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Home , Rumali roti, Thali

Houses 24 Guide 28 Talk 26 Bargain Bucket 28 Food Talk Pyongyang 27 The Spice is Right! Phnom Penh is home to myriad eateries featuring sub-continental fare. Whether it’s Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Pakistani or Indian you crave, the city can provide. Liz Ledden and Mark Jackson visit some of the best.

Annan: East : Phnom Penh’s latest curry house Delicious

Annan is actually run by a Specialising mainly in chicken case a range of chicken, lamb 1C Street 282 Singaporean Indian, Pannir, who dishes, a whole chicken tandoori and vegetarian dishes mildly Tel: 023 726 661 used to manage a restaurant in costs US$8 (US$4.50/half) and a spiced and using fresh seasonal Named after the Sanskrit for the island state before moving to chicken ‘reshmi’ US$5.50. vegetables. Monsoon’s dishes “food”, the newest curry house Phnom Penh in 1999. Stylish and The thalis are also great value for (mostly US$4.50 to US$5.50) on the block opened its doors to air-conditioned, the restaurant’s money, especially if you are not taste healthy and far less oily the public on May 27. The beau- ambience is a cut above some sure which dish to choose, with than typical sub-continental fare, tiful outside terracotta terrace set other Indians in town, and Panir the vegetarian costing US$4 and which Majid attributes to middle under a thatched roof, beside the assures that the hygiene is of the the non-vegetarian US$5. class ’s preference for lush lawn, sets the store for this highest standard – after all he is more delicate flavours. beautiful restaurant. Inside is from Singapore. Monsoon Monsoon’s menu is focused an air-conditioned room with a Although Panir has brought 17 Street 104 on eight excellent rotating mains, separate playpen for the kids, no over three chefs from India and Popular Pakistani wine bar which come with complimentary doubt inspired by the owners’ one from – specifically for Monsoon has been going strong , salad and . Majid 14-month old boy. dishes – the menu has a for two years now, with the says he’ll soon be adding fresh Having separate menus for distinctly South Indian feel to it, cricket mad Majid Wazir at the pomegranate juice to the menu, a north and south Indian with nine different dosas rang- helm. Hailing from Lahore, traditional Pakistani beverage. makes for a nice touch, as does ing from US$1.50 to US$2.50. Majid shares his passion for Dishes to try include the the open- which allows The are particularly good cricket with . chicken and mint or the lamb you to see the ’s tossing with an excellent Singaporean The blackboard specials show- with tomato. Or you can enjoy the rumali (US$2) - and egg in style. On our sneak preview the addition to the . There are (US$5 / half) five thalis (from US$4), a special was succulent but the stand- Sunday morning con- out was a spicy, south Indian sisting of three steamed for mutton dish, chettinattu kari US$2.75, and an all-you-can-eat (US$6.25) which was excellent, Sunday vegetarian special from especially wrapped in the paper- 11.30am to 2.30pm for US$4. thin rumali roti. Fans of school will also love the , Flavours of India a sweet rice pudding (US$1.50), 158 Street 63, Tel: 023 990 455 while there is also some Bong Nepalese owner Dinesh has Karem ice cream for people with run Flavours for three years, more refined taste buds. focusing on Nepalese and north Indian dishes. The restaurant East India is elegantly designed around a 9 Street 114 Tel: 023 992 007 central couch, where customers Shiva Shakti: One of the longest running can partake in a complimentary Classic chicken and most prestigious Indian hookah with free tobacco.

24 Asialife Phnom penh | #06 June 2007 restaurants

end of a , often a steaming wrapped in bread with a tangy New Maharaja: hot and syrupy sweet Indian onion and carrot mixture provid- Cheap and cheerful dumpling doused in syrup. Sher- ing added texture and flavour. breakfast e-Punjab’s décor and ambience The restaurant’s vegetarian are homely and pleasant. options such as channa masala for two can cost under US$10. (US$2.50), a spicy chickpea dish, are spot on and better than their Shiva Shakti tandoori offerings. 70 Sihanouk Boulevard. The Indian melodrama play- Tel: 012 813 817 ing on the television and sizzling The most elegant of the capital’s sounds emanating from the Indian restaurants is probably kitchen add to the authentic feel the best option for impressing of the place. visitors or work colleagues. The décor has the feel of the Raj No Thrills Three and the food lacks the sea of oil Indian Kitchen that other restaurants in town 162 Street 63, Tel: 012 362 310 have. Though the menu has the This simple, small air-condi- usual mix of vegetarian and tioned North Indian restaurant non-vegetarian suspects, the has a compact menu including restaurants lamb keema masala (US$7.80) vegetable thali for US$4. Opens is very succulent and the daal at 9am for a relatively late break- makhani (US$3.80) an excellent fast including masala omelette mix of lentils. The portions here with paratha (US$2.50). compensate for the above-aver- age prices. New Maharaja 158 Street 63, Tel: 023 990 455 The Kabab Shop The ultimate in cheap, no thrills an excellent glass of wine from taurant is a cheap eat with very 1 Street 104 Indians has the best value break- the extensive list while relaxing basic décor yet with good, hearty Billing itself as both Pakistani fast on offer. Chapatti, dhal, in the dimly lit, richly decorated food to make up for it. Service and Indian, The Kabab Shop’s fried egg and coffee all for US$2. surrounds. Early 2007 also saw (both in the restaurant and the food is predominantly typical How has it never made it into the launch of a second floor with home delivery) seems to run on northern . A rea- our Bargain Bucket! Open 7am to equally sophisticated décor. Sri Lankan time, so it’s not one sonably priced option, the Kabab 10pm. Monsoon holds special events for those in a hurry. Shop is small and basic, with such as a vegetarian night The comes with very calming blue walls. Mount Everest (US$5 per person) and wine tast- coconut and two spicy The genial owner Muhammad 98A Sihanouk Boulevard, ing evenings, along with the oc- sauces. At only US$1.50, this is Ghuman is also in the swimming Tel: 023 213 821 casional costume party. To find one excellent budget op- pool engineering business, with At 12 years, the longest run- out about upcoming events drop tion. Egg, onion and paper dosas this restaurant and another simi- ning of the capital’s Indian your business card in to Majid to are also available. lar set up at Boeung Kak Lake restaurants, Mount Everest has be added to his email list. Other southern specialties as side projects. He explained a simply décor but is air-condi- include uttapams and idlis, and that their special kababs are tioned. The extensive menu is Mount Manaslu Muraa’s Café the spicy masala conjures Middle Eastern influenced, yet totally halal and includes eight 1A Street 282 memories of long Indian train quite different to the popular tandoor dishes (US$3.50 to US$8) Mount Manaslu offers a charm- journeys. ’s love of style. The delicious as well as an extensive selection ing little hideaway and a very (or ‘short eats’ as they’re katthee kabab (US$3) consists of vegetarian dishes. Open 10am colourful environment in which known there) is reflected in the of tasty, marinated chicken to 11pm. to try some Nepalese fare. The large selection of cutlets, pako- quietly spoken chef hails from ras, and more – all only Nepal and has been in Phnom a few dollars for two to three Penh for just under one year. pieces. Along with Nepalese dishes he also whips up many standard Sher-e-Punjab Indian dishes along with some 16 Street 130 western and Khmer food. The highlights on the extensive However the main reason for menu are the particularly tasty coming has to be to try some- dishes cooked in the tandoor thing Nepalese, such as the curry such as the tangy, charcoal made of fermented bamboo tinged cauliflower. Another shoots, or the fried momos. winner is the chicken marinated Tibetan-inspired, these meaty in cashew nuts, yoghurt and dumplings have been adopted mint, which turns the meat a by Nepal and are very popular startling green. Don’t be put in Kathmandu. Most dishes are off by the colour – it truly is around US$4. outstanding. There is also a long vegetarian menu. Raani Curry Leaf Along with the free pa- 3B Street 278 padoms, dips and salads, a Monsoon: Located on the popular Street complimentary Indian sweet is Bowled over 278 strip, this Sri Lankan res- presented to each diner at the

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