Honest to goodness goodness
Fresh, organic, locally sourced, healthy and incredibly tasty food: it’s here! ARTillery has built a menu around delivering the best food that they can find, adapted to suit different dietary needs, such as vegetarian, vegan, paleo, gluten-free or raw, and has somehow managed to wrap it up in a range of delicious dishes that are guaranteed to have you coming back for more.
Simple, unadorned goodness.
The philosophy is simple. It’s just about getting the best out of the food, so that it can get the best out of you — hardly a mad idea. Moreover, there is no proselytising or over-wraught earthiness here either. This is virtue without sanctimony, and we like that a lot. So to that end, you’ll find things like Mexican lentil lettuce wraps ($3.75), a summer garden salad packed with honeyed beetroot, crumbled goat cheese, cucumber, celery, olives, greens, gluten-free wholegrain, with a honey mustard drizzle ($4.50), a smashed avocado, rocket, tomato, pickled red onions and lime sandwich ($4.25), or maybe a gigantic plate of sparalised raw courgette, rich tomato sauce, cashew cheese and garlic infused olive oil ($6). The freshness of these dishes just bounds off the plates, as do the flavours.
Too nice to be naughty.
If you want to try to be naughty, try the key lime pie or raw passion fruit cheesecake, both of which still manage to feel good for you, so it’s a fairly low-level sin. The range of cold-pressed juices and smoothies beautifully round out any meal, and the staff here can work with you to develop a juice-cleanse programme if you wish.
Tucked down a little dog-leg lane on Street 240 — turn down at Cafe Sito — ARTillery is a pretty spot with a light Mediterranean feel, helped along by the rugged white walls, cerulean blue window fixtures and lovely shattered porcelain wall. The vibe is stylishly relaxed, more hipster than hippy, and endlessly comfortable.
Relaxed and comfortable vibe, with no pretensions.
There is another ARTillery, ARTillery II, on Street 278 near the corner of Street 57. Open from 07:00 to 22:00, they offer the same menu in a slightly more upscale venue.
Address: Alleyway of 240 1/2, No. 82E0 St, St 244, Phnom Penh
T: (078) 985 530
http://artillerycafe.com/
Coordinates (for GPS): 104º55'48.83" E, 11º33'37.33" N
See position in Apple or Google Maps: Apple Maps | Google Maps
Reviewed by
Nicky Sullivan
Nicky Sullivan is an Irish freelance writer (and aspiring photographer). She has lived in England, Ireland, France, Spain and India, but decided that her tribe and heart are in Cambodia, where she has lived since 2007 despite repeated attempts to leave. She dreams of being as tough as Dervla Murphy, but fears there may be a long way to go. She can’t stand whisky for starters. She was a researcher, writer and coordinator for The Angkor Guidebook: Your Essential Companion to the Temples, now one of the best-selling guidebooks to the temples.
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