01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Phnom Penh.
Mekong Mornings
Phnom Penh
A curated food tour through the streets, markets and family kitchens of the destination — flavour by flavour.
Penh Plates
Phnom Penh
A curated food tour through the streets, markets and family kitchens of the destination — flavour by flavour.
02 Meet the tastemakers
The local food experts who help us research, refine and lead every A Chef's Tour.
Fish amok steamed in banana leaf, prahok fermented shrimp paste, kuy teav noodle soup, num pang baguettes. Cambodia cooks with more restraint than Thailand and more ferment than Vietnam.
04 The pantry
- Prahok, fermented mudfish paste at the heart of Cambodian cooking
- Kroeung, herbal spice paste of lemongrass, galangal and turmeric
- Palm sugar, dark sugar tapped from local sugar palms
- Kaffir lime leaves, torn into every kroeung paste
- Fish sauce, milder than Vietnamese nuoc mam
05 In the kitchen
- Pounding kroeung spice paste in a mortar for each curry
- Steaming fish amok in banana-leaf cups for a mousse-like set
- Simmering samlor korko vegetable and pork soup
- Fermenting prahok mudfish in earthen jars
- Grilling num pang baguettes for the French-inflected sandwich
06 Eat this first
- Fish amok, kroeung-spiced fish mousse steamed in banana-leaf cups
- Bai sach chrouk, grilled marinated pork over broken rice for breakfast
- Kuy teav, morning noodle soup with pork bones and fresh herbs
- Nom banh chok, rice noodles in a green fish and lemongrass gravy
- Num pang, Cambodian baguette with pate, pickle and chilli
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Phnom Penh.
Weather
Tropical. Hot and humid year-round (28–35°C), with a rainy season (May–October) bringing intense afternoon storms. Cool season (November–February) is the best time.
Currency
The Cambodian riel (KHR) and US dollars circulate side by side. Dollars for larger purchases, riel as small change. ATMs dispense dollars.
Language
Khmer. English coverage is decent in central Phnom Penh, French among older generations, thinner elsewhere.
Etiquette
Modest dress at temples and the Royal Palace. Cover shoulders and knees. Be respectful at S-21 and the Killing Fields. These are places of remembrance, not photo ops.
Getting around
PassApp and Grab both work for tuk-tuks and cars. Cheap and reliable. The city is flat but traffic is chaotic, the riverside is walkable.
Prayer
Predominantly Theravada Buddhist. Wat Phnom is the city's namesake temple. Small Muslim (Cham) and Christian communities also present.