Dinner @ Hachi Restaurant (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
December 26, 2014 in Japanese
I am not one who would try a cuisine other than the cuisine of the country I am in. But I guess one starts to be more flexible with age. Ha. My friend and I were in Cambodia and I was curious about the Japanese food scene. So with that, we headed over to Hachi Restaurant for dinner after our shopping at AEON Mall.
[READ ABOUT MY CAMBODIA TRIP ON MY MAIN BLOG]
Hachi Restaurant is on the ground level of Sofitel Hotel. And with Sofitel Hotel located just beside AEON Mall, one can just walk over for a meal after shopping to one’s delight at AEON Mall.
We came on a Saturday evening to an almost empty restaurant. Almost empty because the the other groups of customers were big enough to be seated in the private rooms. We actually requested to be seated within 1 of the 6 private tatami rooms but the staff insisted the rooms were meant for big groups only. Well, I did spy a smaller one, but I guess they wanted to save the hassle. So my friend and I ended up at the main area which was too dimly lit for my liking.
And from the menu (pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), we ordered:-
1) Mixed sashimi set, USD45 comprised of:-
(A) Appetizer, simmered dish, pickles (above) – I was given deep fried sea bream for appetizer, potato salad (not sure how potato salad qualified to be a simmered dish) and pickles. However, we did not like the deep fried dishes sea bream which were served… Cold!
(B) Steamed egg custard (above)
(C) Tempura (above) – Yam, capsicum (red pepper), prawn and cucumber.
(D) Assorted sashimi (above) – For a set, they were generous to give 3 thick slices of salmon, yellow tail, sea bream and herring with roe. I was intrigued by the beautiful sight of the herring sashimi with its yellow roe. And of the 4, it was also the herring which tasted the best. Sweet and crunchy (due to its roe).
(E) Japanese rice – Not too sure if it was Japanese rice, but we were given a bowl of white rice.
(F) Miso soup (above)
(G) Dessert (above)
2) Grilled abalone with butter sauce, USD68 (above) – And the abalone was served in 2 ways. 1 grilled with butter, and the other grilled with its liver. Not too bad although I think we should have gone with abalone sashimi (at the same price).
3) Curry noodles, USD13 (above) – Instead of thick curry, it was more like a broth. But it was the noodle which we were impressed with. Thick and chewy. Nice! My friend was busy slurping it (loudly) to show his appreciation (in the true Japanese way). Ha.
For a traveler in Cambodia to spend USD153 (almost $200) for 2 for an average dining experience, I say it’s better to spend the time and money trying the local food instead. For $200, we could get slightly better quality food (especially for the sashimi) in Singapore. But if one is staying in Cambodia and needs to get a quick fix of Japanese cuisine, I would say Hachi is not too bad.
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HACHI RESTAURANT
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26 Old August Site, Sothearos Boulevard, Sangkat Tonle Bassac, Sofitel Hotel, Ground Level, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
+855 23 999 200, Website
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Overall: 7
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Opening hours:-
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Food/Beverage: 7
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Mon – Sun : 11:30 – 14:30 (Lunch)
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Ambience: 7
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Mon – Sun : 18:00 – 22:00 (Dinner)
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Value: 6
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Service: 7
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