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Address: 244 East Georgia Street Vancouver BC CA V6A1Z7
Tel: 1 604 682-5777
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| "Incredible food brings the people in!" |
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by George (from Coquitlam, BC)
September 2007 - This restaurant has been in the Vancouver buzz for years--people's choice awards, Top Ten Places to Eat in Vancouver, etc. There's a resaon--the food is incredible! I was introduced to Phnom Penh a couple of years ago by friends who did the ordering and now I take all of my friends and family and ask them to trust me. It works! MY recommendations include the huge serving of fried rice with Vietnamese sausage, the incredible salt-and-pepper chicken wings with a tangy lemon pepper dipping sauce, the garlic squid are cooked to perfection and also have the side of lemon pepper sauce, the sauteed pea tips are an interesting treat and the lotus stems stir-fried with garlic are a unique treat (kind of tasteless on their own but a great contrast to the other dishes and well worth trying!), the butter beef is sliced thin and served VERY rare with a tangy sauce which makes the beef sing in your mouth but the garden beef is more suited to those squeamish diners who are made nervous by the sight of pink on their plate.
I will admit that the neighbourhood is a bit iffy (the edge of Chinatown not far off of East Hastings), the place needs an update (it's a huge boring diner with no real atmosphere), the service is rushed and frenetic, and the bathrooms could be a bit cleaner but the quality of the food more than makes up for these short-comings. The lineups on the weekend are long--go early--and it closes early for a downtown restaurant (9 pm weeknights and 10 on weekends). BUT, I have never had anyone complain once they have sunk their teeth into the tender garlic squid or had the tang of the butter beef hit their tastebuds.
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| "Cambodian Bliss" |
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by Dan (from Calgary)
August 2007 - Phnom Penh is a Cambodian and Vietnamese restaurant in chinatown in the heart of Vancouver's east end. This place has consistently been ranked as one of the top ten restaurants in the city going up against $50 and $75 entree style restaurants. Considering Phnom Penh's average entree price is about $12, that's quite a feat.
When I visited the restaurant was packed and there was a waiting list. However as a friend of mine is a regular, our party of five was shown almost immediately to a table. The decor was typical of what one might expect at a regular Vietnamese restaurant but the line-up gave a real indication of how good this place was.
As I wasn't too familiar with Cambodian food, my friend ordered on behalf of our party. Starting with 3 large salad rolls which were cut in half there was easily enough appetizer for all five of us. Then the real food starting coming. Pea tips, garlic squid, lotus shoots, spiced chicken wings, rare beef strips and special fried rice all poured onto our table. Every single last dish had a unique flavour and it was all delicious. I've never had a dining experience quite like Phnom Penh and highly recommend it. In particular I enjoyed the lotus shoots that tastely vaguely of celery but had a certain flavour I had not tasted before and I was very impressed.
The service was quick and friendly. Several of the serving staff made jokes with our group despite being obviously very busy with the crowds in this somewhat small restaurant. Nothing was overly spicy or hot, but everything had incredible flavour. If you're looking for a unique and tasty restaurant to try in Vancouver, give Phnom Penh a try.
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| Note about Phnom Penh Reviews: Please note that the above reviews about Phnom Penh reflect the subjective opinion of individual readers and not the opinion of ReviewBlue.com or its affiliates. If you represent the Phnom Penh and wish to comment on any of these reviews, we encourage you to use the management response feature. |
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