Author Archives: nyampenh

Osaka Ya

So it’s been over 8 months since I have moved to the homeland and a couple things have happened.
I have started a blog here and it is going pretty well. I have also discovered that I can actually write something other than food stuff! So I am now a writer here when I am not taking photos around Vietnam. But it has been a while since I have been to Phnom Penh so when a 5 day holiday came up, I took the opportunity to head back to the old stomping grounds.
I let Bryse know so I can see what’s new in Phnom Penh and he suggested we head off to a new Japanese place on the riverside. He also asked if I wanted to Nyam this. Why not I said!
grilling at Osaka Ya

grilling at Osaka Ya

Osaka Ya is a pretty simple restaurant in terms of decor. When I walked in, I noticed Lina and was glad to see that Bryse invited her! So we had a bit of a catch up and let the waiter know that we will call him when we were ready. Bryse arrived a few minutes later and we started perusing the menu. Typical of Japanese restaurants in Phnom Penh, there was ngiri rolls, rice bowls and set lunches. Lina asked what was in the Japanese lunch set and the waiter replied ” Rice and food”.
Seriously….
Bryse and I went asian style and shared a few dishes and Lina threw caution to the wind and ordered the Japanese lunch set.
Yakatori

Yakatori

We started out with some yakitori. Chicken to be precise. They were really good. The chicken was tender and had a great sweet-spicy marinade. We also ordered some chicken wings which had the same marinade. Dusted those off with no problems.
We had to wait a bit for our mains even though there was just one more table in the restaurant. Maybe it’s due to me getting used to Vietnam’s one hour lunches (Oh Cambodia, how I miss you for the two hour lunches) but I was seriously wondering where our food was.  From what seemed like an eternity but was actually only 10 minutes, we got the rest of our mains.
okonokoasdfsd

okonomiyaki

We ordered an okonomiyaki and a oyakodon bowl. The okonomiyaki was a gut busting disc of goodness. Potatoes, cabbage, pork belly and octopus were fried on a griddle then covered in a pancake like batter. Mayonnaise and okonomi sauce was drizzled on top and a heap of bonito flakes. Despite the fact that the oyakodon bowl looked like one of the chefs puked onto the rice, I gave it a go and found that it was fantastic! Tons of chicken and egg covered a gigantic bowl of seasoned rice. 

It was about this time that Lina got her rice and food lunch set. The food consisted of a grilled fish fillet, steamed pumpkin, some pickled cucumber and a small bowl of rice.

I had a taste of the fish and it was pretty delicious. Each of us also received a small bowl of clam soup which was pretty tasty. Prices weren’t that bad and though we got some tasty food, I don’t think I would go back as the service was something to be desired.

 2.5 out of 5 nyamies
 - Vinh
food

food (Japanese lunch set)

I had tried Osaka Ya a few months back, pretty soon after they opened, and they were still working through some kinks with the staff and the power cutting out every 10 minutes. But the restaurant owner was really nice and the food wasn’t bad so I wanted to give them another shot.  When we arrived, the owner wasn’t there and the staff was definitely struggling. When Lina asked what was included in the Japanese lunch set the response was “… food.” Not incorrect, but not too helpful. I felt a bit bad for the guys waiting on us. They were really trying but were clearly in over their heads without the Owner. 
adfdsaf

oyakodon bowl

Despite these issues, we were able to get our order in and soon after the Owner arrived to help put together our lunch. The yakitori arrived first and the first thing that arrives always seems to taste the best but these things were pretty amazing. Lina had said that this is what Osaka Ya was known for and it’s well deserved. Really nice mix of chicken meat with cartilage. My favorite dish of the meal.
wings

wings

The wings came next and I was expecting the same really delicious sauce as the yakatori but they were a bit different and not quite as good. The oyakodon bowl was really good. As Vinh mentioned, not the most appetizing looking dish but it was a great mix of eggs and chicken piled on Japanese rice. Okonomiyaki isn’t my favorite dish but this one was actually pretty good. But this may be because they placed the dish in front of a fan which blew most of the bonito flakes off of the pancake and all over our table. Overall, Osaka Ya is not bad but not the best Japanese place in Phnom Penh. I would recommend checking it out for a few yakitori skewers and their “Happy Time” beer special.
3 out of 5 nyamies
 - Bryse
Osaka Ya
River Side close to Street 130

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New Nyamers / Sesame Noodle Bar

Hello again! After spending the past few months slacking / being sad about Vinh moving away (and starting a new blog in Vietnam), I was given a kind kick in the butt to start posting again. This friendly kick even made introductions to a new crew of folks that will help posting new fun places to try. So I’d like to introduce the new nyamers (borrowing Corbett’s introductions):

  • Caitlin - Skinny as a whistle but a foodie none the less, Caitlin did the typical blog thing– started off strong, and then it sort of let it linger. Never let it linger. The thing is, she’s got a great voice, and I think dangling a bit of food in front of her is just the right thing to get her inspired again. To see her writing chops, visit some of her past posts at: http://limeandpepper.wordpress.com/ 
  • Robert - He is the counter for anyone else you’ll find. He’s a glass is half empty type of guy when it comes to food, but like a stale beer at 4 am, he’ll drink it anyway.  He’ll bring neutrality to your rating system. Also a good photographer, he’s looking for inspiration to start shooting again. 
  • Justin - Graphic Designer, photographer, tech head and pocket-conscious foodie, Justin tries everything and runs algorithms to cross tabulate delight against price. More about non-foodie Justin at: http://justinpn.com/
  • Roswell - Roswell is our big boy from Boston. He eschews cutlery in favor of  hammers and nails and is the sly, quip master of our dining experiences. As the nerd-in-residence, he analyzes every food adjective before laying pen to paper. Actually, the last part is a lie. He actually writes in the blood of vanquished chefs. Great hair too.
  • Tim -  Cofounder of Co-Lab and all around tech talented despite being Australian. Tim will help out with making the blog look nice, eating and photos. 
  • Ben - Obviously so talented he does not need a last name. Tim’s recommendation but he’s got mapping chops you can see here. Ben will help add some mapping features to the blog so places will be easier to find.

Thanks to Corbett’s help, we have a new crew of nyamers that will be eating, and posting and hopefully we will have lot of new fun places to try this year. And because Corbett has been so nice, we will provide his wife’s new restaurant a shameless plug.

Outside Sesame Noodle Bar

Sesame Noodle Bar

Sesame Noodle Bar is a great new Japanese cold noodle bar just South of the Russian Market. Again, this is a blatantly biased review but Keiko and Corbett have setup a really cool, comfortable restaurant with tasty, cheap dishes.

Inside Sesame Noodle Bar

Inside Sesame Noodle Bar

Things are still getting set up and they are only open for lunch at this point but lunch specials are $4.75 for a bowl of noodles and a side which is a pretty great deal. SNB is also probably the only restaurant in Cambodia with Edison bulbs which is pretty awesome.

The noodles at Sesame Noodle Bar

noodles

The signature cold noodle dish is served with a ton of veggies, a small bit of pork, hard boiled eggs (which I pick out) and a side of tahini sauce so it’s more of a salad then a typical noodle bowl. The lunch special also comes with a side of either gyoza, pork bun or a passion fruit, mint fruit shake. It really does make for a perfect lunch. Not hot, not too heavy but plenty to walk away full.

- Bryse

The noodles at Sesame Noodle Bar

more noodles

Justin: Thanks for the warm welcome to Nyam Penh Bryse! I’m looking forward to finding some great new places to add to the site… and to my waistline.

Speaking of great new places, SNB certainly is. I think Keiko and Corbett have developed a great idea that will be a real winner in Toul Tom Pong. It would be nice to see more places trying out creative new ideas like this.

Pumpkin Sesame Balls at Sesame Noodle Bar

Pumpkin Sesame Balls at Sesame Noodle Bar

I have to admit, I’ve been through the doors of Sesame more than a few times since they opened but I keep coming back to two dishes. The aforementioned noodle bowl is delicious and is like you say, a little salad-like in its freshness and healthy serving of veg. And that lightness is oh so well balanced by the sweet and rich pork that goes along with it.

Sriracha hot sauce at Sesame Noodle Bar

Sriracha hot sauce at Sesame Noodle Bar

But for me, the real treat at Sesame is the pork buns, or rather ‘Thor’ buns. Grilled pork belly with a little bit of pickle and some sauce inside a perfect little pocket of steamed bun. Damn it’s good. I could eat like forty of them and then wash them down with Sriracha.

Overall it’s turned into one of my fav places to get lunch and it’s a must to try for anybody in the area.

- Justin

Sesame Noodle Bar
(the real) #9 Street 460

map

map

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Filed under Japanese, Lunch, Uncategorized

Ayotaya

Interior of Ayotaya

Interior of Ayotaya

Ayotaya is a no frills Thai restaurant that is severely lacking on ambiance but inversely makes up for it in flavor. Upon walking in, you have a sense that you have entered a canteen. It’s white walls are bare with a few signs stating daily specials. It also has that living room look that only a canteen in Southeast Asia can have with a few couches in back, a whiteboard with daily specials which are in Thai no-less, and the ubiquitous TV running a very melodramatic dubbed soap opera.

Interior of Ayotaya

Each table comes with your own personal trash bin

The good thing about places like this is the high probability of getting a really good meal. But sometimes you need a ringer to really order the goods. Enter Fon from Hungry Go Where who we gave the undue pleasure of ordering for us and Lina from My Big Fat Face.

And it was so good… 

Fon ordered a total of 6 dishes which included 2 plates of Green Curry Fried Rice ($3.00), Lime Steamed Tilapia ($6.00), a Wing Bean Spicy and Sour Salad ($3.50), Fried Squid in Curry Powder ($4.00) and a side of fried eggs ($2.00).

They were all excellent with the Wing Bean Salad and the Tilapia being my favorites of the meal. The salad was clean and fresh with the Wing Beans giving a great crunchy texture to it. For the Tilapia, I am a huge fan of this Thai preparation and almost always order it when it is available.

The only niggly thing I could say about the meal was the quartered hard-boiled egg as garnish on almost all of the dishes.

All in all, Ayotaya is a great Thai restaurant on the cheap if you can deal with the canteen-like feel of the place.

Vinh

Ayotaya is conveniently situated at st 302 in BKK1. You wont miss the cheerful yellow sign outside Decoration is basic, yet clean and welcoming.

Being Thai, of course I was tasked to order for the other 3 foodies – pressure was on. Fortunately all the dishes we had lived up to the expectation. I was happily to collect the compliments!

Fried squid in curry powder

Fried squid in curry powder

We ordered few things to share; snake beans salad with prawns, steamed river fish with garlic, chillies sauce, green curry chicken fried rice and fried eggs to accompany the curry fried rice.

Snake beans salad with prawn came with light and slightly spiced coconut dressing. It was a hands down everyone’s favourite and personally, I can eat that everyday. Steamed river fish came in a generous portion. We asked for the garlic & chillies sauce to be spicy and the restaurant was not shy to give us that. The sauce offers that perfect sour, spicy and salty combination which compliments the fish really well. We just could not have enough of that.

Green curry fried rice

Green curry fried rice

Last dish, curry fried rice with fried eggs. The dish reminds me of good street food in Bangkok  – rustic and giving home cook feel – Two thumbs up!

There are daily specials on their board every day (in Thai). Just ask what they are if you are curious and want to try something different, their Thai staff will be able to explain to you.

Fon

Ayotaya
No 58 Street 302
BKK 1
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
099 222 408

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The Exchange Burger

The Exchange

The Exchange

The Exchange is one of a number of high-end restaurants that have opened up in Phnom Penh in the past 6 months. I tend to wait a bit to let the restaurant get on it’s feet a bit and sort out the niggly details that comes with opening a restaurant.

After hearing that Al formerly of Sharky’s was running the food side of things, I excitedly threw out this rule and showed up on opening day. Unfortunately, in my excited state, I forgot to bring my camera.

Interior at the Exchange

Interior at the Exchange

The interior of the Exchange exudes class and was very well designed. Also, I really enjoyed the open air feel of the place with lots of windows let in the breeze and light. I ordered the burger and my wife ordered the braised lamb shank. Both were excellent and the service was impeccable. The only issue was my burger was dripping with juices which made it nice and juicy but turned it into a soppy mess.  Al came over after our meal and I mentioned the juiciness. He winced and mentioned that the staff isn’t properly resting the burger before serving. I didn’t think anything of it as it was the first day.

Fast forward to a week ago where Bryse and I headed back to the Exchange to have one item and one item only: the cheeseburger.

The cheeseburger at the Exchange

The cheeseburger at the Exchange

It’s advertised as the Flame-Grilled Black Angus Beef Burger on the menu and was definitely worth it a second time around. The menu is a mix of  pan-asian and western grilled plates and prices range from 8.00 to 16.00 dollars but we didn’t bother with anything else.

Perfectly cooked cheeseburger at the Exchange

Perfectly cooked cheeseburger at the Exchange

Perfectly cooked to a rare temperature, the burger comes with extremely fresh tomatoes, crispy lettuce, an onion confit and swiss cheese on a not-too sweet sesame seed bun. A side of fries with a garlic aioli and ketchup round out the plate. Not too bad for $7.50. I mentioned in an previous post that T-Bone had the best burger in town but after this one, I have to take that crown off T-Bone and place it squarely on the Exchange burger. The high quality of the imported Australian meat shines through and the fresh garnishes make it the complete package.

Just a little juice

Just a little juice

So next time you are fixing for a burger and are willing to dish out a little more loi, then you can’t go wrong with the burger at the Exchange.

Vinh

Perfectly cooked cheeseburger at the Exchange

Perfectly cooked cheeseburger at the Exchange

A big old flag at the Exchange

A big old flag at the Exchange

The Exchange
#28 Street 47
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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