this seat is taken

I’ll be honest.

The only thing that came to mind when I thought about Cambodia was the Angkor Wat until I had a taste of Khmer food when I visited it in summer. This is a summary of my gastronomical adventure in Phnom Penh. I am grateful I went there with someone who loves to try and eat at a local eatery in the middle of a busy market and who is not as finicky as I am (sometimes!).

Before seeing the world-renowned temples of Cambodia, I knew I’ve fallen in love with this country when I had my first sip of an authentic Khmer coffee. It was strong and sweet at the same time. My first impression was that this coffee was quite “bipolar”. I liked how they put condensed milk that settled at the bottom, not to mention that it was iced. It’s a perfect morning drink for me. I realized I could live drinking this coffee every morning.

This local dish reminded me of my favorite Filipino food called Sinigang. It was sour and a bit bitter but very savory for my taste. It consisted of all sorts of green leafy vegetables that I wouldn’t have eaten if I were at home. But because you only get to eat something foreign and good when you’re travelling, I ate this bowl of soup with a cup of rice for breakfast.

At the famous Pub Street, I had my first bowl of Pho (well, my first outside the shops of Pho Hoa in Manila). I was told that pho in Vietnam tastes even better so I am looking forward to trying an authentic bowl in my future visit.

Cambodia’s famous beer. It is quite ubiquitous at every pub in the city. I was not a beer person until I was introduced to drinking a glass of beer mixed with soda, commonly known as shandy.  (Trivia: I used to have no alcohol tolerance at all) In this case, my first well-enjoyed beer was Angkor (because I was spared from drinking a concentrated glass of it). Since I was not a beer person, there is no way for me to review it like a real drinker would have.

A set of freshly steamed dumplings with four different fillings: sweetened beans, egg, vegetables, and ground meat. There was also a sweet and spicy sauce that completed the whole mouth-watering experience. This was my most favorite food during the trip. We had it at a cozy Khmer restaurant on a rainy day.

I never thought that I would be enjoying our trip in Cambodia that much. I loved the simple ways of living of the people in this country. I loved how perfect mornings could be achieved by walking or biking safely around. I loved how they are able to maintain the culture amid the fast growth and demands of tourism and commercialism. Cambodia will always have a special place in my (travelling) heart.

With the Shandy master