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dicey eye

Rainy Season Diminished Portions

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dicey eye

A place I dine at on a semi-regular basis when I’m in Battambang is Ambrosia Café on Pub Street, elbow to elbow with the popular White Rose Eatery.

Ambrosia during the prime tourism months (late November, December, January and February) serves ample portions of their meal selections, though I’ve found on my last two visits there during rainy season the portions have gotten considerably smaller and their condiments have also shrunken quite a bit.

Last week I stopped by for the black bean and beef burrito plate. It was like an eatery stricken with “the incredible shrinking man†complex. Usually the burrito plate is huge, spilling off the dish with all kinds of beans, beef, lettuce, tomato and cilantro wrapped in a humongous tortilla. It’s usually a culinary bomb. Great!

Not during rainy season. The portion was nearly half its tourist season size. Come on, sure rainy season is rough, with scant customers, but cutting back on food portions to save a few cents is only going to alienate the regular clientele. And during rainy season every business in the hospitality trade needs to rely on their die-hard regular bunch.

I do find Chef Chenda’s meals appealing; tasty stuff. That said, as for me on my two week visit to Battambang in October I’m going take a pass on the mini burritos and wait till tourist season when the portions should gain back their weight loss before I try another black bean and beef burrito.  

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Parrothead

I went in the first time in a while, a couple of weeks back. Definitely, business is slow there and just about everywhere in town. The slowest month will be next month, according to some business owners I recently spoke with. 

 

Not sure how many prepare during the feast, for the famine that comes every year. All local businesses should do so, though, without question.

Edited by Paul

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phuketrichard

party today, for tomorrow u die

 

i have never seen anyone ever in se asia (locals) and many expats with small businesses  put away money from the high season for the low. even thou they know it comes every year

hence reason we see so many come up for sale come August-Sept

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dicey eye

The owner of the restaurant I critiqued works 30 hrs a week as a primary school teacher. He and his Cambodian wife operate two restaurants in BTB which both have a limited, though loyal expat clientele. He is a retired military person and a workaholic. 

I imagine his teaching salary helps tide him over in rainy season.

That said, a week and a half ago when I paid a brief visit to BTB, the expat regulars were moaning and groaning over the smaller sized portions. They are a loyal bunch so its unlikely they'll look elsewhere, but who knows?

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phuketrichard

do u think his salary as a primary schoolteacher even will cover the rent on his restaurants?

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Oz Jon

That said, a week and a half ago when I paid a brief visit to BTB, the expat regulars were moaning and groaning over the smaller sized portions. They are a loyal bunch so its unlikely they'll look elsewhere, but who knows?

 

Why don't you guys have a friendly word with the owner about the problem?

 

Maybe come up with a compromise solution? A win-win?

 

Got to be better solutions than just "mumbling in your beards" or not going to his restaurant?

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Parrothead

i have never seen anyone ever in se asia (locals) and many expats with small businesses  put away money from the high season for the low. even thou they know it comes every year

hence reason we see so many come up for sale come August-Sept

 

I was talking about that with a guy just two nights ago. People don't worry about anything during the feast. But, when famine comes, they come unglued. Budget during the high times and you will be carried through the low times. It's not rocket science, for sure. 

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dicey eye

He's been told by many people about the issue several times, to both him and his wife the overseer. It is not an unknown issue. When I got the last black bean and beef burrito I asked the boss (Chenda) why the portion was so small and why they had no condiments to make the burrito more Mexicanized. Only got a smile in response. Mr Green was at school teaching and I wasn't about to wait around for 3 hours till he returned. I was only in BTB 2 days, had a bunch of stuff to take care of in that small amount of time like paying Cebu's GF for teaching my wife English..

If I remember correctly one poster had a problem with Ganesha restaurant and the owner wasn't around when it happened so in that case as similar to my situation, he told the owner's  Khmer wife about the issue and never got around to notifying the owner.  

I told Chenda, no time to tell Mr Green; had to get back to Myanmar.

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Parrothead

 

 

I told Chenda, no time to tell Mr Green

 

You told the boss, then.

 

Unfortunately, Khmers, like other SEA's, will not heed a word of advice from us.

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