Phnom Penh Restaurant

Malis Mam stands barely 5 feet, and seems to always have on white cooks' clothes — not a chef's coat — but the kind of clothes a baker's apprentice often wears: white pants or jeans, a white shirt and a white hat. The dining room of her restaurant, Phnom Penh, is rarely crowded, making it easy to hear her bustling around in the kitchen. Nal Yun, her husband, loyally guards the front room, waiting on tables and serving customers.