Name: Kuriosity Kafe
Address: Sok San Road, Siem Reap
Telephone: +855 12 208 472
Opening hours: Not sure, but certainly open for lunch and dinner
Cuisine: Western, Khmer
URL: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kuriosit ... 2983757014
Rating: 3

Sok San Road has become the new back-packer go-to place and I tend to avoid it for that reason as well as for the absence of parking spots. But as I am always on a quest for new restaurants, I dared to face the banana-pancake-eating-dreadlock-sporting-fisherman's-pants-wearing soap dodgers as well as the hordes of Tuk-tuk drivers and massage girls. Call this a restaurant review from the front lines.



Great for watching an assortment of human debris float by.

The first thing of note is how huge the place is; it seats 200 spread over a couple of floors all heavily decked out in all sorts of Kitsch; starting with the massive Alien at the entrance. The Kafe is the brainchild of Geert Gaboor, founder of the famous Red Piano; the place that arguably got Pub Street going but also the place not necessarily known for its fine dining. I was thus very curious to see what would be on offer here.



Massive place with a design that takes a little getting used to.

We were a little early and were thus quickly given menus and got our drinks squared away. The menu is made up mostly of typical Cafe food, ranging from sandwiches to Pizzas and Pastas, with a few Khmer dishes thrown in. As is normal in Siem Reap, a town filled to the brim with cheap-assed expats and tourists, prices are very reasonable; the most expensive dish is a 220-gram Australian Tenderloin at USD 16.00. Drinks are also reasonable with Angkor at USD 2.00 and a bottle of Hoefbrau at $4.75. These prices are net so no nasty surprises at the end. I did wonder about the note on the menu saying that only one bill was allowed per table. Seems Mr. Gaboor is forgetting customer services a little.......



Not extensive, but fairly priced.

Anyway, on to the food: the missus took Heng's Khmer Chicken Curry which is apparently his signature dish and I opted for the Fish n' Chips. The service throughout was very friendly and very efficient and food, drinks, and (ONE) bill arrived very quickly.

I certainly think the Chicken curry was the better choice with a very well balanced curry with just the right amount of spiciness. The recipe is supposedly great but, whilst none of the ingredients were overpowering, I did taste the usual suspects such as lemon grass, ginger, turmeric, coriander, kaffir lime leaves and palm sugar. A very good dish but I do think there are better Khmer restaurants and I would not come here for the Khmer food.



Thus on to my Fish and Chips. My first gripe was that the chips were actually not chips but French fries. Now I love my Belgian "Moules et frites", especially with a nice Belgian beer, but I want real, hand-cut, solid chips; not some anemic match sticks. And call me old-fashioned, but I also want my fish and chips with mushy peas and vinegar. The fish itself was very good with the batter just right. The tartar sauce that came with it was also quite good, I just wished there had been more of it.



Those are NOT chips!!!!

I am sure the KK will be a roaring success, attracting the masses that are looking for a funky place to sit and eat the usual run-of-the-mill meals. Here, the restaurant certainly delivers. If you are after a memorable meal then I suggest you look at other options.



Sok Sang Road at its best.

vladimir wrote:No drnks menu, hanno? You're slipping, bro.

Well Grinch, I don't like spare ribs so that won't change my opinion. Agree with the beer list though.

Yes, sure looks like it. Or a very grumpy waitress.