After the Open Morning at Footprints last Saturday, we went to Singapore Kitchen located in 110CD, Street 360, BKK III, Chamkamorn, Phnom Penh. If we are craving for delightful dishes straight from the streets of Singapore plus budget friendly foods, we always go here! K loves their laksa and my all-time favorite is their hainanese chicken rice…

Well, Singaporean food is a fusion of several traditions, including Chinese, Balinese, Malaysian and Indonesian! I read in one of the magazines here that Singapore Kitchen is owned by a Singaporean guy named Lau Two, who’s also the chef…he is known in Penh as the Al Pacino…:) He had good experience, he has serves 1960s street style hawkers food in a basic but pleasant setting, thought by his street vendor father. The current location is the second one, the first one was along Monivong Blvd., but closed afterwards and he moved back to his country but later on decided to come back and start a new restaurant!

Anyway, we just ordered laksa, it is a popular spicy noodle from a Peranakan culture, which is a merger of a Chinese and Malay, elements found in Singapore and Malaysia, and to a lesser extent Indonesia.

There are two basic types of laksa: curry laksa and asam laksa. The one being served in Singapore Kitchn is a Curry laksa, it is a coconut curry soup with noodles, while asam laksa is a sour fish soup with noodles. Thick rice noodles also known as laksa noodles are most commonly used, although thin rice vermicelli (bee hoon or mee hoon) is also common and some variants use other types. Curry laksa (in many places referred to simply as “laksa”) is a coconut-based curry soup. The main ingredients for most versions of curry laksa include tofu puffs, fish sticks, shrimp and cockles. Some vendors may sell chicken laksa. Laksa is commonly served with a spoonful of sambal chilli paste and garnished with Vietnamese coriander, or laksa leaf, which is known in Malay as daun kesum. This is usually known as “Curry mee” in Penang rather than curry laksa, due to the different kind of noodles used (yellow mee or bee hoon, as opposed to the thick white laksa noodles). Curry Mee in Penang uses congealed pork blood, a delicacy to the Malaysian Chinese community. Two of the well known places to try curry mee is at Lorong Seratus Tahun and Chulia Street. The term “Curry laksa” is more commonly used in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Laksa is popular in Singapore and Malaysia, as are laksa yong tau foo , lobster laksa, and even plain laksa, with just noodles and gravy. (Source: Wikipedia)

Then, my all-time favorite in their restaurant is the Hainanese chicken rice. It is a dish of Chinese origin most commonly associated with Hainanese cuisine, Malaysian cuisine and Singaporean cuisine, although it is also commonly sold in neighbouring Thailand. It is based on the well-known Hainanese dish called Wenchang chicken (文昌雞). So-called due to its roots in Hainan cuisine and its adoption by the Hainanese overseas Chinese population in the Nanyang area (present-day Southeast Asia), the version found in the Malaysia region combines elements of Hainanese and Cantonese cuisines along with culinary preferences in the Southeast Asian region. (Source: Wikipedia)

Its good to spend lunches or dinner here…its really a good value for your money! Oh, they also have delivery which is too handy for a mom like me when I am being lazy to cook something for lunch or on weekends, you can call them at +855 (17-821480) or (77-552898). Also, they have free dessert which varies from time to time, sometimes its sweet, sometimes its fruits such as watermelon and pineapple! We love to go back here again, again and again!

P.S. Sorry rice wasn’t included in the hainanese picture…*winks* Oh, lucky me, I have my camera with me that day, so I finally got some pictures…*smile*