Comments on: Bopha Devi, Melbourne http://www.phnomenon.com/index.php/cambodian-food/restaurants/bopha-devi-melbourne/ Khmer food, restaurant reviews and recipes served to you from Phnom Penh by Phil Lees Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:38:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Allan Lim http://www.phnomenon.com/index.php/cambodian-food/restaurants/bopha-devi-melbourne/#comment-36018 Allan Lim Sat, 22 Sep 2007 10:33:27 +0000 http://www.phnomenon.com/?p=213#comment-36018 Hi, I agree that the food at Bopha Devi was appalling.. I had the Beef Skewers as an entree and Fish Amok as I was craving Amok after returning from Cambodia... It was a huge let down!!! (I'm Cambodian hehehe)... i see that Bopha Devi caters for the Western folks as the flavours have been dramatically TONED down... whereas at Purple Orchid in Springvale (Melbourne Southeastern Suburbs 25km from the city) the flavours are more authentic and with that more preferable hjehehe Hi, I agree that the food at Bopha Devi was appalling.. I had the Beef Skewers as an entree and Fish Amok as I was craving Amok after returning from Cambodia… It was a huge let down!!!

(I’m Cambodian hehehe)… i see that Bopha Devi caters for the Western folks as the flavours have been dramatically TONED down…

whereas at Purple Orchid in Springvale (Melbourne Southeastern Suburbs 25km from the city) the flavours are more authentic and with that more preferable hjehehe

]]> By: Phil http://www.phnomenon.com/index.php/cambodian-food/restaurants/bopha-devi-melbourne/#comment-25188 Phil Wed, 06 Jun 2007 10:15:31 +0000 http://www.phnomenon.com/?p=213#comment-25188 Over at shirty food enthusiast site, <a href="http://oad.typepad.com/oa/2007/02/geoffrey_chodor.html">Opinionated about Dining</a> there's a bit about the "controversy" around NYT's Frank Bruni and "expert status"in food reviewing more generally. For anyone who doesn't follow food reviewers as if they're rock stars, Frank Bruni has caused a bit of a stir because his background isn't in a life steeped in food criticism. From <a href="http://oad.typepad.com/oa/2007/02/geoffrey_chodor.html">OAD</a>: <blockquote> During the meal, my dining companion and I started chatting with the couple sitting at the next table. As it turned out, one of them was a restaurant critic for a major London daily (and a name I'm sure everyone would know if I published it.) We started chatting about various restaurants in Britain, and I asked for his thoughts about the Fat Duck, which had recently recieved a third Michelin star, and Anthony's of Leeds, a restaurant that everyone in London who cared about fine dining had visited (including me and I live in New York.) He responded by telling me he hadn't been to either one of them, that he does London exclusively for the paper, and those two restaurants are "outside of his territory" I have to say his answer shocked me. Here was a major London paper willing to imply they were giving readers expert dining advice, when the person giving the advice couldn't qualify as an expert.</blockquote> Obviously, I'll never qualify as expert because I'm born on the wrong side of the planet, away from the best pretentious wankery that food criticism has to offer. Over at shirty food enthusiast site, Opinionated about Dining there’s a bit about the “controversy” around NYT’s Frank Bruni and “expert status”in food reviewing more generally. For anyone who doesn’t follow food reviewers as if they’re rock stars, Frank Bruni has caused a bit of a stir because his background isn’t in a life steeped in food criticism. From OAD:

During the meal, my dining companion and I started chatting with the couple sitting at the next table. As it turned out, one of them was a restaurant critic for a major London daily (and a name I’m sure everyone would know if I published it.) We started chatting about various restaurants in Britain, and I asked for his thoughts about the Fat Duck, which had recently recieved a third Michelin star, and Anthony’s of Leeds, a restaurant that everyone in London who cared about fine dining had visited (including me and I live in New York.) He responded by telling me he hadn’t been to either one of them, that he does London exclusively for the paper, and those two restaurants are “outside of his territory”

I have to say his answer shocked me. Here was a major London paper willing to imply they were giving readers expert dining advice, when the person giving the advice couldn’t qualify as an expert.

Obviously, I’ll never qualify as expert because I’m born on the wrong side of the planet, away from the best pretentious wankery that food criticism has to offer.

]]> By: Jam-ez http://www.phnomenon.com/index.php/cambodian-food/restaurants/bopha-devi-melbourne/#comment-25100 Jam-ez Wed, 06 Jun 2007 01:28:07 +0000 http://www.phnomenon.com/?p=213#comment-25100 One might review a Chinese restaurant with their culinary experience of Chinese food at its source confined to a weekend in Hong Kong, but would seriously risk doing as good a job as Downes has done with Bopha Devi. It is not necessarily a disadvantage to have not visited the country whose food a restaurant purports to recreate, as long as you resist the urge to make pronouncements about authenticity. The Murdoch hack in question failed to resist this urge. One might review a Chinese restaurant with their culinary experience of Chinese food at its source confined to a weekend in Hong Kong, but would seriously risk doing as good a job as Downes has done with Bopha Devi. It is not necessarily a disadvantage to have not visited the country whose food a restaurant purports to recreate, as long as you resist the urge to make pronouncements about authenticity. The Murdoch hack in question failed to resist this urge.

]]> By: Phil http://www.phnomenon.com/index.php/cambodian-food/restaurants/bopha-devi-melbourne/#comment-23496 Phil Thu, 31 May 2007 03:28:25 +0000 http://www.phnomenon.com/?p=213#comment-23496 I think the "what qualifies you to review food?" is probably one of the more interesting debates that tends to arise around food blogging any time somebody writes a bad (or vaguely controversial) review, or whenever blogging has a run in with the mainstream press. One of the great things about reviewing Asian food is that the different cuisines tend to be linked together. For instance, if you've got a good knowledge of Thai or Southern Vietnamese food, you'll start to see where they influenced (or are influenced by) Cambodian food. I've only eaten Burmese food a handful of times, but I could guess where it is coming from. It's not necessarily a disadvantage to have not been to a country before reviewing its cuisine. You come to it fresh, you're not burdened with memories of what makes something "authentic" or not. It certainly helps if you've got an idea of the base ingredients and can at least have some level of objectivity. I think the “what qualifies you to review food?” is probably one of the more interesting debates that tends to arise around food blogging any time somebody writes a bad (or vaguely controversial) review, or whenever blogging has a run in with the mainstream press.

One of the great things about reviewing Asian food is that the different cuisines tend to be linked together. For instance, if you’ve got a good knowledge of Thai or Southern Vietnamese food, you’ll start to see where they influenced (or are influenced by) Cambodian food. I’ve only eaten Burmese food a handful of times, but I could guess where it is coming from.

It’s not necessarily a disadvantage to have not been to a country before reviewing its cuisine. You come to it fresh, you’re not burdened with memories of what makes something “authentic” or not. It certainly helps if you’ve got an idea of the base ingredients and can at least have some level of objectivity.

]]> By: Culture shock « Details are Sketchy http://www.phnomenon.com/index.php/cambodian-food/restaurants/bopha-devi-melbourne/#comment-23484 Culture shock « Details are Sketchy Thu, 31 May 2007 02:43:36 +0000 http://www.phnomenon.com/?p=213#comment-23484 [...] May 31st, 2007 Phil is in Australia. Being the incorrigible Cambodian food junkie that he is, he quickly made his way to the “local” Khmer restaurant. So what does Cambodia’s leading food critic think of Melbourne’s leading Cambodian restaurant? Bopha Devi has had a fistful of favourable reviews in the Melbourne food press. If you hadn’t already gathered, this isn’t going to be one of them. [...] [...] May 31st, 2007 Phil is in Australia. Being the incorrigible Cambodian food junkie that he is, he quickly made his way to the “local” Khmer restaurant. So what does Cambodia’s leading food critic think of Melbourne’s leading Cambodian restaurant? Bopha Devi has had a fistful of favourable reviews in the Melbourne food press. If you hadn’t already gathered, this isn’t going to be one of them. [...]

]]> By: Ed http://www.phnomenon.com/index.php/cambodian-food/restaurants/bopha-devi-melbourne/#comment-23442 Ed Wed, 30 May 2007 23:40:50 +0000 http://www.phnomenon.com/?p=213#comment-23442 I don't think SD has been to Cambodia. It's a funy thing here with reviewers that they can pluck a score out of the air without any knowledge of the cuisine. Only last week a friend in the business was debating this. What happens if you order the wrong thing or take the food out of context? There again I suppose I would review a Chinese restaurant and I've only ever been to Hong Kong for a weekend. I don’t think SD has been to Cambodia. It’s a funy thing here with reviewers that they can pluck a score out of the air without any knowledge of the cuisine. Only last week a friend in the business was debating this. What happens if you order the wrong thing or take the food out of context? There again I suppose I would review a Chinese restaurant and I’ve only ever been to Hong Kong for a weekend.

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