The Kampong Thom Table
The Stung Sen feeds the table. The sugar palms sweeten it. The villages cook it. This is Cambodian food at its most honest.
Four Things You Must Eat
The single dish that defines Kampong Thom for most visitors. The Stung Sen river produces unusually large freshwater prawns — grilled over charcoal and served whole, they arrive at the table still crackling. Sweet, smoky, and unlike anything you'll find in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. Order at least two per person.
Cambodia's most iconic dish — a steamed fish curry mousse cooked in banana leaf with coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime. Kampong Thom's version uses freshwater fish from the Stung Sen, giving it a cleaner, lighter flavour than coastal variants. The banana leaf absorbs heat slowly, producing a silky, custardy texture.
The Cambodian morning noodle soup — rice noodles in a pork or beef bone broth, topped with bean sprouts, spring onions, dried shallots, and your choice of additions. In Kampong Thom, vendors set up before 6AM and are usually sold out by 9. A bowl costs under $1.50. Eat it standing at the stall or carry it to the river.
Several homestay families and local guides offer cooking classes where you shop at the morning market, then cook amok, papaya salad, and a soup from scratch with a Cambodian host. Two to three hours, done by lunch, and you eat everything you make. One of the most direct ways to connect with Kampong Thom's culinary culture.
The Full Menu
The single dish that defines Kampong Thom for most visitors. The Stung Sen river produces unusually large freshwater prawns — grilled over charcoal and served whole, they arrive at the table still crackling. Sweet, smoky, and unlike anything you'll find in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. Order at least two per person.
Cambodia's most iconic dish — a steamed fish curry mousse cooked in banana leaf with coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime. Kampong Thom's version uses freshwater fish from the Stung Sen, giving it a cleaner, lighter flavour than coastal variants. The banana leaf absorbs heat slowly, producing a silky, custardy texture.
The Cambodian morning noodle soup — rice noodles in a pork or beef bone broth, topped with bean sprouts, spring onions, dried shallots, and your choice of additions. In Kampong Thom, vendors set up before 6AM and are usually sold out by 9. A bowl costs under $1.50. Eat it standing at the stall or carry it to the river.
Kampong Thom is Cambodia's palm sugar heartland — the province has more sugar palm trees per square kilometre than anywhere else in the country. Fresh palm sugar is harvested twice daily from the tops of the trees, boiled into a thick syrup, and set into small cakes wrapped in palm leaf. Nutty, caramel-sweet, and completely addictive. Buy directly from roadside producers.
Fresh-fermented rice noodles served cold with a fish-based green curry sauce, shredded banana flower, cucumber, and fresh herbs. Eaten almost exclusively in the morning, Num Banh Chok is often called 'Khmer noodles' and pre-dates modern Cambodian cuisine by centuries. A bowl in Kampong Thom is earthier and more herb-forward than the Phnom Penh version.
Whole fish — trey riel, trey andeng, or whatever is fresh that morning — stuffed with lemongrass and grilled directly over charcoal. Served with rice, pickled vegetables, and a bowl of prahok dipping sauce. This is the daily meal of fishing families along the Stung Sen and the most honest food you can eat in the province.
Stir-fried beef cubes in oyster and soy sauce, served on a bed of lettuce with sliced tomato and a fried egg, accompanied by a dipping sauce of lime juice, salt, and black pepper. A Cambodian standard — but Kampong Thom versions made with local beef tend to be more flavourful and better value than their Phnom Penh equivalents.
Several homestay families and local guides offer cooking classes where you shop at the morning market, then cook amok, papaya salad, and a soup from scratch with a Cambodian host. Two to three hours, done by lunch, and you eat everything you make. One of the most direct ways to connect with Kampong Thom's culinary culture.
Where to Eat
Phkay Preuk Restaurant
Best freshwater prawns in town — ask for the grilled giant prawns with tamarind.
Arunreas Restaurant
Reliable menu, English-language, great for groups — the fish amok here is consistently good.
Morning Market Stalls
Kuy Teav, Num Banh Chok, grilled corn, and palm sugar cakes — the whole of Kampong Thom's street food scene in one place.
Sambor Prei Kuk Village Food
Local family restaurants near the temple complex — fresh, simple, and the best value lunch you'll have in Cambodia.
Want to Cook It Yourself?
Join a 2–3 hour cooking class with a local family — market, kitchen, and the table. Book through our contact page.