John Bingham wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 2:55 am I haven't been to Tastebudz for ages but I used to like it. However the interior is grim, it looks like an actual restaurant in a slum in India. Posters of baby Krishna and shiny stuff, fairy lights, plastic chairs and crumbling plaster. They serve the food on banana leaves too, which sucks.

sousadeyy wrote: ↑Thu Aug 12, 2021 9:58 pm Interesting how you talk about the varieties.

I find here that the majority of the restaurants cook a stock dish to keep the general foreigner happy. The only places I've found that are distinct and really have their own take on dishes so to speak are.

Tastebudz
Emaans kitchen
Princella flavors of saffron
Idli dosa corner (breakfast only)

Would be interesting to hear if anyone could add to that list where I'm not just getting what feels like a curry cooked to keep the customers happy. Such establishments as:

Namaste
Flavors of india
Sheer e punjab
Currypot
Coriander
Haveli
The list could go on....

(don't mean to offend, just my personal take on things)
[/quote
Absolutely correct about these places with their set dishes catering to western tastes. But I think it's a good thing. We know what we like, they know what we like, it's a business model that works. It's fine to be adventurous of course, but these days, with the uncertainties surrounding us, I take comfort (comfort food?) in knowing exactly what I'm going to get. Moreover, I think the quality of food from these restaurants is pretty excellent, even better than a lot of curry houses back in the UK.

AndyKK wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 3:58 am

John Bingham wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 2:55 am I haven't been to Tastebudz for ages but I used to like it. However the interior is grim, it looks like an actual restaurant in a slum in India. Posters of baby Krishna and shiny stuff, fairy lights, plastic chairs and crumbling plaster. They serve the food on banana leaves too, which sucks.

It was you John who first mentioned Tastebudz on this thread sometime ago, I will have to make the effort to go, I would have ordered on food panda, but they are not on their list.
Overall I am a little disappointed in what we may call an Indian restaurant, being situated the capital city of Cambodia I would have expected more from them, but many restaurants don't have consistency from one day to the next, being also, that some plates are not what they are supposed to actually represent, or the corners have been cut on ingredients.
Again I think with the overall menu prices you would expect a decent meal for your money. Also I have found that mostly you get what you pay for, or actually do you? I think will it be worth the cost! Chapatti at $1+ and a curry dish at $10, overall some meals of late have cost me around $15 on average when I go out and collect myself. I also know some restaurants I could spend $20 upwards, but even for Cambodia that seems a little too expensive.

Jerry Atrick wrote:

AndyKK wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 3:58 am

John Bingham wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 2:55 am I haven't been to Tastebudz for ages but I used to like it. However the interior is grim, it looks like an actual restaurant in a slum in India. Posters of baby Krishna and shiny stuff, fairy lights, plastic chairs and crumbling plaster. They serve the food on banana leaves too, which sucks.

It was you John who first mentioned Tastebudz on this thread sometime ago, I will have to make the effort to go, I would have ordered on food panda, but they are not on their list.
Overall I am a little disappointed in what we may call an Indian restaurant, being situated the capital city of Cambodia I would have expected more from them, but many restaurants don't have consistency from one day to the next, being also, that some plates are not what they are supposed to actually represent, or the corners have been cut on ingredients.
Again I think with the overall menu prices you would expect a decent meal for your money. Also I have found that mostly you get what you pay for, or actually do you? I think will it be worth the cost! Chapatti at $1+ and a curry dish at $10, overall some meals of late have cost me around $15 on average when I go out and collect myself. I also know some restaurants I could spend $20 upwards, but even for Cambodia that seems a little too expensive.

In Kampot we have three brick and mortar "Indian" restaurants.

Unless you eat a thali set they are quite expensive for simple food that would cost under $1 for a larger amount in India, and phnom penh is the same. $6-10 for Indian for one person is not cheap even by European standards

Lately though, quite a few Bangladesh and Pakistani folk have been undercutting these places big time from food stalls and delivering on Nham24

One dude does $1 zinger burgers, $3 biriyani, $3 curries with unlimited chapati etc and these are huge portions too, and they taste good and don't make people ill. Yet.

FrankReynolds wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 10:02 am

Jerry Atrick wrote:

AndyKK wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 3:58 am

John Bingham wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 2:55 am I haven't been to Tastebudz for ages but I used to like it. However the interior is grim, it looks like an actual restaurant in a slum in India. Posters of baby Krishna and shiny stuff, fairy lights, plastic chairs and crumbling plaster. They serve the food on banana leaves too, which sucks.

It was you John who first mentioned Tastebudz on this thread sometime ago, I will have to make the effort to go, I would have ordered on food panda, but they are not on their list.
Overall I am a little disappointed in what we may call an Indian restaurant, being situated the capital city of Cambodia I would have expected more from them, but many restaurants don't have consistency from one day to the next, being also, that some plates are not what they are supposed to actually represent, or the corners have been cut on ingredients.
Again I think with the overall menu prices you would expect a decent meal for your money. Also I have found that mostly you get what you pay for, or actually do you? I think will it be worth the cost! Chapatti at $1+ and a curry dish at $10, overall some meals of late have cost me around $15 on average when I go out and collect myself. I also know some restaurants I could spend $20 upwards, but even for Cambodia that seems a little too expensive.

In Kampot we have three brick and mortar "Indian" restaurants.

Unless you eat a thali set they are quite expensive for simple food that would cost under $1 for a larger amount in India, and phnom penh is the same. $6-10 for Indian for one person is not cheap even by European standards

Lately though, quite a few Bangladesh and Pakistani folk have been undercutting these places big time from food stalls and delivering on Nham24

One dude does $1 zinger burgers, $3 biriyani, $3 curries with unlimited chapati etc and these are huge portions too, and they taste good and don't make people ill. Yet.

Curry Mahal had a discount on nham 24 which made it very reasonable, and never made me ill. The added bonus of free delivery on nham 24 in kampot is a help.

Jerry Atrick wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 10:10 am

FrankReynolds wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 10:02 am

Jerry Atrick wrote:

AndyKK wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 3:58 am

John Bingham wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 2:55 am I haven't been to Tastebudz for ages but I used to like it. However the interior is grim, it looks like an actual restaurant in a slum in India. Posters of baby Krishna and shiny stuff, fairy lights, plastic chairs and crumbling plaster. They serve the food on banana leaves too, which sucks.

It was you John who first mentioned Tastebudz on this thread sometime ago, I will have to make the effort to go, I would have ordered on food panda, but they are not on their list.
Overall I am a little disappointed in what we may call an Indian restaurant, being situated the capital city of Cambodia I would have expected more from them, but many restaurants don't have consistency from one day to the next, being also, that some plates are not what they are supposed to actually represent, or the corners have been cut on ingredients.
Again I think with the overall menu prices you would expect a decent meal for your money. Also I have found that mostly you get what you pay for, or actually do you? I think will it be worth the cost! Chapatti at $1+ and a curry dish at $10, overall some meals of late have cost me around $15 on average when I go out and collect myself. I also know some restaurants I could spend $20 upwards, but even for Cambodia that seems a little too expensive.

In Kampot we have three brick and mortar "Indian" restaurants.

Unless you eat a thali set they are quite expensive for simple food that would cost under $1 for a larger amount in India, and phnom penh is the same. $6-10 for Indian for one person is not cheap even by European standards

Lately though, quite a few Bangladesh and Pakistani folk have been undercutting these places big time from food stalls and delivering on Nham24

One dude does $1 zinger burgers, $3 biriyani, $3 curries with unlimited chapati etc and these are huge portions too, and they taste good and don't make people ill. Yet.

Curry Mahal had a discount on nham 24 which made it very reasonable, and never made me ill. The added bonus of free delivery on nham 24 in kampot is a help.

Curry Mahal and Taj Mahal are the same owners and its okay but very bland imo

Simon's is best of the brick and mortar places, and Masala Twist is in last place again only imo

Ahmad at bokor night Market is half price and better than all the above, also on Nham24

Gazzy wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 9:30 am

sousadeyy wrote: ↑Thu Aug 12, 2021 9:58 pm Interesting how you talk about the varieties.

I find here that the majority of the restaurants cook a stock dish to keep the general foreigner happy. The only places I've found that are distinct and really have their own take on dishes so to speak are.

Tastebudz
Emaans kitchen
Princella flavors of saffron
Idli dosa corner (breakfast only)

Would be interesting to hear if anyone could add to that list where I'm not just getting what feels like a curry cooked to keep the customers happy. Such establishments as:

Namaste
Flavors of india
Sheer e punjab
Currypot
Coriander
Haveli
The list could go on....

(don't mean to offend, just my personal take on things)
[/quote
Absolutely correct about these places with their set dishes catering to western tastes. But I think it's a good thing. We know what we like, they know what we like, it's a business model that works. It's fine to be adventurous of course, but these days, with the uncertainties surrounding us, I take comfort (comfort food?) in knowing exactly what I'm going to get. Moreover, I think the quality of food from these restaurants is pretty excellent, even better than a lot of curry houses back in the UK.

Gazzy do you think that the restaurant's are catering for western tastes. I am not disagreeing with your theory because most Indian restaurants are in tourist areas, but I would have thought we would come down the list a little, behind the Indian tourists and obviously the countries own people, but that being the middle class Cambodian. The reason I only say this is for an Indian or the likes to set up business here is like anyone looking at the larger audience to make money.

AndyKK wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 10:33 am

Jerry Atrick wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 10:10 am

FrankReynolds wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 10:02 am

Jerry Atrick wrote:

AndyKK wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 3:58 am
It was you John who first mentioned Tastebudz on this thread sometime ago, I will have to make the effort to go, I would have ordered on food panda, but they are not on their list.
Overall I am a little disappointed in what we may call an Indian restaurant, being situated the capital city of Cambodia I would have expected more from them, but many restaurants don't have consistency from one day to the next, being also, that some plates are not what they are supposed to actually represent, or the corners have been cut on ingredients.
Again I think with the overall menu prices you would expect a decent meal for your money. Also I have found that mostly you get what you pay for, or actually do you? I think will it be worth the cost! Chapatti at $1+ and a curry dish at $10, overall some meals of late have cost me around $15 on average when I go out and collect myself. I also know some restaurants I could spend $20 upwards, but even for Cambodia that seems a little too expensive.

In Kampot we have three brick and mortar "Indian" restaurants.

Unless you eat a thali set they are quite expensive for simple food that would cost under $1 for a larger amount in India, and phnom penh is the same. $6-10 for Indian for one person is not cheap even by European standards

Lately though, quite a few Bangladesh and Pakistani folk have been undercutting these places big time from food stalls and delivering on Nham24

One dude does $1 zinger burgers, $3 biriyani, $3 curries with unlimited chapati etc and these are huge portions too, and they taste good and don't make people ill. Yet.

Curry Mahal had a discount on nham 24 which made it very reasonable, and never made me ill. The added bonus of free delivery on nham 24 in kampot is a help.

Curry Mahal and Taj Mahal are the same owners and its okay but very bland imo

Simon's is best of the brick and mortar places, and Masala Twist is in last place again only imo

Ahmad at bokor night Market is half price and better than all the above, also on Nham24

Jawed at Masala Twist is a friend of mine, he relocated In Kampot when the Chinese moved most out of Sihnookvilla. I have said on numerous occasions I will get down to Kampot too visit, but has yet I have not had chance.
The food at Masala Twist is really good, and that of my taste, I really like the vindaloo there, infact I like many dishes at the restaurant.
I would like to try the market location, and also Simons, he was closed the last visit, I hear his food is good too.