This is a blog featuring my personal stories of food, gardening, yachting, photography, travel and life.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh Restaurant

Last night we discovered a wonderful restaurant in the Chinatown section of Vancouver, B.C. We had heard of Phnom Pehn over the years but hadn't got around to trying it. How sorry we are that we hadn't and how exquisitely happy are we that we finally have. Located at 244 E. Georgia Street this little gem has long been recognized as the top Asian/Vietnamese/Cambodian restaurant in all of Vancouver. Just take a look at the wall of honors from local newspapers and magazines as you sit waiting for your table.

Butter Beef

We checked several websites critiquing Phnom Pehn to see what others recommended. Several dishes were repeatedly suggested and that is where we began our Phnom Pehn adventure.

We arrived without a reservation but waited only about 20 minutes until we were escorted to our table. We were immediately served a pot of delicious tea and began perusing our menus, zeroing in on the dishes on our list of recommendations. Most items were in the $7.50 to $20 range with some, more exotic sounding dishes even pricier. We decided on "Grandmother's" garlic fried squid, Phnom Penh noodles with the soup on the side, butter beef, and their famous chicken wings.



Their famous garlic Chicken Wings come with a lime juice and pepper dipping sauce. They also had a sweet taste to them which led me to believe the wings may have been rolled in some kind of sugary season salt.

The Squid came with a fantastic lime-pepper sauce that was terrific on everything.

The butter beef is served carpaccio-style with a lime, soy and fish sauce, sprinkled with fresh cilantro and crispy fried shallots that melted in your mouth.

Garlic Fried Squid

With the menu items we haven't even begun to explore ahead of us, we will be returning to Phenom Pehn often and we can't recommend it highly enough for anyone else looking for an outstanding Asian dining experience.
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Open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner, Phnom Pehn takes reservations and accepts VISA.