AsiaLIFE

Feb. 13 to 28 will see the Chinese of the Penh sitting down to quality meals to celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Tiger. AsiaLIFE finds out where you should go for some quality Chinese and Singaporean fare.

Chinese Food

Man Han Lou
If you want to celebrate Chinese New Year with a clean glass of fresh beer, there really is no better place than Phnom Penh’s first microbrewery. The four varieties – Gold, Black, Red and Green are brewed fresh daily and are worth a try. Gold is a pale ale with a strong, crisp finish and nice wheat taste. The black stout is not too heavy, has a rich, mellow taste and goes down easy. The amber Red ale is a blend of Gold and Black, sharp and interesting, and the Green is Gold blended with spirulina if your health plan includes beer. Pints are between US$2 and US$3, also available in jugs. Dishes of salted peanuts, pickled vegetables and candy corn are your reward for purchase. Man Han Lou is also a popular spot for early morning dim sum with the capital’s Chinese community.
Man Han Lou, 456 Monivong Boulevard

Yi Sang Restaurant
The Almond Hotel has more than some of the best value business rooms in town, Yi Sang Restaurant, situated on the ground floor of the hotel, is developing a reputation for serving some of the finest Chinese cuisine in town. Dim sum lovers enjoy the prawn and pork dumplings – light and tasty, with the perfect texture. Taro puffs were torpedo-shaped bird nests of fried taro, which hid a mix of pork, mushroom, taro and prawn inside. Big, juicy prawns saved the steamed prawn rice roll from its customary blandness. The roast pork bun was an excellent specimen – pillowy dough engulfing rich, salty roast pork. The prawn on sesame toast was dry and greasy but sinfully delicious. Considering its elegant setting, Yi Sang is surprisingly affordable for the setting – each dish was around US$2-4.
Yi Sang Restaurant @ Almond Hotel, 128 F Sothearos Boulevard

Xiang Palace
For some top end fine Chinese dining don’t miss out on Hotel InterContinental’s Xiang Palace. Starting from US$2.50 for three pieces, the dim sum is a definite draw, particularly during the Monday to Saturday lunchtime buffet (US$16+). During Chinese Lunar New Year, the restaurant will also be serving a special à la carte menu, which includes a traditional treasure pot (US$168+ for six persons). Complete with abalone, roasted duck, pork belly, Qing Yuan chicken, and auspicious sea cucumber among a dozen other ingredients, the beautifully presented dish is unlikely to leave anyone hungry. Throughout February, all New Year specialties, including chef Teng’s special home-made XO sauce (US$16.80), are available as takeaways from the hotel’s Deli Shop.
Xiang Palace, Hotel Intercontinental, Regency Square, 296 Mao Tse Toung Boulevard

Lao Di Fang
Translated as Old Place, Lao Di Fang is most definitely one for those in the know. The menu is replete with dishes customarily described as authentic, shorthand for difficult for western palates to stomach. Deep-fried salt and pepper pig tripe with ginko, anyone? We were game. Dry and chewy, the ginko berries were a unique addition, although this dish is certainly “acquired”. Hot and spicy, the Hong Kong-style stuffed fish with gourd, aubergine and pepper was a delicious, hands-down winner. The seafood hotpot had fresh squid, pork and pork tendon, along with black mushrooms, snow peas and carrots. The braised tofu with abalone sauce was soft and tasty, and the house special spare ribs with garlic were perfectly moist, even though fried. Clean, brightly lit, with private rooms available, portions were huge and each dish was between US$3-4.
Lao Di Fang, 403-405 Monivong Boulevard (corner Street 182)

Sam Doo
Lunch time bargain hunters can do far worse that heading for Sam Doo. The dumplings in the wonton soup were some of the tastiest in recent memory. Chewy noodles and rich roasted duck on the bone sweetened the deal. The Chinese broccoli was fresh and crisp, loaded with garlic in a white sauce. Delicately spiced Singapore noodles with shrimp, pork, egg, chilli and slivered pepper had great texture. The pearl chicken engulfed by sticky rice and wrapped in a giant, thin leaf was interesting but dry. Crowded at lunch and dinner, the food comes lightening fast. Dim sum dishes were US$1.80, the rest between US$3-5.
56-58 Kampuchea Krom Boulevard (Street 128)

Chinese Noodle House
Perennial favourite of Phnom Penh diners, Chinese Noodle House inspires long, rhapsodic declarations of love. Hand pulled noodles star in the famous soup, along with pickled greens, bok choy, and a choice of duck, pork, intestine, beef, seafood and mushrooms. Tasty and filling, dishes can be livened up with chillies soaked in oil, or soy sauce. The other must-eat are the dumplings, bursting with chopped greens and minced pork. Other dishes such as fried vegetables, noodles and rice are on offer, but why mess around? Soup and dumplings are US$1.20, and the other dishes around US$2. Friendly staff make the experience a pleasure.    
Chinese Noodle House, Cnr. of Monivong and Street 294

Singapore Food

Singapore Kitchen
Singapore Kitchen is the real deal, serving great, authentic Singaporean hawker fare. You simply can’t go wrong with the seafood laksa (US$3), which is both spicy and savoury, in a rich, heady coconut milk broth. Another favourite is the flavoursome seafood bee hoon, while the fish congee is a thick, pleasing, hearty dish with large chunks of fish in the rice porridge. The carrot cake, which despite its name is not a dessert, is a fantastic little side dish – and the black carrot carries a kick. The Khmer menu also offers a few unique dishes, like flower crab in coconut milk. The pleasant, high-ceilinged, and fan-cooled interior offers a relaxed, peaceful atmosphere, and with most prices well under US$5 it’s simply perfect for a midday break.
Singapore Kitchen, 110 Street 360

Sophia's Kitchen
Sophia will not let you go hungry. Clean, cheerful and dirt cheap, she keeps you stuffed without breaking the bank. The laksa had bean curd, mushrooms and lemongrass floating in coconut milk laced with chilli. Fragrant and delicious, this was the spiciest, though the noodles were mushy. The hokkien mee was less spicy, more like a rich consommé, with vermicelli noodles, bean curd, watercress, and chopped prawn. Minced pork and shitake mushrooms joined thick noodles in a rich gravy heavy with scallions. Yam cake was starchy and comforting like taro – the carrot cake more like a warm, mushy omelette with chilli and onions. This is tasty comfort food at its most filling.
Sophia's Kitchen, 13E Street 81