This restaurant advertises itself as also being a cooking school.
There are actually two Smokin’ Pots in Battambang – the original restaurant, and one called Another Smokin’ Pot about a block away.
During two stays in Battambang, totaling six weeks, the two Smokin’ Pots became our dining standard. The combination of food quality, low cost, and friendly staff made it the yardstick by which all other Battambang restaurants were measured. We kept trying to find something better or different, but always ended up coming back.
For vegetarians, there are suitable dishes already on the menu, but the staff is also willing to make adjustments. They also took a special request to make dishes with tofu, which they did not normally carry. The staff purchased tofu for us, and started working it into their soups, curries, and stir fries. I wouldn’t be surprised to see tofu dishes on the menu in the near future.
For beer, they had large bottles of Singha Beer from Thailand, for less than what it costs in Thailand ($2 versus around $2.66). They also had Chang from Thailand, and the standard selection of Cambodian beers.
Pricing is good. Take out the beer, and a lunch with two dishes, rice, and a large bottle of water ran about US $4.25.