Cambodia - Cuisine

Tragically we didn’t eat many Cambodian dishes in Siem Reap. This was mainly because there aren’t many vegetarian options to eat. We tried a vegetarian version of the Khmer Amok - probably the most infamous local dish in Siem Reap, and weren’t really convinced by the taste. It didn’t strike us as particularly flavourful, and the restaurant was rumoured to have very tasty Khmer Amok. However we did encounter multiple gems of restaurants in Siem Reap, and in this post I will write about them. Yummy International food in Siem Reap is very easy to find, and as cheap vegetarian local options are limited, the cost is in similar range to any vegetarian Cambodian food.

Khmer Amok

The first place I want to mention is the Footprint Cafe.

This is a nice cafe that serves western style food. We visited it on our first night in Siem Reap because of its proximity to our hotel. It is decorated with book cases (filled with books you can read or/and purchase) and has a very ‘hipster’ vibe to it - it almost felt like we were back in Berlin. We had a vegan burger and pasta with home-made pesto, both

quite delicious.

Opposite the Footprint Cafe there is Banlle Vegetarian Restaurant.

This vegetarian restaurant offers comfortable outdoor seating and serves both Cambodian as well as International foods. The quality of the food is very tasty and the service is great. One yummy starter especially sticks in my mind - crispy fried aubergine.

The last place I want to mention is the VIBE Cafe.

This gorgeous little cafe is the first 100% vegan cafe in Cambodia, they have one shop in Siem Reap and one in Phnom Penh. The VIBE Cafe serves a mouthwatering breakfast menu, as well as lunch or dinner and all the dishes are vegan. The prices are a bit higher than the local average, yet for the kind of food you’re getting, you're paying nothing. They have their home-made cashew cheese, Peanut butter, chilli-chia jam and their home-made almond milk which they incorporate into their excellent dishes (and thats only a fraction of the stuff they make). Their dairy free (eek :D) smoothies and shakes are heavenly. The delicious berry bowls, pancakes or avocado bread are definitely worth a try, and soooo worth the money. I also tried the Zucchini pasta with creamy avocado sauce. I have nothing bad to say about this place except that I’m sad it can’t go with me wherever I travel. I would eat there every day.

We also had some sticky rice bananas from a local market. Sticky rice bananas are always delicious. A definite must have if you ever come across them.

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Em

17/02/18

Singapore

#travel #southeastasia #cambodia #siemreap #restaurants #thevibecafe #vegetarian #budgettravel #banlle