monday evening....

here is how our evening went--

coffee at gloria jean's and then take away dinner from vego.

i had a small iced latte with skim milk and one pump of sugar syrup.  then a wrap with three kinds of lettuce, roasted veggies, chickpeas, kidney beans, sliced carrots, toasted almonds, feta cheese and balsamic vinaigrette all wrapped up in a nice, yummy flour tortilla.   we went home to eat and i drank an orange juice with soda water drink followed by a kingdom beer.  goodness.

anyone read these books?

i was catching up on my blog reading today and holly over at create*loves mentioned this book called real food: what to eat and why by nina planck.  it intrigues me.  anyone read it?  have opinions about it?  i have already read michael pollan's book in defense of food.  i liked it and the information insides seems to make sense to me.

friends in seoul are really into this book at the moment: clean by alejandro junger.  she swears by it.  any thoughts on this one?

pipe up peeps...let me know what you think...

the weekend....

friday--dinner at mao's on the river front (sisowath quay at street 106) just about jaan.

saturday--lunch at the living room cafe on street 306; coffee at gloria jean's on street 51at 310; dinner at oktoberfest at hotel cambodiana

sunday--lunch at del gusto on street 95; coffee at gloria jean's on street 51 at 310; dinner at chayyam on street 278

m's birthday dinner

we went to Yumi on street 288.  it's a japanese fusion sort of place with a great contemporary vibe.  we had been once before, but we realized last week that it is one of the top five places we love for eating here in the penh.

we ordered white wine which was nice.  our order was pretty much the usual, but with a few newbies thrown in for fun.  pumpkin gyozas, yumi ribs, green bean and lotus root salad, and beek tataki.  wow!  the ribs are most likely the best piece of pork in the city.  they are so tender one can use chopsticks to eat them.  the meat falls off the bone.  the flavor is tangy and punchy.  we love them.  the pumpkin gyozas are unique.  they are dribbled with soy sauce, but the insides are kind of sweet and cinnamony.  we had a second order for dessert b/c they are just THAT good.  they remind me of asian pumpkin pie, if that is even possible.  :)  the salad was good too.  crispy and had really good flavor.  i liked the mix of textures that were in it.  the beef tataki was citrusy and well presented.  the beef was tender and juicy.

all in all, it was great meal and i loved that it felt like a great fit for my birthday.  love YUMI!

sunday dining--all around goodness

we began the day meeting a friend for lunch at the living room cafe down in BKK on street 306.  i just love this place.  paul always seems to groan when i mention it b/c i always suggest it.  we went there quite a bit when we first landed here, so i think he is a bit over it.  i am obsessed with anything roasted pumpkin here and especially when it comes with feta cheese....YUM!  when we first arrived, they had an roasted pumpkin and feta tart that was uh-mazing on their weekly specials menu.  i ordered it every time.  since it is not on special anymore, i have found a likely #2.  a roasted pumpkin with feta sandwich........wowzers!  it is sooo good.  the living room relish that comes with is oh so yummy too.  today, paul ordered an omelette with bacon, cheese and bell peppers.  he had an iced latte to drink.  i ordered an iced chai latte which was not that good.  the cafe itself has great ambiance and quite the chill atmosphere.  i am a huge fan!

for dinner, we went to ocean on street 288 also in BKK.  wow!  we had heard great things about this place, but never have seemed to make it over there.  we had attempted a few times only to find out they don't open until 6pm.  so tonight we made it happen.  they immediately got points b/c they let me try all the white wines by the glass before deciding which one i wanted to have.  we ordered beef carpaccio as a starter.  it was good--probably the best in PP so far.  it was very citrusy and peppery.  the beef was of good quality which is key to a good carpaccio.  for dinner, paul ordered the shrimp plate---it came with grilled shrimp, mashed potatoes and green beans.  i ordered the spaghetti with pesto.  yummy!  we definitely plan to go here again.  the best part is the owner, we think, came over when he brought the bill and offered a free liqueur on the house.  we chose limoncello which was super nice.  neither one of us have had it before.  the vibe here is clean and contemporary.....they have a great space and it is clean and quiet.    a nice end to a restful weekend.

saturday ends with an upswing....

so after a pretty disappointing day of dining, we did end better than it had gone.  we met some friends at happy herb pizza on the river front.  it was good, not grand, but better than the rest of the day.  paul and i had a pepperoni and green pepper pizza.  it hit the spot.

after dinner, we went to a bar across the river officially called maxine's, but everyone calls it snowy's due the owner.  it is a funky little place on the river.  we sat out on the balcony and were able to listen to the water, the drips of rain, and see the lights of busy phnom penh on the other side.  it was a great experience.

disappointing day of dining

we got a late start since it's saturday and we slept in.

first stop was la patate.  a quaint french place with a menu that is all in french.  we were both really hungry and hoping to have some good food.  my limited french helped us make out the menu.  i had been craving french fries, so i ordered a standard size with aioli sauce.  this place is supposed to be known for their fries.  i also ordered a ham and cheese sandwich (jambon fromage).  paul ordered an omelette with bacon and cheese.  for drinks, paul went with an orangina soda and i had a leffe brown (belgian beer).  my sandwich arrived first and it was nicely presented, but it had cheese on it that was from a plastic package (think processed slices)....really?  come on, what a way to kill a meal.  the rest of it was okay, but the cheese choice really was sad.  major let down.  paul's omelette came and he claims it was hard to eat.  the bacon in it was the fatty parts and they were little chunks.  the omelette was super runny.  he struggled to get it down.  the fries came last and they were thick and mushy.  not a fan....the aioli sauce was super oily and had little flavor other than oil and garlic.  we paid much more than the meal was worth, but we left quite disappointed.

next stop was the raffles hotel le royal.  we went to the one in siem reap and it was awesome.  we were hoping for the same awe here.  the hotel itself is historical and romantic.  i always wish i had been traveling in the era of the indochina days when we are there.  such adventurous feelings.....traveling at times when luggage consisted of large steamer trunks covered in stickers from all over the world.  yes, please.  we checked out their restaurant menu--it's only open for dinner and quite pricey, but the menu has some promise.  then we went to the cafe.  nice too and they have weekend buffets here.  we will come back for those.  our last stop was at the conservatory/writer's bar.  i ordered high tea and paul ordered a lime juice and caprese salad.  my latte was quite milky and the high tea sandwiches were not that tasty at all.  i loved the scones, but wished there were more than just the wee little ones i got two of.  the chocolate desserts were nice and the spreads were quite yummy.  i was a bit sad though that the cost did not match quality though.  not worth the $15.  paul's salad was just okay.  he was not impressed.  he was wishing he had a jenny's caprese salad because he claims hers are the best.

sad, but true.  it was quite a disappointing dining day for us.  hope it will improve as the weekend crawls on.....