The Sokkhak River Lounge in Siem Reap, is a pretty Cambodian restaurant, serving good food at reasonable prices for the area. The only sour note was the unexpected additions to our bill.
The restaurant is just a short walk along the river from thr FFC Angkor hotel – if you continue walking then you’ll arrive at the chaotic pub street, where prices are less. Next door is their sister restaurant Chanrey Tree.
The entrance is inviting.
We went upstairs where these is an air-conditioned space with nicely-themed decor.
All the staff were friendly and professional. Be aware that all menu prices are subject to a 5% service charge and 10% government tax – this wasn’t typical, as other restaurants, apart from Chanrey Tree, didn’t add this.
A glass of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon Red US$6.50. A 1.5l bottle of water $4.50.
The fried Cambodian fish cake (US$8.50) appeared like a satay, but ‘stick’ was made from Lemongrass. A nice appetiser plate to share.
The stir-fried seafood curry – squid and prawns, green and red capsicum, shallots,coconut cream, oyster sauce, fish sauce, garlic, kinchay leaf, chili paste and tamarind juice (US$10.50) plus rice (US40.40) was excellent.
The Beef and Red Tree Ants Sour Soup – Local beef, red tree ants, coconut milk, chili paste, water parsley, Khmer spices, fish sauce, tamarind juice, galangal, red long chili and hot basil (US$8.50) plus rice (US40.40) was tasty and something unusual and traditional to try. The small ants looked like black pepper grains and were supposed to add some sour or bitter taste, but that wasn’t apparent – they didn’t really taste of anything.
We enjoyed our visit and food at the Sokkhak River Lounge, although the automatic service charge and tax were unwelcome. The staff are keen to whip away the printed bill as soon as you pay and we saw several customers question why their bills were higher than expected.
The decor and food are good enough that the restaurant is busy and a reservation required – I used WhatsApp in English to do that successfully. If I were to choose between the two, I preferred the Chanrey Tree, just because of the excellent sea bass (missing from the Sokkhak River Lounge menu).
Sokkhak River Lounge
Mondul 1 Village, Svay Dangkum Commune,
Pokambor Ave, Siem Reap
WhatsApp/Line/Telegram: +855 85 700 022
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