tarts.  As well as an ice cream bar with a good selection of flavours and lots of goodies to pile on top, including licorice (the first time I have seen licorice anywhere in Cambodia!!).  There was also a huge chocolate fountain. But the best part of all were these:

Beautiful birdcages filled with different flavours of melt-in-your mouth macaroons... each more delicious than the last.  Those Belgian chocolates scattered about underneath were pretty good too.  They also had these amazing little tarts that had a macaroon pastry.  Is that not the best idea you've heard today?  You're right.  It is.

My photos show only a taste of all the goodness here.  To be honest I was too busy eating and chatting to my date to worry about taking photos.

And, despite my reservations, the service in the restaurant was excellent.

At $30++ per person (including tea and coffee) it is one of the most expensive meals we've had in Phnom Penh, but for a treat I think it's worth it.

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Eat: Big Bazooka Burger at La Patate

The Boy eats a lot.  He's big and he needs his food.  Lots of it.  For that reason, I was impressed to find a place in Phnom Penh where we could share a meal and both end up full.  The only meal that can do that is the Bazooka Burger at La Patate.  It's huge!

Beneath that mountain of Belgian Fries lurks the burger...

It's not pretty, but it is tasty.  And very filling.

This was my third of the burger... the Boy polished off the other two thirds.

But, the best part is the sauces....

There's about 8 to choose from.  Not being chilli fans, we opted for aioli and andalouse.

One Bazooka Burger will set you back $5.50 (add an extra $1 if you want cheese), and will feed two big eaters.

Even though we were stuffed, we couldn't resist the rich Belgian Chocolate Mousse before rolling home.

While admiring the vintage Tin Tin posters.

You can find La Patate one block behind the Riverfront on Street 5 near the Old Market.

Honestly, what with Belgian Fries and Belgian chocolate, what more could you want.

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Eat: Fine dining at Van's Restaurant

Personally, I think everyone who comes to Phnom Penh should go to Van's at least once.  

We discovered Van's by accident a couple of years ago.  We had met up with a friend who was visiting from overseas, we met at Raffles for happy hour and were then heading on to La Marmite, which turned out to be closed for renovations.  We had not been in Phnom Penh very long and so, in a desperate attempt to save the evening, we quickly flicked through our friend's Lonely Planet guide looking for something else close by.

Lonely Planet recommended Van's, so off we went.  The Lonely Planet, somewhat misleadingly, also states that dishes start from $5.  After a cursory glance a the menu, we quickly decided that we would just splurge and enjoy ourselves.  And that's exactly what we did.

I remember that evening as being one of the best meals we've had in Phnom Penh.  I don't remember clearly what we ate (although I have some idea my main dish included veal and mushrooms), I also remember a very nice red wine, but what stood out was the grand building and fantastic service.

Van's is located in the old Indochine Bank, you can actually still peek into the old vaults on the ground floor.  The dining room is in what was previously the offices.  Intrigued by the building I asked one of the waitresses about the history.  She politely excused herself and came back a few minutes later with an elderly gentlemen, who she said would be able to tell us.  The gentleman told us his name, which I have since forgotten, and proceeded to tell us a lively and interesting account of both the building and the Van family.  It is primarily his story telling that made this such a memorable meal.

I would thoroughly recommend Vans as a special occasion restaurant in Phnom Penh. However, the bill for the evening was considerably more than we were used to paying in Phnom Penh and more than we could make room for in our budget on a regular basis.

That was until we discovered the lunchtime set menu.   Everyday Van's offers a daily dish for $9, or as part of a two course menu with wine and coffee for just $15.  

At this price and for the quality, I think this is one of the best value meals in town.  

Every time we come to Van's we are offered a complimentary appetizer   Always a tasty morsel, when we went a couple of weeks ago it was smoked salmon.

Warm white and walnut rolls.

The dish of the day was pan-fried veal picatta style, served with asparagus gnocchi and truffle oil.  Along with a glass of the lovely house Merlot.

Not only is the food beautiful, the servings are very generous.  I was a little nervous about the gnocchi as I have tried a number of attempts at gnocchi in Phnom Penh, all of which have been terrible.  But this gnocchi was perfect.

Dessert was profiteroles with homemade mint ice-cream.  The ice-cream was lovely with a mild mint flavour.

And coffee and tea to finish.

As always, the service was impeccable.  This is one of those places where the staff manage to make you feel like you are their most important guests.

To me, this is the perfect affordable indulgence.

The set menu offers only one option for mains and your choice of entree or dessert.  If you're a little bit fussy (like the Boy), you can check out the dish of the day online before you go, the weekly menu is published every Monday.  If you do stop by, don't forget to check out the old bank vaults to the right of the stairs before you leave.

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Eat: Gastrobar Botanico

I like to think of myself as adventurous, but I'm really not.  This is perhaps most evident when trying new places.  I like to try new spots, but I want to know 'what I'm getting in to' as it were.  I want to be able to peer through the window and see what it's like and who's there. I'm also a big fan of menus out the front that I can peruse before committing myself.  The problem is, in Phnom Penh, many of the best finds are hidden away behind tall walls and sturdy gates.

A good example is Gastrobar Botanico.  I pass their rather beautiful door 3 or 4 times a week.  I always admire it and wonder what lies behind it, but I have never entered it, mainly because I wasn't really sure what was inside.  But, finally, this week I took the Boy with me, and we ventured through the door and down the garden path.

(Seriously, I think this is one of the prettiest doors I've ever seen - how could I resist?)

At the end of the path it does almost feel like you've wandered into a secret garden.  Little booths sit in secluded bungalows surrounded by lush foliage.  

The menu is small but interesting, with a bit of a Spanish feel.  We started with Patates Bravas with some of the creamiest and garlic-iest aoili I've ever had.  It was delicious.

I had the Chicken Milanesa sandwich.

The Boy had tenderloin with cheesy potato hash and fried eggs.  The fried eggs lay on a bed of meat, fried potato and onion and loads of melted cheese.

After lunch this gorgeous butterfly stopped by our table. : )

Botanico is just around the corner from the Independence Monument, but once you're inside you can totally forget that you are in the centre of town.  They have happy hour in the evenings with free tapas with each round of drinks.

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Eat: La Marmite

Not long after moving to Phnom Penh, we met a lovely French couple who had been working here for a number of years.  We naturally asked them to recommend a good French restaurant.  They suggested La Marmite.

So one evening, a few weeks later, we headed to Street 108 to check it out.  We arrived at a restaurant on a dark corner, which at first glance appeared to be closed and we almost didn't get off our bike. Thankfully we did and this has been one of our favourite restaurants ever since.  We had that satisfied feeling of finding a hidden gem.  In reality, La Marmite is well-known in Phnom Penh, and they have since renovated and it now looks a bit more inviting from the outside.  It's still probably our favourite French restaurant in Phnom Penh, and it's never disappointed.

In addition to the regular menu, their blackboard menu changes regularly.  I personally think this is one of the best places in Cambodia to get a good steak at a reasonable price.

They also make the best French Onion Soup I have ever tasted.  Served in an oven dish and topped with chunks of bread and generous amounts of cheese.

We went for the set menu, which offers two courses for under $10.  We had the plat du jour, which was chicken in a tarragon cream sauce.  The chicken was succulent and the sauce delicious.  The servings here are always very generous.

We selected the creme caramel for dessert.  I'm not normally a fan, but this one was delicious.  If you are ordering from the menu I also highly recommend the creme brulee (it's big enough for two).

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Eat: Ocean

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about an evening when our moto broke down.  We were on our way to have dinner with friends when our motorbike broke down, about 10 seconds later it started bucketing with rain and we were stranded.  About an hour later we had managed to sort out the motorbike, but our dinner plans were ruined.  What to do?

We, fortunately, had broken down around the corner from Java Cafe, so we popped in there for happy hour drink and to come up with a new plan.  We decided on dinner at Ocean.  Ocean is one of my favourite Phnom Penh restaurants, and I knew dinner there would cheer me up.

Something about Ocean allows me to dream that I am some where on the mediterannean.  It's partly the white table clothes and wooden chairs, its partly the selection of aperitifs and the house wine served in a carafe,    it's partly the complimentary bruschetta appetizer, it's partly simple pasta dishes and fresh seafood, it's partly the owner sitting at his regular table each night, it's partly grappa and limoncello served as a digestif.

(Sorry about the picture quality!)

Bruschetta - tomato and guacamole

Fettuccine with Prawns and a tomato and white wine sauce

Saltimbucca

Oh, and Ocean has, what they claim is, the best Chocolate Mousse in Phnom Penh - and I think they're right.  It's rich, smooth and chocolaty, just like it should be.

We also enjoyed a complimentary digestif, limoncello and amaretto.  The perfect end to a lovely meal.

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Eat: Big Breakfast at Living Room

Breakfast is my favourite meal to eat out.  There's something so decadent about going out for the first meal of the day.  Sadly, I rarely have time to do so.  But, when I do have time, one of my favourite breakfasts in Phnom Penh is at the Living Room cafe.  Honestly, the breakfasts here are huge!

I usually go for the vegetarian option, with eggs how you like them (yes, the overcooked eggs below are how I like them), corn fritters, relish, tomatoes and mushrooms, and fresh bread and butter.  

The Boy has the version for carnivores, with sausage and bacon.  The two plates almost didn't fit on our table.

Washed down with a couple of smoothies, to make us feel slightly better about the damage we'd done to our arteries.

The Living Room, as the name implies, is very homely with an ecletic mix of furniture, that makes you feel like you're relaxing in the Living Room.  Its in a gorgeous villa, which I would happily live in if given half the chance.  Oh well, for now I'll just have to settle with hanging out there for breakfast.  I recommend upstairs on the balcony, but it tends to be popular so you may have to settle for inside or downstairs, like we did.

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