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Eat and meet at Kampot

Kampot has a reasonable selection of places to eat and drink, with most of them running along the River Rd between the post office and the old bridge.

While Sri Lankan food isn't the first thing you may think of when you think of Kampot, the Bamboo Light Cafe continues to dish out excellent Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine. This is food you'd travel across a capital city to get to, but it's being served up in a little tasteful shopfront in downtown Kampot instead. The Sri Lankan-style roti is the specialty, a spicy dish made of strips of flatbread, veggies and meat. The decor is better than most, with a thatched ceiling and light fixtures made of bamboo. Prices are reasonable and the service is friendly -- the cook insisted on serving us fresh food and told us candidly what she made best.

Heading north from Bamboo Light you'll reach a trio of foreigner-friendly restaurants -- Coco House, Say Sa Bok and Jasmine. All do a mix of Khmer and international food. Coco has the best location, but there's really little to separate the three, although Say Sa Bok is closed in rainy season. Jasmine's steaks are popular among expats. It offers WiFi access and has a knowledgeable owner, Mark, who plays old movies on a big screen one night a week. Further north again, the Little Garden Bar has a small, well shaded cafe/restaurant on the corner and probably stands out for its sandwiches. If you're heading up Bokor, drop by here to pick up some pre-packaged meals for the trip up -- and try their pizza when you get back.

At the southern end of the riverside strip you'll find Bokor Mountain Lodge, Bonkors, Rusty Keyhole and Rikitikitavi. Bokor Lodge is our favourite for a streetside sundowner, while Rikitikitavi gets the vote for a splash out meal. Bonkors was closed for several months in mid-2009 but we heard the owner plans to reopen or perhaps sell the place. Rusty Keyhole is by far the most popular restaurant along the strip, overflowing with customers while others remain empty. NGO folk living in Kampot congregate there nightly to devour the famed "Rusty ribs."

In off the river, the Epic Arts Cafe offers good meals along with homemade cakes and other snackies. The breakfasts are quite good and we recommend the bagels with apple cream cheese. It's part of a project involving deaf and disabled communities and profits go to a couple of associations working with disadvantaged people.

Piggies, sandwiched between Bonkors and Rusty Keyhole, opened in June 2009, and serves $2.25 jugs of Anchor draft during happy hour, as well as the "best spaghetti/pizza/steak in town" according to a sign hanging out front.

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