Suzume Restaurant, Phnom Penh
Monday, 29 June 2009 23:53
Mid-range Japanese cuisine can be difficult to find, Ka Ea Lim finds some.It’s easy to miss this small and modest Japanese restaurant along Street 51. When you step inside, it’s even more difficult to believe it serves Japanese cuisine until you take a couple of good minutes to skim through its generous menu. From the more than 150 authentic and fusion Japanese dishes, we narrowed it down to a fantastic four – salmon sashimi (US$7/5 pieces), negi maguro-maki/tuna and leek sushi (US$2/6 pieces), ebi dashimaki tamago/egg rolls with mince shrimps (US$5/4 pieces), and a bowl of tempura udon/noodle soup with battered shrimp (US$8).
The litmus test for good sashimi lies in its freshness. Suzume’s salmon passed the test with flying colours. The pink meat was tender, moist and free from any unpleasant fishy smell. The negi maguro-maki lacked the taste of leek, but the raw tuna (imported from Vietnam) was fresh. The egg rolls however were too thick, thus making it difficult to detect any shrimp. Little more than a plain omelette, it didn’t justify the US$5 price tag. The tempura udon was among the best. The generous portions consisted of four succulent prawns covered in light batter. The soup was hot and tasty with just the right consistency. Hot green tea was served by the pot and refilled without charge. Surprisingly, Suzume does not offer some of the more commonly known dishes like miso soup. However, it does have a strong selection of sashimi and sushi platters (from US$4 to US$20) and various bite-size sushi (US$1.50 to US$4 for two pieces). It also offers a door-to-door bento lunch box delivery service. Though clean the place lacks in atmosphere. The owner could spruce the place up a bit to create a better ambience.
If you are expecting a rotating belt displaying mouth-watering plates of sushi, white paper lanterns with Japanese calligraphy or even waitresses screaming “Irrassyai-mase!!” (welcome in Japanese), Suzume is definitely not the place. But if you wish to settle for fresh sashimi, a hearty bowl of hot noodle soup, an extensive variety of boldly created fusions and a good laugh with a group of friends over drinks, Suzume has the ability to fuel your appetite. They even throw in hot towels and real chopsticks, not the disposable kind!
Suzume, 14A Street 51 (near the SOS International clinic), Tel: 092 748 393. Open 11am–2pm, 5–11pm.
The litmus test for good sashimi lies in its freshness. Suzume’s salmon passed the test with flying colours. The pink meat was tender, moist and free from any unpleasant fishy smell. The negi maguro-maki lacked the taste of leek, but the raw tuna (imported from Vietnam) was fresh. The egg rolls however were too thick, thus making it difficult to detect any shrimp. Little more than a plain omelette, it didn’t justify the US$5 price tag. The tempura udon was among the best. The generous portions consisted of four succulent prawns covered in light batter. The soup was hot and tasty with just the right consistency. Hot green tea was served by the pot and refilled without charge. Surprisingly, Suzume does not offer some of the more commonly known dishes like miso soup. However, it does have a strong selection of sashimi and sushi platters (from US$4 to US$20) and various bite-size sushi (US$1.50 to US$4 for two pieces). It also offers a door-to-door bento lunch box delivery service. Though clean the place lacks in atmosphere. The owner could spruce the place up a bit to create a better ambience.
If you are expecting a rotating belt displaying mouth-watering plates of sushi, white paper lanterns with Japanese calligraphy or even waitresses screaming “Irrassyai-mase!!” (welcome in Japanese), Suzume is definitely not the place. But if you wish to settle for fresh sashimi, a hearty bowl of hot noodle soup, an extensive variety of boldly created fusions and a good laugh with a group of friends over drinks, Suzume has the ability to fuel your appetite. They even throw in hot towels and real chopsticks, not the disposable kind!
Suzume, 14A Street 51 (near the SOS International clinic), Tel: 092 748 393. Open 11am–2pm, 5–11pm.
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