Five dishes to try
- Amok: fish (or chicken) steamed in coconut milk and kroeung, the Khmer spice paste of lemongrass, galangal and turmeric, often served in a banana leaf. The national dish.
- Lok lak: beef or chicken stir-fried and served with a dip of lime juice, salt and Kampot pepper.
- Nom banh chok: fresh rice noodles with a green fish curry and raw herbs. A breakfast dish, sold by women with baskets in the morning.
- Bai sach chrouk: grilled pork on broken rice, with pickles. Another breakfast, from street stalls.
- Kuy teav: a clear noodle soup with pork or beef, eaten at any hour.
Fruit and drinks
Mango, dragon fruit, rambutan, mangosteen, jackfruit: each has its season. Fresh coconuts are everywhere. Try sugar palm juice on the road to Banteay Srei, and an iced Khmer coffee, strong, with condensed milk.
Where to eat
For breakfast, the noodle stalls of the markets. For lunch, the small Khmer restaurants where locals eat: if they are full, the food is good. In the evening, the street food around Pub Street, or a quiet dinner by our pool.
At the lodge
Our restaurant cooks the Khmer classics: amok with fish, chicken or vegetables, red and green curries, chicken lok lak, pineapple fried rice served in the pineapple. Most dishes cost between $4 and $7.
Photos: Unsplash, Johm Kann / Unsplash