Imperial Garden breakfast, Phnom Penh

12th August 2012.

I woke in our Imperial Garden Hotel on the Mekong waterfront on our first morning in Phnom Penh and raced to the window – just in time for a breathtaking sunrise, photographed through a rather blotchy window:

 

 

 

 

 

 

People were doing tai chi in the park in front of our hotel, so we decided it was time to get up and go for breakfast.

 

We walked into the breakfast room, which had already been open for an hour, and what a shock – we seemed to be the only people there.  I mean, how much fruit can two people eat?  And not just ordinary old fruit like apples and oranges, but such Asian delicacies as dragon fruit, pamplemousse and lychees.

There was also cereal, Asian porridge, breads, cakes and pastries, Asian soup, Korean kimchee, a selection of hot dishes and you could also order meals to be cooked just for you, such as bacon and eggs, or omelette.

 

Pamplemousse, as we had seen being sold in the streets.

 

They didn’t just throw on a tablecloth, as I might do for the odd special occasion, but elaborately draped this luxurious shiny fabric.

 

Cakes and pastries.

 

I tried the rice porridge which I had enjoyed in Singapore many years ago.  The dried mushrooms (front left) were absolutely delicious.  I haven’t yet identified the accompaniment on the front right.  I thought it might have been tofu, but it had a much stronger taste than any tofu I’ve ever tried.

However, it was the dish in the centre front which gave us the most entertainment.  I thought it might have been either mushrooms or eggplant, but it tasted a bit powdery, and I didn’t really like it.  Our pretty waitress didn’t know the English for it, so went to find out.  While she was away, Pat suggested it might be the Chinese delicacy “hundred year old eggs” and then she came back and told us they were “century eggs” so he was right.

Although a couple of other people did arrive just before we left, for most of the time, we were the only people there, and the four staff  waited on us literally hand and foot – when Pat dropped his knife trying to cut a recalcitrant piece of exotic fruit, a waiter was there with a clean one before he even had time to pick it up.

Needless to say, we didn’t need much lunch.