Review: Ngon Restaurant
Ngon is a restaurant that I have been obsessing over for the past month or so. I have been to both locations in Vietnam and am wholly impressed with them both. Which led me to organize a party of 12 anonymous reviewers on opening night to sample as much of the menu as possible. This was probably my first mistake to review a brand new restaurant on opening night. But lets get to that later.
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The 10 best places to have coffee in Vientiane
Laos is a relaxed country, times slows down here, you lay back and see what's coming down the Mekong river. One of the places I can relax the best are coffee shops. I usually take a book or my iPad with me and sit there for hours, enjoying the coffee, watching people and read a bit (and work sometimes as well). So this is my personal list of the best places to have coffee in Laos. Please note that Laos is a small coffee producer, but with excellent quality.
True Coffee
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Best New Restaurants of 2010
An American-style steakhouse run by a couple of French foodies was always a mouthwatering prospect and so it has proved. Nick Ross pays homage to our newcomer of the year. New York Steakhouse. Photos by Quinn Ryan Mattingly and Khoa Tran.
Earlier in the year we ran a feature on New York Steakhouse. Here was a new 1940s-style Hollywood themed bistro and diner selling arguably some of the best steaks in Saigon and yet it was both set up and run by two French guys. It was an anomaly but it seemed to work.
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Review: Happa
Upon walking into Happa, the first thing you notice is the big griddle that practically everything on the menu is prepared on. One of the great things about this style of cooking is that it tends to be very hygienic which is always a plus to see in Cambodia.
Now onto the food.
The Okonomiyaki with cheese and bacon (click photos) was a very polarizing dish for me. I like the combination of the smokiness of the bacon along with the very sweet oyster sauce that topped the pancake but didn’t care for the cheese at all.
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Review: Cafe and Restaurant L'Oriental
The bright yellow painted walls of the building outside hadn't been there when I passed that street the last time, so I thought it might be worth a stop. On a wooden board, was mentioned the different kinds of ice cream on offer, and a quick look through the window made me confident enough to enter.
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Kampot tales - ribs and pizzas
Kampot is my favorite long weekend destination when a bit of countryside life is needed. Considering its small size (40,000 population), this quirky little riverside town has a large amount of culinary options to choose from.
If I had to make one stop in Kampot for some food, it would have to be the Rusty Keyhole.
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Review: Mike’s Burger House
About a half hour outside of Phnom Penh, on the way to the airport, in a Sokimex gas station is a hamburger joint modeled on California’s In-And-Out Burger. It was a bit of a trek after having a big night and we had the typical PP driving experiences, getting pulled over, asked for a bribe, seeing an accident, etc., but it was a fun trip.
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Review: Divine is just fine
With the Café Yejj Group now well established, Phnom Penh-based social enterprise entrepreneur Trevor Sworn obviously has time on his hands.
His latest venture, Divine Pizza and Ribs (a partnership with the MMW Initiative) located at 123 Sisowath Quay, on the north side of the Night Market (next to Jaan) which opened last night, is likely to only reinforce his reputation as a successful restaurateur.
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Review: Lao Roast Coffee
Lao Roast Coffee (no idea who chose the name) is a tiny little jewel not far from the riverside at Rue Manthatourath. With a small garden in front (including a basic swing on a tree for the kids) and a contemporary design inside, it is a perfect place to rest, read a book or chat with a friend. The shop serves homemade roasted Lao coffee for a reasonable price (12.000 KIP). Note that what they call "drip coffee" is a "filter coffee", not the Vietnamese drip style. You can also buy coffee there.
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Review: Sabaidee Cafe and Bakery
Sabaidee Cafe and Bakery is something of a well known cafe. Although not shiny and modern like the recently opened Joma and True Coffee, the food is awesome. It is an avocado lover's heaven. Try the large selection of bread rolls and bagels. My favorite is the bread roll with avocado spread or the omelet with avocado and cinnamon. They make the bread themselves!
Staff are extremely friendly and nice, just give them a smile and everything will be okay 
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