There’s a type of restaurant in Hong Kong called a cha chaan teng — it’s essentially a Hong Kong-style diner that, thanks to this country’s history with colonialism, serves Western-inspired dishes (stuff like sandwiches, spaghetti, macaroni soup, etc.).
Baked pork chop with tomato sauce on rice is a Hong Kong diner staple, and pretty much the definition of comfort food.
After being thoroughly let down by the internet (to recap: I searched online for good stuff to eat in Siem Reap, only to find a bunch of suggestions for touristy cafes with Western/Cambodian menus), I was just randomly wandering around looking for somewhere to eat lunch.
There’s a popular street food stall near my hotel that was cooking up some kind of omelette-esque dish as I was walking by. It looked tasty enough, so I stopped, pointed, and I was off to the races.
The good news: after visiting one international fast food joint after another specializing in fried chicken, I’ve found one that features a traditional burger-heavy menu. The bad news: it’s terrible.
Is there anybody in the history of the planet who went to Siem Reap but didn’t go to Angkor Wat? I suppose there was probably at least one maniac who did this at some point, but it certainly wasn’t me.
Though it looks like a banh mi, Cambodia’s num pang is actually its own delicious thing.
Trying to find a good place to eat in Siem Reap is weird. Normally, if you google something like “must eat in [insert city here],” you’ll find any number of articles pointing you toward delicious-looking local food.
While walking around the other day, I spotted a restaurant that was packed with people who appeared to be locals. That’s no small feat in a city as crammed with tourists as Chiang Mai.