Chicken Wings, Sashimi and Yakatori (by G)

As I'm staying in a Japanese Hotel/Restaurant in Phnom Phen (OsakaYa) it was only a matter of time before I ate there for dinner.  Last night, after careful inspection of the menu, I decided on getting some of my favorites.  As the photographs show - the salt and pepper chicken wings were really crispy and impossible for me to eat elegantly with chopsticks so I ate them with my hands like to big, hairy Western oaf that I am.

The sashimi plate came with salmon, tuna and squid (with a piece of kombu inside) - the salmon was far and away the best of the plate.

The yakatori skewers were, of course, excellent.

Anyone who knows me knows that one of my few ambitions in life is for my last mouthful of food to be Salmon Sashimi - so to be on the safe side I ordered a plate of that later in the night. The salmon was as good as the best salmon I've ever had - exactly the right temperature - the perfect last bite.

 

Sadly the restaurant has not been very busy since opening a few months ago and the owner/chef asked me for my comments on how to improve it. I've seen a lot of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares'' and two episodes of Michel Roux's excellent series 'Service' and jumped at the chance. My last suggestion was very well received.  Instead of having to hunt around for someone when I want another drink it would be good if the wait staff came and asked if I would like another drink - it would improve drink sales also.
'You give me a great idea', said the owner and gave me the next beer on the house.