Cambodia's Kitchen
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Cambodia’s Kitchen is the perfect spot enjoy distinct dishes steeped in traditional flavour and flair, straight from the Hun family recipe book.
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Restaurant Review: Bopha Devi
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Location: 27 Rakaia Way, Docklands
Phone: 03 9600 1887
Link: bophadevi.com
Cuisine: Cambodian
Overall Impression: 7/10
The service at Bopha Devi is outstanding. We found the staff to be warm and accommodating. The restaurant also has a wonderfully relaxed ambience and is adorned with décor and designs that are chic and classy.
Phone: 03 9600 1887
Link: bophadevi.com
Cuisine: Cambodian
Overall Impression: 7/10
Bopha Devi serves delicious Cambodian cuisine. As stipulated in the menu, the cuisine is influenced by Chinese, Indian and French cuisine and this is reflected in the offerings. Each dish looked vibrant on the plate, was full of flavour and was also cooked incredibly well.
Bai Mouan
Classic Cambodian-style chicken rice served with shredded lettuce, sliced cucumber and a lively garlic and lemon sauce.
The slices of chicken were juicy and tender and the sauce had well balanced flavours with an underlying savouriness from the use of fish sauce.
Beef Saramann
Beef cooked with coconut cream, onion, broccoli flowers, five spices, lemongrass, turmeric, lime-leaves and crushed peanuts.
The pieces of beef melted in our mouths and the curry was creamy and comforting.
Khmer Yellow Crepe
Chicken mince, onion and bean sprouts wrapped in a yellow rice flour crepe served with mint, lettuce, sweet fish sauce and crushed peanuts.
The delicately thin crepes encased ingredients that were delectably fresh and flavoursome. The toasted and crushed peanuts added a lovely textural element to the dish.
The service at Bopha Devi is outstanding. We found the staff to be warm and accommodating. The restaurant also has a wonderfully relaxed ambience and is adorned with décor and designs that are chic and classy.
Bopha Devi is certainly a pleasant introduction to Cambodian cuisine.
Restaurant Review: My Cambodia
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Phone: (03) 9558 5555
Cuisine: Cambodian and Thai
Overall Impression: 7.5/10
J loves Cambodian food. Speaking about his travels to Phnom Penh, he salivates with the thought of the local cuisine he had the opportunity to devour. I, on the other hand, have not had the pleasure of tasting authentic Cambodian food until today, thanks to my lovely colleague, C.
After attending a presentation by a government department all the way in Dandenong, S, C and I thought it fit to reward ourselves with a Cambodian feast before returning back to work in the city. After all, Springvale was very much on the way.
C is familiar with both Springvale and Cambodian food, so we knew we were in good hands. Upon her recommendation, we ventured into a quaint looking restaurant called The Purple Orchid (now known as "My Cambodia"). The fittings were casual – practicality certainly reigned over the aesthetics. That said, it brought about a relaxed ambience that was appropriate for the sort of feasting we were about to luxuriate in.
Over the meal, S told us tales of his adventures in Cambodia. His stories ranged from $5 per night huts on the beach to waking up with his mates all of whom were unexplainably wearing new t-shirts.
The menu boasts a variety of Thai, Vietnamese and Cambodian dishes. But C, S and I decided to stick to the plot – Traditional Cambodian cuisine. We gave C free reign over the menu (which turned out to be an excellent decision). The following are the delectable dishes we had:
The soup was incredibly fragrant. It was beautifully rich in flavour. It was a great start to the meal as it certainly induced appetite.
The beef was incredibly tender. Cooked to perfection; it was pink and juicy. The flavours of the salad were incredibly balanced. The crunch from the peanuts and onions brought a lovely textural element to the dish. The sourness from the lime juice, the sweetness of the palm sugar, the savouriness of the fish sauce/soy sauce and the freshness of the basil and coriander leaves came together in an immaculate flavour explosion. And of course, the perfect hint of chilli brought that extra edge to the dish. I would describe this as a Thai beef salad on steroids. Our taste buds were satiated.
The spring rolls were pleasant to eat. They were crisp and well-seasoned.
It was an enjoyable introduction to Cambodian food. The portions were notably generous - the three of us certainly glutted our appetites and there was still plenty of food left over. Thank you for sharing this gem of a restaurant, C! I cannot wait to go back!
