A different sort of sandwich

A different sort of sandwich

Written by Stephanie Mee

MONDAY, 22 JUNE 2009

The Lunch Box in Phnom Penh offers an experience altogether beyond lettuce, tomato and meat on bread – gourmet meals amid unpretentious surroundings Photo by: Stephanie Mee Co-owners of The Lunch Box, Thoeun Soeun and Eliza Mealey. SANDWICH orders in many of Phnom Penh's restaurants and cafes generally consist of the ubiquitous baguette or plain white bread with mandatory lettuce and tomato, and a choice of meat. In fact, most of the time it hardly matters where the sandwich is ordered, as the basic formula is the same across the board. Bona fide foodies will rejoice, then, that Phnom Penh's newest lunch spot, The Lunch Box, has dared to deviate from the norm, offering many hard-to-come-by gourmet ingredients and home-cooked specials in a shady garden setting next to Wat Lanka. "The idea was simple really," said Eliza Mealey, owner of the Lunch Box and a native of Brisbane, Australia. "I wanted to open a place where I could offer food that I really miss from home, things like creative deli-style sandwiches with a variety of fresh breads, vegetables, meats, cheeses and condiments to choose from, and unique specials - things that people might not necessarily find in many other eateries around the capital." Diners at the Lunch Box can opt to construct their own sandwich using a myriad of ingredients from the brightly lit refrigerated display case or try one of the cafe's original concoctions from the menu board displayed above the cosy wooden bar.