Can you get a McMuffin in Cambodia? While you can now get McDonalds delivered to Cambodia, you still cannot get a McMuffin delivered. You can though as we recently found out get the next best thing, the new Pong Muffin.
To read why there is no McDonalds in Cambodia click here.
The world can be a funny place, although less funny haha since Covid and more weird funny. After chasing down the McDonalds delivery story an element of serendipity led me to Pong Cambodia, who it would appear have solved all my Cambodian breakfast issues.
Who are Pong Cambodia?
Pong Cambodia were set up in late 2020 as a standalone store in Phnom Penh that has now expanded to three locales in the capital, as well one in Siem Reap and Sihanoukville.
The overall aim was to make a unique and indigenous Khmer fast food-joint, much like many a country tries to do. What sets Pong apart though is instead of just trying to copy McDonalds, or KFC (yes we are looking at your Dicos), they not only invented their own dishes, but pretty much their own language too.
To read about Dicos click here .
Their main selling point when they first started was the Sandger, the what you say? Its a portmanteau of Sandwich and Burger. As in its in bread, but hot and has the kind of meats and eggs you would expect to appear in a burger. I have yet to try one, but I can assure you I will and it will very much get its own article.
And as for “Pong”, no sniggering please Pong means egg in Khmer, with most of the original dishes containing eggs, although they have since branched to into non-egg based things, like you would.
Can you get a McMuffin in Cambodia?
No you cannot, but you can get a Pong Muffin, which in our humble opinion at least knocks the socks off of anything Ronald McDonald and his cohorts have presented to the world.
Basically the guys at Pong liked the McMuffin and wanted to do their own take on it. Being intrepid entrepreneurs, they imported some McMuffins for research purposes..
Said muffins were then deconstructed and they got their Khmer chef to rebuild it slightly more suited to the local palate.
What flavors of Pong Muffin are there?
Sausage Muffin, Bacon and Egg, Egg and Sausage and the Deluxe Muffin, which includes all of the above. As you can see there has therefore been direct homage paid to the original McMuffin, but again with a new flair. I decided that for sheer professionalism it was only right and fair that I tried all flavors.
So how did it fare in a straight Pong Muffin vs McMuffin challenge?
Pong Muffin vs McDonalds Muffin
In the interests of impartiality here I have to add that I did not have a McDonalds Muffin with me to compare, so there could be no blind taste test, I was to merely go by memory alone.
Overall I preferred the Pong Muffin and controversial as it might seem I will list multiple reasons for this being so. The bread is softer and less chewy, the meat tasted far fresher and less processed than you would get at a regular McDonalds, but there was also the question of sheer presentation.
When you go into McDonalds at 7am in some random Asian city you are not very likely to be served something that even vaguely resembles the picture on the board. The Pong Muffin came out looking and tasting amazing. I honestly feel like the caveman did when he discovered fire, or Al Gore did when he invented the internet. There is finally a breakfast alternative to a cheap greasy fry-up for a barang like me.
Where oh where can you get a McMuffin in Cambodia?
Sorry I meant a Pong Muffin. They have three stores in Phnom Penh, one in Siem Reap and one in Sihanoukville, but there are more opening imminently if all goes to plan.
You can check out their Facebook here , as they are currently still working on their website (coming soon). They do though all open at 6.30 am and as well as the Muffin serve a great array of drinks, including your morning coffee fix.
Overall no McMuffin, no problem, Pong’s have stepped in with a superior dish. Pong’s regularly have special deals on and can be ordered through all the best food delivery apps in Cambodia. And that is breakfast and a coffee solved in Cambodia.
One less thing to worry about as we stare lockdown and Delta squarely in the face!