SIEM REAP, Cambodia – The moment I have my first taste of num banhchok, I am convinced: this is one of the best rice noodle dishes I have tasted. The noodles are extremely soft and fluffy, like biting into a marshmallow rather than hor fun. They are packed with the fresh flavour of rice, which even the lemongrass fish curry broth fails to overwhelm.

As my eyes widen in surprise, Himanshu Kapoor, the general manager of Park Hyatt Siem Reap, who had brought us here, laughs. “See what I mean?”

I had been wondering why he and his team had been making such a fuss over the num banhchok served in the village of Preah Dak just outside Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, but now I know why. While this traditional Khmer rice noodle dish can be found throughout Cambodia, this particular version, apparently handmade by several families in the village, is especially famous.

“They make it fresh every day, without preservatives, so what you’re eating now was probably made this morning,” says Himanshu. “It’s sold out every day. Our hotel chefs have been trying to replicate it, but somehow, we just can’t match it.”

Knowing the story behind Preah Dak’s num banhchok elevates my experience of the dish. More than just a bowl of tasty rice noodles, it has become a story in itself. When a second bowl is proffered, I do not even attempt token resistance.

The same is true of my visit to Angkor Archaeological Park, the site of the temple city that served as the capital of the Khmer empire from the 9th to the 15th century. (Strictly speaking, Angkor Wat refers to the most famous temple in the archaeological park, but is also frequently used to describe the entire site.)

Although this is my third trip here, it is the first time I am getting a behind-the-scenes look at the work of conservation and restoration on the ruins popularised by French explorer Henri Mouhot in 1860.