Taste

First off, we'll talk about general taste. If you're coming from Europe and eat local Cambodian food for the first time, you might notice something: Cambodian dishes have strong flavor. If the food was meant to be salty, you know you should take just a small bite at a time. That might be a good idea. Southeast Asia has been known to be the native home of many seasoning and ingredients. They are very cheap, comparing to their western price, therefore, Cambodians are not on the mean side when talking about the amount of seasoning. Some dishes are bitter. "Amok", which is a mixture of minced fishes, seasonings and leaves with creamy texture, is one of the best known food in Cambodia. You might find it only in an upscale canteen. By the way, spiciness is not that intense as it is in Thailand. Most of the time, vendors will ask you if you would like spice or chili in the dish, or simply they will put a jar of chili on the table separately so you can add them the way you want it. Side seasoning which you can find on the tables of almost every canteen you come across is soy sauce which is not the same variant in Japan or China. Soy sauce made locally do not contain alcohol and have a strong salty taste. One more side seasoning is red hot chili pepper which is mostly fried and put into a glass jar. The level of spiciness is varying. You should take a small try before going deep hand. Fish sauce, a salty solution made from fermented fishes, is also a popularity. It mostly serves as a sauce or a replacement to salt. Black pepper is also a very good addition in most tables. There are also some other side seasonings as well. If you don't know what it is, just ask.

Utensils and Tools

Most of Cambodian uses spoon and forks just like you. Noodles are fairly common in Cambodian cuisine. If you stumble upon "Num Banh Jok" (literally Feeding Noodle) for example, you might be given chopsticks to serve yourself. In some dishes such as spring roll, or dishes that require wrapping, all you need is your fingers. Observe the people around you. Most of them are more than happy to teach you if they notice you're tourist.

Omelet-wrapped fried vegetable rice (Vegan food)

Breakfast

For breakfast, there are two popular local dish: either steamed rice with grilled pork +/- egg OR noodle soup (KUY TEAV). There is also western breakfast such as sandwich, croissant, coffee break etc. If you prefer the local type, you can find local vendor who set up his/her tables almost in every corner of the road between 6.30AM to 9AM. Some vendors operate in an enclosed house while the cheaper variant has only one table with stools lining up. For Kuy Teav, most of the time, they will sell in a canteen or restaurant. You will see a crowd of people in any particular canteen in the morning. Croissant, baguette are sold in many bakeries in town. Try Google Maps to find your nearest baker's. A good cappuccino is found in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanouk Ville only. If you're going far into the province, they will not even know what a Latte or a Cappuccino is. However, they have cheap cafe everywhere. They do not have a certain type of coffee for you to order. You just simply order a "strong coffee with light milk and sugar" or "black iced coffee, no sugar". A glass is usually below 1$. Sometime you should try the local brew.

Lunch

If you do not know any restaurant or any place to eat for lunch, a rule of thumb is to go around the market. There should be food vendors out there around market to serve you already-cooked lunch or made-to-order dish. They might not have sign. But if you see some big metal pots lying around the table in the front desk, chance is that would be a canteen. Also, keep in mind that canteen which serve Kuy Teav in the morning might possibly serve lunch. Cambodian locals do not have separated set of courses like its Western counterpart. They will order main dishes directly and all dishes will be put on the table and serve at once.

Food Safety

Talking about the food safety for local restaurant, it could get pretty complicated. Well, if you totally have no idea if that is the place serve food that will not make you guard the toilet all night long, you can just observe the places : Any local restaurants with many locals inside are usually just fine.
Remember that this is a tropical country, so as food. Fresh, no-freezing-need, and also the contaminated bacteria. Anyways, there are many 24h clinics and pharmacies here just in case.

What else do  you want us to know? Write us in the comment.