Skip to content

The Perpetual Saturday

A Cost-Conscious Malaysian Blog

  • Home
  • Food Reviews
    • Malaysian Food
    • Western Food
    • Boba Tea
    • Pork Free
    • Alcohol Served
    • Pork Served
    • Brunch
    • Bar
    • Hawker Food
    • Cheap Eats
    • Not Recommended
  • Malaysia
    • Kuala Lumpur
      • Kuala Lumpur Restaurants
      • Kuala Lumpur Attractions
      • Hiking in Kuala Lumpur
      • Shopping Malls
      • Events
    • Penang
      • Penang Restaurants
      • Penang Attractions
      • Hiking in Penang
      • Magpie Residence Review
    • Langkawi
      • Langkawi Restaurants
      • Langkawi Attractions
      • Pelangi Resort Review
      • De Balqis Resort Review
      • Duty-Free Shopping
    • Ipoh
      • Ipoh Restaurants
      • Ipoh Attractions
      • Hiking in Ipoh
    • Sabah
      • Sabah Attractions
  • Southeast Asia
    • Singapore
      • Singapore Attractions
      • Singapore Restaurants
      • Marina Bay Sands Review
    • Thailand
      • Phuket
        • Phuket Attractions
        • Phuket Restaurants
        • Naithonburi Resort Review
        • The Memory at On On Hotel Review
    • Indonesia
      • Bali Attractions
      • Bali Restaurants
      • Free Attractions in Bali
      • Waterfalls in Bali
    • Cambodia
      • Angkor Temple Guides
      • Cambodia Attractions
      • Cambodia Restaurants
      • E-Hailing in Cambodia
  • Europe
    • Germany
      • Germany Attractions
    • Austria
      • Austria Attractions
      • Austria Restaurants
  • Hiking
  • Hotel Reviews
  • Advice & Opinions
  • Toggle search form

La Bruschetta, Siem Reap

Posted on By The Perpetual Saturday No Comments on La Bruschetta, Siem Reap

The Khmer sister duo at this modest Siem Reap eatery serve up impressively genuine and affordable Italian fare.

Is it wrong to be so surprised that such mouthwatering Italian food comes from Cambodian hands? La Bruschetta is in the middle of the action, steps away from night markets and Pub Street, but has a humble location on subdued Street 07.

Ambience & Amenities

The restaurant is like you’re sitting at nonna’s dining table, waiting while she “whips you up a little something to eat.” There’s no secret kitchen down the hall or service windows. You can see and smell all your food being prepared at the small counter at the back of the restaurant. The wooden cutting boards hanging on the wall as decorations actually get used by the chef as she needs them. At first, I thought it was impossible to whip up arancini and a pizza (from scratch!) in a small space with nothing but a deli slicer, fryer and a toaster oven, but when you think about it, that’s really everything an Italian mammina needs.

When dining here, I wouldn’t say the ambience is the greatest. It’s a small space that will probably require you to get cosy with your neighbours if it’s busy. The hard wooden chairs and drab floors and walls don’t conjure an inviting mood. If you’re on the patio and the rain picks up, the thatched straw awning will leak and you’ll be forced inside.

If you’re worrying like I was where the hell the bathroom could be, it’s out the door to the right of the kitchen. It’s down an outdoor alley with a tiny sink set up and a little hut for the toilet at the end.

Menu

The menu is spread out over these blackboards above the kitchen and out on the patio. There’s also a small but comprehensive menu attached to a clipboard that will be on the table, which mostly features what you already see on the blackboard but has some new items. A couple of these clipboard dishes were not available when we visited, so the clipboard items are likely seasonal or limited quantity foods, whereas the blackboard food you can assume will be available all the time.

La Bruschetta menu, Siem Reap
La Bruschetta menu, Siem Reap

For those of us with Malaysian Ringgit in our bank accounts, the food in Cambodia is not any cheaper for us with the exchange rate. However, the antipasti at La Bruschetta is worth dropping a few bucks for. Arancini, deep fried risotto balls with cheese in the middle, are hard to find in Kuala Lumpur, so to get one for RM10 is pretty good. The best deals are the cheese and meat platters. In Malaysia, you’ll only find those at upper crust Italian restaurants… or those priced as one. You’ll be paying upwards of RM45 for cheese and RM60 for meat, and that’s at the severely low end where you’ll be getting a dinky plate with little variety. I’m pretty sure that in every country except for Italy itself, a cheese or meat platter for $7 and $8 respectively is a bargain and just makes financial sense.

Food

Food at La Bruschetta, Siem Reap
From left: eggplant & balsamic, olive & sun-dried tomato, anchovy & chili oil ($4)

We ordered their namesake Bruschetta ($4), which you can pick three toppings out of a total seven. It comes, unconventionally, on toast but the loaf is apparently homemade. The standout of the three was the olive and sun-dried tomato pâté. These two ingredients on their own are packed with so much flavour. Combining them into a creamy pâté that melts in your mouth means each bite really ignites every tastebud. The eggplant and mint was a close second, with balsamic vinegar infusing the usually bland-tasting eggplant to make it something worth noticing and the mint cutting any excess sourness from the balsamic. The anchovy and chili oil was last only because it was exactly what you’d expect it to taste like. That’s not a bad thing! There was still a “yum” factor, just no “wow” factor with this one.

Food at La Bruschetta, Siem Reap
Arancini ($2.50)

Arancini ($2.50 each) is my favourite, and if it is ever on a menu, it will be drawn into my mouth’s gravitational pull. The arancini at La Bruschetta is a hefty morsel the size of a baseball, with a generous helping of marinara sauce on the side. The outer shell was perfectly fried, keeping its shape and needing only slight pressure from my knife to cut through. My only criticism was that the cheese in the middle wasn’t quite melted enough for my liking. The risotto surrounding it was nicely cooked, but being deep in the middle of so much dense risotto left the cheese a little cool and rubbery.

Food at La Bruschetta, Siem Reap
Diavola pizza ($3)

La Bruschetta fries their pizza, giving the dough and crust a nice crispiness. Taking advantage of how expensive salami is back home, we got a simple Diavola Pizza ($3) to share. The pizzas are small, personal sized ones, so don’t be expecting giant pies that you can share among a table for six. Did it remind me of authentic Italian style pizza? Not really, as it was already going against tradition by frying it, but the pizza was delicious for what it was.

Saturday Worthy?

I’m still impressed by La Bruschetta‘s hearty, unpretentious food – the way Italian food is supposed to be. The chef herself learned how to cook Italian cuisine from an actual Italian mother. That’s pretty legit. When biting into the food, you can almost hear an Italian mama ask, “when are you getting married?”

Price for 2 pax (USD): $9.50

Bruschetta set: $4.00
Arancini: $2.50
Diavola pizza: $3.00

La Bruschetta, Siem Reap

La Bruschetta

Street 07 Number 247, Krong, Siem Reap
Daily: 11am – 11pm
Alcohol Served: Yes

Cambodia, Cambodia Restaurants, Food Reviews Tags:Alcohol Served, Cheap Eats, Italian Food, Restaurant Reviews, Siem Reap

Post navigation

Previous Post: Cambodia & Angkor Park Travel Video
Next Post: Guide to Banteay Srei

Explore More Posts

Alcoholic Ice Cream at LaLaPop @ LaLaport Mall Food Reviews
Naithon Beach Club Restaurant, Nai Thon Beach Food Reviews
Me’Nate Steak Hub, Ampang Food Reviews
Tunk-ka Cafe, Phuket Food Reviews
Dapur Raja, Ubud Bali Restaurants
Zaomi Fresh Donut: The Best Donuts in Langkawi! Food Reviews

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About the Author

I’m Cheryl and I live The Perpetual Saturday! I’ll be eating, hiking and exploring my way all over the globe so you can make informed decisions about whether you want to visit a place or not. You only get so many Saturdays in life – make them count!

You can read more about me and this blog here.

Search ThePerpetualSaturday.com

The Perpetual Saturday on Instagram

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5p1qekyijg
  • Follow on Wordpress

Copyright © 2025 The Perpetual Saturday.

Powered by PressBook Blog WordPress theme