A group of diners headed to Club Street for lunch and were led into an empty shophouse restaurant decked out with Asian table runners, Khmer Buddhist statues, Balinese wooden furniture, and lots of pillows. Through the course of our meal a few more tables were filled, making the atmosphere a little nicer. We examined the menu, ordered, and sat back to wait. The vegetarian spring rolls, both fried (cha gio chay) and fresh (goi cuon chay) were fresh, light and tasty, although the chili and peanut dipping sauce had too much spice. The first main course arrived a few minutes earlier than the others, but since it was a soup it stayed warm until the other dishes came. The canh bo vien (beef ball soup) was absolutely delicious: Fragrant and rich with a touch of sweetness. We couldn’t get enough. The mee Khmer chicken was not too oily but was nothing special. While it was up to standard, we weren’t particularly impressed with it. The ca ri chay or vegetable curry was also quite fragrant although not the best curry we’ve ever had, which was a shame as it wasn’t even the first choice for our vegetarian diner, whose initial preference was not available. On the other hand, the samla marakat or duck green curry was delicious. The fatty pieces of duck with its skin in a very rich coconut sauce were fragrant and eagerly soaked up our rice. We were already full, but still tried to make room for dessert. Between us, we all had a taste of the three different dessert items on the menu as well as ordering some very average cappuccinos and tea. The sticky rice with mango was warm and not too sweet. The pumpkin custard came with vanilla ice cream and was a pleasant but unusual combination. The banana fritter was crispy and warm, although also nothing particularly unusual. Overall, our experience here was fairly predictable for IndoChine: The service was efficient and good, although not great, some of the dishes were very nice but most of them were just competent and the atmosphere was like the entire meal; pleasant, if a little forgettable.
