Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

Yu, Fumin, and I went back to Phnom Penh. I wanted some help with the fried fish. The entire meal was wonderful. The fried fish comes in a brown sauce that is rich with spices and just a little hot. The contrast between the crispy fried fish and the sauce is, of course, an excellent complement to the taste. We also had a seafood soup that was wondeful---once again, spicy but not overly done. A noodle dish topped off the dinner, which was the spiciest of all. You simply must try the fried fish. Don't worry, the owner always recommends it, so you can't miss it.

Saibal told me that I needed to try this restaurant and he was right. The sign on the road says "Beef Stix," but that was a previous version of the restaurant. The current place, Pnomh Penh, still serves Cambodian food but is a sit-down restaurant with simple but elegant service. The husband of the husband-and-wife team runs the front of the restaurant and is very gracious. I started out with a vegetarian spring roll, which was wrapped in the traditional thin, soft crepe. I put on a slight drizzle of hot sauce and used the dipping sauce, which gave just the right amount of spiciness. The lemon grass soup was the hit of the evening. It had a light, flavorful broth with just enough lemon to add an accent without being overwhelming. My curry was very good. It was subtly flavored and very gentle. Saibal tells me that the lightly fried fish is the ultimate dish there, and the owner also recommended it. I'll have to go back and try it.