AsiaLIFE

When you enter Mr. Sushi’s little restaurant, you might be forgiven for thinking you have just walked into some Tokyo suburb rather than Phnom Penh’s Sihanouk Boulevard. The unpretentious decoration and sometimes shambolic presentation only adds to the atmosphere.

Mr. Sushi used to play 70s disco music, as befits a real Japanese restaurant, but his tape recorder must be broken lately. Never mind that – the food is what you come here for. Ko Ko Ro has two menus, one with combination dishes and the other à la carte. The combinations cover a wide variety of food including curries (around US$5); tempura (US$5.50 to US$8.50); beef and pork (around US$5.50); fish (US$5.50 to US$6); sushi and sashimi (US$7 to US$13; and vegetables, prawn and chicken dishes (US$5 to US$5.50). All come with soup, rice and a small side dish and there is a 2,000 riel discount during lunch.

The sushi à la carte menu ranges from US$1 for egg or squid sushi to US$3 for sushi rolls such as tuna, salmon and red snapper. The sashimi à la carte offers you red snapper sashimi for US$3.50 and goes up to US$6.50 for an assortment. In between you can get a salmon, tuna and roast beef sashimi for US$5. The à la carte is a big favourite. Not only can you put together your own menu, but the quality is more impressive than the US$8.50 baked white meat fish and sashimi combination where the fish is rather dry.

For the same price (US$8.50) Mr. Sushi now offers a sushi buffet on the eighth of every month. If eight is not your lucky number don’t worry – he does the same every evening for US$11. Ko Ko Ro’s sushi and sashimi can be washed down with Tiger for US$2, or if you feel more courageous try the rice sake (US$6 for a small bottle – about six small cups) or the six different kinds of Japanese vodka on offer (US$3 per shot).

KO KO RO, E018 Sihanouk Boulevard, Tel: 012 601 095.