Phnom Penh Vancouver Chinatown 金邊小館 | Vietnamese, Cambodian

phnom penh vancouver chinatown cambodian vietnamese

Phnom Penh Vancouver Chinatown 金邊小館 is one of those restaurants I never grow tired of. And although it is such a dive, it does offer some extremely delicious Cambodia / Vietnamese dishes with a lot of variety. As with most Vancouverite food junkies, Phnom Penh is always on the hit list - it is on mine anyways. After a week-long trip in Mexico, I was famished for some serious Asian food! Of course, good food is always best shared with loved ones. Seriously tho, if you still haven’t tried it – You. Are. Missing. Out! If you are hungry and expect to be seated asap during prime time dinner hour you will be sadly disappointed. 40mins will be the usual wait time unless all your stars align! Maybe less if you are willing to share a table...

Marinated Butter Beef: This is like the Cambodian version of Beef Tataki… Thinly sliced and prepared medium rare served with loads of cilantro (mmmm… I love cilantro!!!), deep friend garlic bites, tangy soy vinaigrette flavored sauce… Phnom Penh butter beef is melt in your mouth buttery beef goodness. It is very sharp and irresistible to just have one bite…

Phnom Penh Deep Fried Chicken Wings: I seriously don’t know how this dish could go wrong… Phnom Penh deep fried chicken wings are the best chicken wings in Vancouver. It is a matched made in heaven with its lemon pepper dipping sauce. Phnom Penh wings are lightly battered, deep fried and seasoned with rock salt and pepper. The lemon pepper sauce is intensely tangy, peppery and I swear there is some special Cambodian seasoning not commonly known. Chef’s secret! Equally yummy are its version of squid and prawns. Do yourself a favor and ask for extra dipping sauce so your chicken wing can be fully submersed into this delicious sauce please.

Garlic Frog Legs: Frog legs tastes like chicken. In case you are wondering. I suggest the curry version instead next time! Otherwise, the frog legs it feels like cut from the some cloth as the PP Chicken Wings.

Beef Luc Lac (Marinated beef and fried egg on rice)

Phnom Penh Dry Egg Noodle (no broth - soup on the side)

Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Rice Vermicelli

Claypot Chicken Rice: Takes approx 20 mins. I had this last time I came here at Phnom Penh Vancouver, but didn't take any photos. This rice is infused with bone-in chicken, wood ear (type of Chinese fungus), golden needles (edible flower buds), ginger, Chinese mushrooms. Slow cooked over 20 mins to really extract all the intricate flavors of each ingredient and the rice is slightly crispy along the inside edge of the claypot.

Spicy Clams with Basil Sauce: You can really taste the basil reduced into the calms. The sauce is very fragrant and flavorful. It is strong enough but not overpowering and not super salty. I find that sometimes there are a lot of empty shells. What was left were juicy clams.