My friends and I were out yet again to try another international cuisine. This time it was Cambodian food from Bopha Devi in Melbourne's Docklands.
This place was listed in the cheap eats guide, but the actual venue was very glamorous, including this amazing chandelier.
I had no idea what to expect from Cambodian food. I imagined they would probably eat rice and noodles like most of Asia but I was unsure of the flavors to expect. Would they be spicy, salty or a bit of everything?
Dining with a mix of vegetarians and meatatarians (not sure if that's a proper word but I'm going to use it), we ordered a nice spread of food to try.
We started off with some appetizers:
Pumpkin filled parcels & Pork spare ribsThe pork spare ribs were twice cooked and coated in a caramelized palm sugar sauce that was heaven for the taste buds.
Presentation was nicely done with banana leaves, and the flavours were amazing. As this was only the starters we were hanging out for main course!
The pumpkin filled parcels got a rave review, even our friend Kiran who is allergic to won-ton skins, was hoeing into them, however her lips swelled up later that night and she looked like she was channeling Angelina Jolie.
The vegetarians had these colourful delights for mains:
Char Kroeung and SaramannChar Kroeung: wok cooked protein of your choice with lime leaves, lemongrass, turmeric, onions, bean shoots & capsicum. Served with fresh mint, cucumber, lettuce, vermicelli noodles, sweet fish sauce & crushed nuts
Saramann: your choice of protein cooked with coconut cream, onion, broccoli flowers, five spices, lemongrass, turmeric, lime leaves and crushed peanuts served with steamed rice.
I didn't get to sample these but I heard they were both fantastic. It's hard to find a restaurant that has a good selection for both vegetarian and meat eaters.
Grilled Marinated Chicken (top) and Bai Mouan (bottom)The grilled marinated chicken was marinated in lemongrass, tumeric and lime leaves served with steamed rice and a mixed salad. Absolutely delicious, we were fighting over this one!
Bai Mouan is a classic Cambodian style chicken rice served with shredded lettuce, sliced cucumber and a lively garlic and lemon sauce. I really wanted to order this as it seemed like some kind of signature dish from Cambodia. Our friend Tristan who doesn't like too much garlic was not a fan of this dish, but I loved it (minus the cucumber, fact for the day, cucumber gives me gas!)
Lort CharLort Char is rice drop noodles, wok tossed with Asian broccoli, bean sprouts and egg.
It has a lovely smokey flavour to it. Wasn't too much a fan of the egg as it was more half cooked chunks of egg from what I can remember, but the rest was delicious.
My mum usually does rice drops with mince pork or beef and oyster sauce, so it was nice to experience them cooked in a different way.
Service here was top notch, the atmosphere was great and I would highly recommend this place to anyone!
It has a lovely smokey flavour to it. Wasn't too much a fan of the egg as it was more half cooked chunks of egg from what I can remember, but the rest was delicious.
My mum usually does rice drops with mince pork or beef and oyster sauce, so it was nice to experience them cooked in a different way.
Service here was top notch, the atmosphere was great and I would highly recommend this place to anyone!
27 Rakaia Way, Docklands VIC 3008
Phone: 9600 1887
Web: www.bophadevi.com
Oooooh, the food looks interesting and the venue looks gorgeous. I'll try to overcome my loathing for Docklands and head down there sometime! :0)