The Quay Boutique Hotel Phnom Penh - Chow Restaurant

As a frequent visitor to the Riverside in Phnom Penh, I always walk past a really chic boutique hotel with a very nice restaurant setting at the ground floor. Most of the time I would be heading somewhere else, either the FCC or Deja Vu along the riverside, or on my way to Pop Cafe, depending on which direction I was coming from.

So this Sunday afternoon, I decided to finally make The Quay as my destination for lunch.

The moment I entered the restaurant, I somehow felt that I was back in Sydney. It gave me some Sydneyish vibes, but I couldn't really point a finger as to where and why - maybe its the spacious set ups or the clever use of lights and colour. We chose a table along the left walls of the restaurant and I must say I like their fancy chairs, not too much of their table, as I thought they were quite small for a dining table, was more of a coffee table size.

They have a special lunch set menu which is US$7 with a free beer or a glass of wine. I ordered a Fish & Chips (might be due to me missing Sydney), whilst Cassie ordered the seafood pasta. I opted for a glass of white wine too.



Rating: 1.5/5

The moment I set eyes on this Fish & Chips, I could say I was literally at the gates at Kingsford Smith waiting to board the plane back to Phnom Penh. I think the above were more like Fish Fingers instead of Fish & Chips lol. Then I tasted it and the plane did an immediate landing in Phnom Penh Airport lolol. Hate to say it, but the batter was dry on the outside (you can''t see it, but it was served carefully because the top bit was normal but the bottom of the fish was dark), and was mushy (still in its flour+water state). The fish was slightly undercooked too. Only 1 out of 3 Fish Fingers was actually marginally edible. The chips were alright, almost nice.

Then my wine came. It was off. Now I might not be a wine connoisseur, but I definitely know how to spot a wine that is off. I asked for a change as it was off, so the waitress brought down the bottle which she poured my wine from and it was empty - guess I took the last pour, and no one knows when the first pour was made prior to me. Eventually, they did change it for me, newly opened this time. Was nice of them really.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Chow Restaurant at The Quay was redeemed by this seafood pasta. It was cooked just right on the whole, although about 45 seconds over the al dente stage. Nicely seasoned, wonderfully presented, and most importantly, the squid isn't over cooked.

I had expected more from the Fish & Chips since it was Fish & Chips, how difficult can it be to get it right... right? Apparently not in this case.

Would I return for the above dishes? Probably not anytime soon. They serve better Fish & Chips at Deja Vu, and if I wanted pasta I would be headed for Pop Cafe for the Mantis Shrimp Linguine.

I might just return to check out their other dishes, but that's only when I can't think of anywhere else to go or anything else to eat.

The Quay Hotel
Chow Restaurant
Preah Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
+855 23 224 894