There's no shortage of restaurants around the Russian Market. You'll find quite a few western cafes, like Café Yejj and Yellow, as well as the cheap market stalls in the market and plenty of off-road local spots dishing out the ubiquitous rice and soupy meat.
But the new Vitking House vegetarian restaurant seems to be one of a kind in this neck of the woods. It possesses the western amenities of air-conditioning, comfortable seating and free wifi, but is priced like a local eatery..
Since it's across the road from my office, I discovered it on opening day when the colourful balloons announcing their arrival tempted me to stop by. Since then, I've been more times than I can count since I can have a full lunch for less than $2 and I can browse the internet or chat on Facebook at the same time.
While it may not be gourmet fare, it's a perfectly good meal and I've tasted the mixed noodle with garlic (R4500), the fried eggs with rice (R5500), the fried mixed vegetables (R5000), steamed dumplings filled with cabbage (R6500) and the ham sandwich made from Chinese straw mushrooms (R5500). There's even pan-fried fish with ginger dressing for R8500 which I haven't tried - yet - and an enormous selection of shakes (grapefruit, peach, pineapple, lychee), fresh juices (watermelon, pear, carrot, orange), iced teas (rose, lavender, wheat) and bubble teas.
The atmosphere easily rivals Toul Tom Poung's western cafes as you enter through glass doors, sit at heavy wooden chairs and tables (or on padded cushions on the floor) and observe a waterwall and fish swimming in a pond in the tiny courtyard. You'll hear accents from Australia, France, Italy and Britain as well as sit among local Cambodians having lunch (like most of my office). It's a pretty cosmopolitan spot to while away an hour or so and you certainly can't beat it for the price.
The Vitking House is located on Street 450 on the corner of Street 430. Phone: 023-22470