Bopha Devi Yarraville

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
The brightly coloured exterior of Bopha Devi opens into a small space with a couple of tiny tables and chairs, and larger tables with bench seating. However, the simplicity of the setting isn’t reflected in the menu which offers a wide choice of Cambodian dishes. The flavours in the dishes are an amalgam of aromatic spices, vegetables, coconut and “your choice of protein” as the menu says.

The spicy noodles, for example, come with a choice of chicken, beef or tofu, or a slightly more expensive version with scallops, fish or prawns. In addition, there will be a range of wok-cooked seasonal vegetables and enough chilli to warm the throat, but not to set it on fire. The char trop combines eggplant and rice with meat or fish; the saramann is a fragrant blend of five-spice, turmeric, lemongrass, lime leaves and coconut cream. The pumpkin-filled wontons served with chilli sauce are a great start to a meal. This is appealing fresh-tasting food at very fair prices. The wine and beer list is well-chosen and would suit a much larger establishment. Bhopa Devi also has a larger sister restaurant at Docklands.

Rita Erlich