AsiaLIFE

Quintessentially British, fish & chips bring a sense of home to the Penh’s anglophiles. As is custom in the UK, the dish is also best served in a pub. Words by Nora Lindstrom.

Garden Centre Café
The fish & chips at Garden Centre are downright disappointing. The batter is tasteless and soggy, and the fish underneath hardly has any flavour at all. The best part about the meal is the large selection of side dishes you can choose to accompany the dish. Pick a side salad out of a dozen or so options, and decide if its traditional peas or some other veggies you want to complement your meal with. The homemade tartar sauce is a step in the right direction, and the chips are solid, but overall the dish is simply not quite up to scratch.
Price: US$6.50
Rating: x

The Rising Sun
At first sight, the fish & chips at the Rising Sun come across as a bit of a poor man’s lunch. The tartar sauce is not much different from mayo, each chip tastes different, and there are no greens to go with the meal. In fact, the only item on the plate that looks appetising is the battered fish fillet. And thankfully, it does not disappoint. The crispy batter gives way to piping hot, beautifully flaked meat that is simply a delight to eat. The fillet is flavourful enough so that you won’t even have to touch the ‘tartar’ sauce (though a little won’t do any harm), and big enough to allow you to leave the chips untouched.
Price: US$4.50
Rating: xxx

Nature & Sea
There are people who rave about the fish & chips at Nature & Sea. They are wrong to do so. Firstly, these are not fish & chips. They are fish nuggets & fries. In addition, both are somewhat bland, and the nuggets are especially on the dry side. What saves the day is the fantastically crunchy homemade tartar sauce. The fresh side salad is also a nice touch, and the place deserves some credit for using local fish. But still, time to stop raving.
Price: 28,000 riel
Rating: xx

I (love) Fish & Chips
If all you serve is fish & chips you had better do it well, even if you’re catering to people at lakeside. I (love) fish & chips gets it half right, with a fresh fillet of fish in a perfectly passable, if a touch soggy batter. The chips however are below par. They are dry and taste like they have been re-heated. The tartar sauce is also a sad attempt, in fact it’s more like a sauce concoction containing mayonnaise and dill. The price however is right, though you might want to consider ordering the fish without the chips.
Price: US$3.50
Rating: xx

The Green Vespa
A fillet of John Dory in beer batter should say it all. Though evidently imported, it tastes fresh and is cooked close to perfection. Complete with mushy peas, homemade chunky chips and great tartar sauce, also homemade, the fish & chips at the Green Vespa is simply a delicious meal. Big enough to fill a grown man, there is no fooling anyone the dish is unhealthy, but so are fish and chips everywhere so you might as well get your calories from a good one. Heinz ketchup and malt vinegar complete the meal.
Price: US$8.25
Rating: xxxxx

Café Fish
Served with a surprisingly large, fresh Greek salad, these fish & chips come across as slightly classier than the rest. Adding further sophistication, you also get to choose between snapper, sea bass, river perch or the traditional cod, as well as a choice between beer batter or crumbs. The dish itself is very good, served with homemade chips. Although the batter is not quite crispy enough, the fish has a nice mild taste to it. What the dish lacks however is vinegar and tartar sauce. Ketchup and what initially looks like tartar sauce accompany the dish, but the latter turns out to be something different with a mustardy taste. Not bad, but not tartar sauce.
Price: US$8.50
Rating: xxxx