That thin dark water sweetened with condensed milk no longer cutting it? Get yourself to FCC’s latest off-shoot, Café Fresco. It’s the first place I’ve been in Phnom Penh that can actually serve a decent Italian-style coffee ($2), which in Phnom Penh terms, is the price of a full breakfast. They’ve got imported Illy beans and a decent espresso machine that they know how to use. To top it off, they’ll also make you one of Phnom Penh’s most expensive sandwiches in surrounds that could have been transplanted from any slick, soulless café the world over.
Location: Below FCC. Contact details
When I lived there, I thought the best coffee was at the Mondulkiri Cafe on St 63 just south of Soriya. The cafe is attached to a hotel, the name of which escapes me. Anyway, the coffee is intense and rich, and much better if you ask them to bring the condensed milk separately, rather than pre-mixing it.
Your use of the words “condensed milk” do not inspire confidence.
“could have been transplanted from any slick, soulless café the world over”
Hee hee – dare we say ‘Starbuckian’? NGO directors will be descending in droves.
I was puzzling over the ‘cafe society’ shirts that Fresco workers were sporting home. Somehow I don’t think of Phnom Penh as a ‘cafe society’. Then again, there are worse things to aspire to…
Good coffee? Try one of the Vietnamese places a few blocks north and west. Or the Pho place on the same street (178), a dollar less.
I think that both Trung Nguyen and T & Coffee World amply fill the Starbucks niche here, and possibly that Diplomat Coffee place near Lucky that has pirated the Starbucks logo and font. I’ve been meaning to try that pho place on 178. In fact, I should do a pho roundup of Phnom Penh: somebody has to be very good at it here.
Highly recommend an excursion to Diplomat Coffee. Be sure to observe the flow of customer traffic.
For once I agree with gecko boy, Viet coffee is my preference here; street 278 West of Monivong and you have the choice of about a dozen РCaf̩ 21 is my usual spot Рthick as treacle and as smooth as honey, damn, now I want one, all we have in the office is Naff-Caf̩ !
The Trung Nguyen on street 136, couple of blocks back from the river is a nice place to escape to on a hot afternoon too.
I will admit to occasionally leaving the comfort of Jungle Bar to visit The Shop, strictly for their coffee. Miles ahead of Fresco I think, and better than any other I’ve tried. Milk’s a no-no in my book, condensed or otherwise.
Personally I like Cafe Yejj for my espresso coffee. Ok, its a european style cafe, but the coffee comes from Siem Reap, you get the good karma of helping out “at risk women” and the Pain Au Chocolat is to die for! It makes a nice chnage from the Russian Market that’s for sure.