Turning Japanese

Monday, 09 February 2009 18:10

Tired of Khmer cuisine, too many pizzas, OD’d on curry, why not try some Japanese? Too expensive, think again. Words by Jed Byrom.

Japanese restaurant Basho is delightful hidden gem. While it isn’t easy to find, a little searching should get you there. Heading down Sivatha Boulevard from the old market area, look for Acleda Bank on the right-hand-side. Immediately following the bank, turn right onto a side street. Basho is just down this road on the left. The sign is the size of a postage stamp, so it is easier to locate by going to either the side entrance of the Somadevi Angkor Hotel or the Star Cell office. Basho’s layout is typical of many a small restaurant in Japan. The space houses only a few tables, a smallish kitchen, and nice, muted décor. The lighting is ample and pleasant, and there are a few Japanese touches, like a curtain leading to the kitchen with a portrait of the restaurant’s namesake printed on it. The owner of the place previously ran a Japanese restaurant called Sanctuary 36 near the old market. The new space is superior in ambience and capacity.

As a former resident of Japan one of the things I miss most is proper, day-to-day Japanese food. Basho satisfies these cravings. With a wide variety of udon noodles, katsu options, down-home favourites like oyakodon, and a small but excellent choice of sushi the menu is varied enough to warrant repeat visits. We were part of a group of seven and the only drawback we found was that our party, along with a few other diners, strained the kitchen so that our food did not arrive in a timely fashion. However, once we’d tucked in any complaints we might have had melted away.

The tonkatsu – a breaded pork chop with an accompanying tangy sauce and a side of cabbage salad – was cooked perfectly, crispy on the outside yet not too dry. The miso soup was as it should be, which is all that can really be asked of it. Coming in both half and full portions, the sushi rolls were large enough to strain the capabilities of both our chopsticks and our mouths. A Japanese chicken curry had all the right touches – plenty of spice but not hot-spicy, some sweet vegetables to counter the chicken, and plenty of sauce to soak up the accompanying rice. The udon soup was full of flavour and vegetables, and the beers were free-flowing if a tad short of ice cold. The only real objection I could muster revolves around the rice. Most Japanese restaurants will never serve anything but Japanese rice. While I am an admirer of our own domestic rice here in Cambodia I would have liked some Japanese rice with my Japanese meal. That said, the food was excellent, the location charming, and the service friendly and competent.

Basho Restaurant, next to Star Cell office off Sivatha Boulevard (turn right after the Acleda bank), Siem Reap