Overall, I think the thing that I enjoyed the most is the food they made for us in Pursat. There were also these egg noodles that they got from a restaurant, which was delicious. Mmm! The duck eggs that they fried for our last day in Pursat, were also delicious. Unlike the eggs here, the yolk were all creamy, runny, and orange. I also enjoyed the longon fruit and baby bananas (and the shakes!) that I had along the way.
Sophear had an Aunt that was the “Soup Lady,” and owned a large restaurant. (That was where the wedding originally was going to be) She chastised us that we didn’t get to try her soup (Danny, Sopeark, Carlos, and I), and wanted us to swing on by again on our way to Penom Penh. (We couldn’t. Sigh.)
Unfortunately, the time in Siem Reap was really lackluster in terms of food. Thin meatless chicken, tons of rice, we went to a Vietnamese shop with lackluster food (I had the pancake/omelet), some weird pork pineapple dish that seemed much better than it was on paper.
Sophear ordered french fries at the Vietnamese place. Now, each dish was less tham $3, and most were around $2 or less. For a plate of fries that would be considered a side dish here in the states, they charged us almost $3. And they were greasy and disgusting. Man.
On the right is some pan fried noodles in Siem Reap that were all right. Not bad. This was breakfast. The coffee in cambodia was delicious. They have a dark espresso topped off with condensed milk, which makes it luxurious, milky, and sweet. I’m sold on that.
During the time we were on the road, we stopped at various places for quick bites. The first night we were driving, though, we left after noon (after we ate a delicious lunch of noodles and fried duck eggs, followed by fruits), and were planning to get to Siem Reap for dinner. However, we ended up being stranded in a small village car repair shop and the gang went across the street to find some food. They came upon a small outside restaurant that pan fried excellent instant noodles topped with a creamy duck egg and beef. And what Carlos described as the best coffee ever. The whole meal was less than $2.
The cons were that there were mosquitoes and other flying insects around them the whole time. (I opted to wait at the car with Sopeark and Daniel) Mmm, lots of protein! But the restaurant people were accommodating and cooked in the dark for them, apparently.
Otherwise, we would also pick things up along the way. We had a bunch of bananas, longon fruit (sort of like a lychee, but meatier and less sweet), and various asian pears that we picked up at the market. We also bought bun dumplings filled with meat, chinese sausage, onions, and other savory things. I love them here and they were really good there, also. We got around 5-6 for a $1. Usually you might find some egg in there too. We also had tons of rice cake, mostly wrapped with banana leaves, but other times we found some packed into some bamboo husks.
Next up: Lounging in a hammock with a coconut & Cambodian barbecue!
