Ever since I wrote my review of Phnom Penh, Ed Lau has been bugging me to go so he can try out their famous deep fried chicken wings. Today was a good day to head to Chinatown because we needed to visit the Taiwan office to get Sarah a visa for our upcoming trip to Taipei.
Phnom Penh is located in old Chinatown. From the outside, it doesn’t have much curb appeal. If you were to judge the restaurant from how it looks from the exterior, you would never guess that Phnom Pneh is an multi award winning restaurant. However, once you step inside the place is very clean and professional looking.
As I have stated in my past review, Phnom Penh is a very busy restaurant. We got there just before noon and a line up was already forming. I only go to Phnom Penh on the weekdays because the weekend line up is just insane. Moreover, this is a not a small restaurant – it has at least 100 seats, if not more.
The Wall Of Fame
Upon entering Phnom Penh, you’re greeted by their wall of fame. Phnom Penh has consistently placed among the top five best Southeast Asian restaurants in Vancouver. It ranks as my number one.
Phnom Penh Marinated Butter Beef
We ordered three dishes for lunch. Two of them, the Phnom Penh Special Rice Noodle and the Phnom Penh Deep Fried Chicken Wings, I already wrote about in my last review. Phnom Penh has many signature dishes and the Marinated Butter Beef is definitely one of them.
Phnom Penh Marinated Butter Beef is one of those dishes where it’s best to just eat it and not ask any questions. For those who must know, Phnom Penh Marinated Butter Beef is a raw Frisbee of thinly sliced rib eye covered in all kinds of stuff. The beef is barely cooked and only on the outer rim – from an inch in, it’s pretty much raw. The marinating comes from a sauce made from a soy vinaigrette, covered with cilantro, garlic and other spices that we can’t figure out.
Vegetarians would probably get sick looking at the above picture but I assure you, this dish will rank among the best beef dish you will ever have. It’s a type of dish that will produce a “WOW!” the instant you bite into it.
Lunch for three came to just $48 including tip. That is extremely reasonable for the level of taste and food quality. I have a feeling Ed will be dragging me back to Phnom Penh real soon because I told him the restaurant is also known for their hot and sour soup. I need to get the group together and set up a Dot Com Phnom Penh day so we can experience all the restaurant’s signature dishes in one sitting. Who wants to come?
Ed Lau’s Review of Phnom Penh.
