We joined the turbo-prop set and flew down to Sihanoukville for the weekend on
Royal Air Cambodge. Although the road is reportedly bustling and well protected,
the plane is so convenient with a 7:50 am departure. Our windswept arrival at
Pochentong on a moto was less jet-set, so it was with joy that we discovered the
new Aiport Restaurant.
Smart check-in counters and luggage carousels
aside, it's a decent restaurant which signifies that the new airport has really
taken off. Within its cool, pristine interior, you can survey the hoi polloi
outside through a tinted bay window, while sipping fresh-brewed coffee and
eating almond and honey Danish pastries baked at Le Shop, and tropical fruit
salad. Don't worry about missing your last view of swaying palm trees. The
owners, Canadian-Cambodian couple Allan and Sabonne Kao, have thoughtfully
brought one inside and set it up in the middle. The is seating for 160 people
and at the back they have arranged soft blue sofas where weary airline pilots
can recline and irate customers whose flights have been canceled can calm
down.
The menu has traditional Cambodian dishes and western fast food.
Your last taste of Cambodia might be Your Place Burger, comforting for travelers
who could not be further from your place, or theirs, a hamburger in light bun
with French fries. Your best bet might be The Book Maker ($3), a juicy steak
sandwich with French fries. Mrs. Kao's specialty is crispy chicken, prepared in
batter and fried lightly.
The short flight and long laze on the beach
work up an appetite and on Saturday night everyone descends on the Koh Pos
restaurant. This simple, seafront wooden restaurant, its verandah lit by
vertical fluorescent tubes, was laden with so many diners that we had to queue
for a table. It's a wonder that out of the modest wooden kitchen at the back,
food of such quantity and quality emerges. But the owner, Mr. Teng Mech,
greeting the crowds with disarming shyness, is helped by his wife and several of
his six children, including his son Pheap, 24, and daughters, Moa, 27, and Teav,
20. The fish almost leap straight from the sea to the table, stopping briefly to
be sautéed in an array of herbs, garlic and spices. To start, there are
delicious steamed shrimp ($3), so gigantic they hang off the plate. The shell
fall away and the plump flesh, tasting of the sea, is unbelievably succulent.
Dipping them in lime juice and pepper just adds a tang. There are small, crunchy
prawns fried in a pepper and soy sauce ($3). Fish with savory sauce turned out
to be a huge white fish baked in a flavorful sweet and sour sauce. ($2). The
grilled fish was plain and uninteresting, with too many small bones in it ($2).
Banh Chhev, traditional bean sprout pancakes, thin and moist, with crispy edges,
cost 1,500 riels. They come with a veritable garden of a salad, full of cabbage,
lettuce and strange leaves such as the bitter reang, which comes from a shrub,
and sbay reung, a kind of marigold with edible leaves, (the flower is used in
temples), and fresh herbs such as mint, basil and parsley, on which to munch
contentedly while listening to the waves pounding on the shore.
On Sunday
a good place for lunch is Sam's restaurant, on a hill overlooking the last beach
before the port. Englishman Vic, an ex UN volunteer, gives a friendly welcome,
gives a friendly welcome, also renting rooms for $ 4.00 while Sam, who is
Cambodian, cooks. She grilled a generous-sized elephant fish until it was tender
then smothered it with glass noodles, fresh parsley, chopped spring onion and
slices of lime ($2). The light, delicate taste of this white fish, of which the
tender flesh fell away from the bone, is enhanced by grilling, and the smooth
texture of the noodles without any sauce makes a perfect combination. Green
tomato salad accompanied it. Vic handed out green bananas "for the road" as we
headed back down the hill.
Fortified for that Sunday walk, we strode
briskly back to Ochateal Beach for a vigorous swim. The Seaside Hotel there has
pretty rooms to rent ($20-$40), with satellite tv and hot baths, and a large
terrace for watching sunsets. Next door at the Eagle's Nest Colin Jerram rents
rooms ($15-$18). He serves a splendid Aussie breakfast. There's just time on
Monday morning to indulge in bacon, sausage and eggs, cereal and unlimited
coffee ($3.50). before jumping on the 9:30 am flight back to the city. There was
one last glimpse of the limpid, azure sea as the Russian Antinov looped round
the bay, then playtime was over
