Husband and wife duo serve burgers with a Khmer flair
PHNOM Penh burger joint Burger Moon has set itself a goal – ser v ing gourmet burgers at an affordable price.
Located behind Mao Tse Tung boulevard, Burger Moon, a popular ta keaway venue with limited seating, sits in a humble shop in which customers are welcomed by pictures of hamburgers oozing with cheese.
But Burger Moon prides itself on being dif ferent to ot her fast-food outlets ser v ing traditiona l burgers.
It is run by Bun Lyhoung and her husband, who spend much of their time in the k itchen preparing gourmet burgers with a Khmer t wist.
The husband and wife team are hands on in the k itchen, from baking buns to fr y ing patties.
“On average, between 200 and 300 customers v isit our shop ever y day, with foreigners making up only about 20 per cent of our customer base.
“Loca ls want to t r y how a Khmer burger tastes a nd most of them l i ke it. Many of t hem have become returning customers, especia l ly as our burgers a re compet it ively pr iced compared to fast-food cha i ns,” sa id 27-yea r-old Lyhoung.
Burger Moon has been in business for si x months, but before t hat Lyhoung had been selling burgers on t he street for one year.
“I started selling burgers from a small stand a long t he street. The affordable price and loca l flavour attracted people to come back for more. Their support helped us move into permanent premises.”
Deciding against attending universit y, Lyhoung said she found joy in running her small business as cooking is her passion.
“My childhood drea m was to open a hair sa lon or a not her small business t hat many women wish for.
“However, my family didn’t support my idea. I listened to t heir opinion and they supported my other passion, cooking,” Lyhoung reca lled.
“I l i ke cook i ng, especia l ly foreig n cuisi ne. I went to culinar y school a nd now I have mastered t he required culinar y sk i l ls to operate a burger restaura nt a nd rea lise my drea m of owning a small business,” she told The Post, while g r i l ling burgers a nd placing t hem in buns wit h a n assor t ment of vegetables.
Burger Moon serves freshlymade gourmet burgers featuring Khmer flavours, with each one made from scratch.
“I developed the recipe by combining my culinar y sk ills and t he experiences I learned from people who used to work in restaurants ser v ing hamburgers in the US.”
However, Lyhoung admitted that running a small business as a young woman is proving a challenge.
“It was not easy to start a business with only a small amount of capita l and minimal experience in managing employees. It’s even harder to decide which supplies are of good qualit y and reasonably priced.”
Stay ing true to her experience selling burgers on t he street, Lyhoung sticks to an affordable menu and prov ides fast ser v ice to her customers.
Burgers a nd side orders sta r t f rom $1 wit h a va r iet y of burger choices on of fer, including pork ($1), chicken ($1.25), beef ($ 2), as wel l as a burger wit h bacon ($1.75), a kebab burger ($1) a nd a cr ispy chicken burger ($1.75). Combinat ion meals a re a lso ava i lable f rom $ 2.50.
Side dishes include fried chicken wings or nuggets (both $1.75) and French fries ($1.87). Extra cheese, egg or bacon can a lso be added for $ 0.25 to $ 0.40.
With business going well, Lyhoung and her husband are already in the process of renovating Burger Moon’s first branch.
“Renovation for the new restaurant will finish soon. It’ll be a bigger space wit h a nice interior for people to enjoy affordable home-made burgers in a pleasant and comfortable env ironment,” she said.
Burger Moon is located on Street 402 behind the Vanda Institute of Accounting.
The restaurant is open from 9am to 9pm. Customers can contact t he restaurant v ia telephone (015219010 or 012380388). Orders above $10 are delivered free.