Eating out is big business Cambodia, with many good restaurants in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville. Food stalls are also common in all towns and cities, and are a great place to sample Cambodian food. Khmer cuisine is very similar to Thai, but with fewer spices involved and a preponderance for coconut milk.
National specialties: • Prahok (fermented fish paste) is used to flavor most dishes.
• Succulent fruits include banana, coconut, the durian fruit (known for its distinctive odour), jackfruit, longan fruit, lychee, pineapple and rambutan fruit
(which has translucent white flesh).
• Crispy fried spiders are a snack for the adventurous in Northern Cambodia.
• Amok trey (fish in a thick coconut curry sauce, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed).
• Rice noodles proliferate and can be bought covered in curry sauce from street vendors.
National drinks:• Fresh coconut juice.
• Green tea.
• Rice wine.
• The local beer is called
Angkor.
• The most popular, and refreshing, Khmer drink is soda water with a squeeze of lemon.
Legal drinking age: There are no age restrictions.
Tipping: Tips are appreciated in hotels and restaurants where no service charge has been added, and by tour guides.
NightlifeThe nightlife in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, and to a lesser extent in Sihanoukville, is pretty
vibrant, mainly because of the large number of visitors and expat residents. There are
bars and restaurants but very few clubs and live music venues. Bars and restaurants range from dingy, smoky bars to
upmarket cocktail bars and elegant restaurants. Major tourist areas of Phnom Penh can be pretty seedy, with numerous strip clubs, so make sure you check out a venue before paying the cover charge.
Major hotels offer entertainment, and weekly
Apsara (traditional Khmer dance)
performances are often held from November to March in hotel gardens, mainly in Siem Reap. Gambling is a major past time in Cambodia and there are several
casinos in Sihanoukville and on the border with Thailand.
Next Page »
