Rating: 
Summary: Better than Cambodian food...
Review: ..The food presented in this book is better than food that I ate in Cambodia when I visited for a week in 1997. I have tried to make two dishes thus far, the Ginger Chicken and Shrimp Toast. They are both easy to prepare and very tasty. The recipes are easy to follow and the book is well-organized for a cook living in the Western World. If the other recipes turn out as well, I would have to re-rate the book with 5 stars. It may not be authentic, I don't know enough to judge that. However, it's more important to be good than authentic and the dishes in here are.
Rating:
Summary: Better than Cambodian food...
Review: ..The food presented in this book is better than food that I ate in Cambodia when I visited for a week in 1997. I have tried to make two dishes thus far, the Ginger Chicken and Shrimp Toast. They are both easy to prepare and very tasty. The recipes are easy to follow and the book is well-organized for a cook living in the Western World. If the other recipes turn out as well, I would have to re-rate the book with 5 stars. It may not be authentic, I don't know enough to judge that. However, it's more important to be good than authentic and the dishes in here are.
Rating: 
Summary: Just like mom used to make....
Review: Although I just purchased this and have not started cooking yet, I find the selection of recipes very similar to what my mom used to cook for us. Glad I went ahead and purchased this book because I was never taugh how to prepare authentic Cambodian dishes growing up and this book will allow me to carry on the Cambodian ways of cooking. My fiancee who is Chinese enjoys every aspect of Cambodian food and she'll be absolutely delighted when I surprise her with some authentic cookings(without having to go to my mom's house). I will add a follow-up review after I start cooking and hopefully I won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Great book - very complete
Review: As my girlfriend is from Cambodia, I have looked for a source to learn to prepare some of the dishes her mother also makes, and I've managed to surprise her a couple of times with the mostly very authentic recipes that are in this book (not ALL dishes are perhaps uniquely or typically Khmer, but that does not change the merits of the book! (cfr. the other reader reviews)). The book is very complete, and a pleasure not only to use for cooking but also simply to browse and admire the pictures. For those who wish some extra sources of "authentic" khmer cuisine, I can recommend that they look for the book by Nusara Thaitawat (The Cuisine of Cambodia - I don't think it's on Amazon, but can be found on the internet) - they will find a great second book that also lists a large number of marvellous recipes, with equally exquisite pictures, but does presuppose some more familiarity with the ingredients and measures - which can be acquired by reading and using "The Elephant Walk" first.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly disappointed
Review: At first, I was very excited to have this book since it is rare to find and all. But after I read about what the author wrote...it is very, very unpleasant. To me, what she is saying is really looking down on all cambodians. In every Cambodian family, all the food are really the same. I'd love to try foods that are prepared by people in countryside and villages of cambodia. I believe that's where the best and authenthic cambodian food originate from. There's no such thing as a high class food or low class. Who is she to actually say that her family is the only family that eats french food in cambodia? And a family with a highly refined taste? And there is still a lot of cambodians who can cook, I believe, even better. Even after the khmer rouge...my grandmother is still alive and she still knows her recipes. But what I basically want to ask is that, what's with all these unequal classifications about cambodians?
Rating:
Summary: One of the best cookbooks I've ever used
Review: Being an avid cook and having visited Cambodia, I was thrilled to find this book. It is rare to find a cookbook (especially such a specialized one) where every recipe works as expected, where every ingredient is either available or has reasonable substitutes (and is fully documented in the glossary), and where the technique is described precisely. I cannot comment on authenticity, but the results are as I remember from Cambodia - the books has found the balance between authentic results and the limitations on available ingredients. This is one of the top 3 cookbooks I have ever used (the other two are Madhur Jaffrey's "Indian Cooking" and Julia Child's "The Way to Cook"). It is rare for me to find a recipe - let alone a whole book where I have no desire or need to make my own adjustments. This is one.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best cookbooks I've ever used
Review: Being an avid cook and having visited Cambodia, I was thrilled to find this book. It is rare to find a cookbook (especially such a specialized one) where every recipe works as expected, where every ingredient is either available or has reasonable substitutes (and is fully documented in the glossary), and where the technique is described precisely. I cannot comment on authenticity, but the results are as I remember from Cambodia - the books has found the balance between authentic results and the limitations on available ingredients. This is one of the top 3 cookbooks I have ever used (the other two are Madhur Jaffrey's "Indian Cooking" and Julia Child's "The Way to Cook"). It is rare for me to find a recipe - let alone a whole book where I have no desire or need to make my own adjustments. This is one.
Rating:
Summary: Nicely Done, but...
Review: Cambodians I have spoken with about The Elephant Walk Restaurant (upon which this cookbook is based) have been disappointed in the restaurant's high prices, and believe that much of the food does not represent traditional Cambodian fare. They have also commented on the lack of warmth exhibited by the owners towards less than aristocratic Cambodian patrons, and suggested the food has been modified to appeal to the American palate. As such, chances are you won't find many Cambodians eating at The Elephant Walk.Having said this, I have always enjoyed the flavorful and beautifully presented meals at The Elephant Walk Restaurant. The recipes in this cookbook look very tempting, and the photography is beautifully done.
Rating:
Summary: Even a white guy can cook like a Cambodian with this.
Review: Even a white guy can cook like a Cambodian with this.
The books very well laid out, easy to follow and could even be a coffee table book. It has a good cross reference to explanations of ingredients that even allow a Texan like myself to impress my Cambodian wife by cooking some dishes as well as her mother. It's a lot of fun trying anyway.
The people who wrote it are real nice. I couldn't find Prahok here in Miami, so I emailed them and they sold me a couple of jars from their store and took the time to ship it to me (at cost).
Rating:
Summary: Secrets of a nearly extinct quisine
Review: Having eaten at each of the three Elephant Walk restaurants in the Boston area, I have become an enthusiastic affectionado of Cambodian food. It is a real service to have this record of traditional aristocratic Cambodian quisine. The story of chef Lonteine De Monteiro and her family is interwoven with the recipies and is compelling reading. Through turmoil in South Asia and an unlikely string of coincidences, we have an opportunity to understand, experience and enjoy a style of cooking that was nearly lost. If you can't get to an Elephant Walk restaurant, or want to try for yourself, this is an excellent way to get to know these exciting dishes.
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