Amey's Khmer Foods — Restaurant in Khan Daun Penh

WOW! It has been a long time since I have been so disappointed in a restaurant. How Amey's got so high a rating is a mystery to me. 1) The extensive menu (over 100 entrees) is more a reflection of what they wish they had rather than what is available. Everyone in my party of 5 was told their first choice was unavailable. I won that lottery by having my top two choices denied (including the vaunted Fish Amok which would take "40 minutes to an hour"). Then the grilled shrimp was unavailable because "we don't have a barbecue". 2) 2 members of my group settled for beef with noodles, an uninspired recipe that could be prepared in any suburban kitchen. However, at least this selection showed up at the table in only 20 minutes, so beef with noodles could be eaten before the other dishes even showed up at the table. 3) The remaining diners settled on crab which arrived unaccompanied by any rice or side dishes. Boiled crab was 3 small boiled crabs, and no picks or crackers were not provided to assist in removing the meat from the shell 4) Our giggling, tattooed waiter was unable to provide our check or make change. The sullen cook had us wait while she shut down her stove and come over to ask us what we had.

All in all, a very disappointing experience. I had read through the reviews and selected Amey's for the group and was thoroughly embarrassed. Maybe we hit them on a "bad night", but overall the restaurant seemed amateurish and not very concerned about providing...

Amey’s Khmer Foods: Phnom Penh’s Real Deal Holyfield

Tucked away in a busy dizzy of Duah Puhn 130, in an unassuming riverside side street of Phnom Penh, Amey’s Khmer Foods is the kind of place that doesn’t need neon lights or gimmicks—just a single wok, fresh ingredients, and a woman 9 months pregnant who knows exactly what she’s doing.

The broccoli beef? Perfectly stir-fried, with that elusive balance of tender-crisp greens and deeply savory beef, kissed by a wok that’s seen more action than your average street hustler. The green pepper beef? A slow-building heat, the kind that doesn’t slap you in the face but lingers, coaxing another bite, another sip of ice-cold beer.

Amey runs the place herself, and that means zero pretense, zero shortcuts. Zero BS. Come hungry. Come patient. It’s...

This place 100% lives up to the hype. This was my first fish amok and now I'm afraid to try it at other places because the amok was so delicious and fresh.

The open kitchen setup was very cool because you can see Amey preparing and cooking the food in front of your eyes. I didn't have much chance to talk to Amey (she was busy), but when I did she was nice and personable.

Some notes.

-like everyone says, Amey is the only one cooking here so it can take a while, especially if there are other tables being served.

-the amok takes a while to prepare (15 minutes +) because the curry paste is made from scratch with a...