When it’s as hot in Siem Reap as it has been lately (though do we dare for a respite after the last few days of storms), there’s not a great deal you can do except restrict movement as much as possible (mainly so that you don’t skid in great lakes of your own sweat and break important things like a neck), and take in as many liquids as you can. Which sounds like a perfect prescription for going to the pub if you ask me. But because we like to pretend, on occasion, that class isn’t completely out of style, we thought we’d focus on the best spots to go for a glass of wine. And remember, the bucket is for the ice.

Chilling out at Le Malraux.

The Station on Street 7 changed hands almost a year ago when it was taken over by an Australian fellow who knows more than a thing or two about his wines. As a result, you’ll find here the longest list of wines by the glass in town as well as a huge selection of 100 bottles, which includes some real stars. Wine fans should not dream of missing this place while they’re here. If all this sounds perhaps a little intimidating, the wine list also contains tasting notes on many of the selections to help you make your pick, and deepen your knowledge all at the same time.

The Station also hosts ladyboy revues on Friday and Saturday nights, with acclaimed theatrical performances of dance, song and comedy. The shows start at 21:00, but getting there early is recommended.

Across the road from The Station, you’ll find Le Malraux. Going here for a glass of wine is more about ambiance than grapes. The wine list is short, but well-selected, and the house wines are excellent and very good value at $3.50 a glass. It’s too rare that you find restaurants with sufficient respect for their customers that they offer them house wines that are this good. But the main reason you go to Malraux is to relax into the classic and romantic continental vibe at which this place excels in creating. Its design is a work of genius and you can choose from an al fresco patio, thickly hung with glorious orchids, or a slightly more formal brasserie setting indoors, or take your place at the long and chatty bar, or the low-slung café style seating in between, whatever takes your fancy. The service is always excellent, and the aperitif snacks that are offered along with your evening drink divine.

Picasso is a small wine bar on Alley West with a Spanish theme, and a very convivial U-shaped bar. Their wine list is also short, but the sangria is the star – you can drink and tell your mum you’re getting your daily allowance of fruit at the same time. It may take a lot of sangria to reach the five portions recommended, but if it’s what the doctor ordered... To help you wash down the wine, they also have excellent tapas here, including Iberico ham, olives, roasted red peppers, pickles and, of course, patatas bravas.

Real wine hounds should head to the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, where they boast of one of the largest wine cellars in Southeast Asia. Raffles Le Grand is the only hotel in Cambodia to receive the coveted Two Glass Award of Excellence from the US Wine Spectator, and one of only 833 establishments in the world to currently hold the award; not bad for a hot and dusty town in the middle of nowhere.

The Station Wine Bar
Street 7, Old Market Area
T: 097 850 4043

Le Malraux
Street 7, Old Market Area
T: (063) 966 041
E: info@le-malraux-siem-reap.com

Picasso
Alley West, Old Market Area

Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor
#1, Charles de Gaulle
T: (063) 963 888

Tags: Alley West, Le Malraux, Picasso, Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, The Station, wine

The English have a quaint little phrase to the effect that horses sweat, men perspire, but women glow. Which is all very well if your name happens to be Fanny or Violet, but I actually thought I might be the first person in history to be electrocuted by their own body fluids as I slaved over a hot computer the other day in Siem Reap. Even my phone got heat-stroke; which is as good an excuse for not calling my father as I’ve ever had.

It's getting a little bit hot around here.

Public displays of sweating that gushes rather than glistens can be unnerving when you’re not used to it. I wore nothing but black for my first few years in Asia, not as a Goth revivalist but for fear of being that person with the enormous damp patch on their arse that everyone on the bus silently laughs at, before suddenly realising that they have to get up too. And how exactly do you check whether you’ve got a great soggy bum without the whole world knowing what you’re doing? I haven’t worked that one out yet.

Avoidance is therefore the best strategy, which is why the good gods invented air-con (the bad ones invented polyester, in case you’re wondering). Oddly enough though, bars and restaurants with air-con units are pretty thin on the ground in Siem Reap, possibly something to do with electricity in Cambodia being among the most expensive in the world. So, if you’re at melting/breaking point, here’s where to go:

If you can't get yourself one of these ...

Cafe Central: They’ve just installed windows and air-con which, together with the fastest WiFi connection that I know of in town, their excellent coffee and yummy burgers, makes here a truly cool place to hang out, pretend to work and annoy the staff.

AHA: It’s hot, you can be posh; people will understand. Plus they have the most amazing desserts, so there’s nothing more that needs to be said really.

... then check out one of these.

Blue Pumpkin: Not only will you find the air-con refreshing, but Blue Pumpkin’s house-made ice-cream is just the creamiest, tastiest, yummiest you’ll find in town. I don’t even like ice-cream, but have still been caught conducting knee-buckling midnight raids on the tub in the freezer (it's there for guests, I swear...).

Champey: Tucked away upstairs at one of the smarter venues on Pub Street Alley (the little pedestrian lane parallel to Pub Street), you’ll find a large air-con room, perfect for cooling off with a nice fish amok.

Hotel de la Paix: Although you’d better strike while the iron is hot, as they’re closing in June, Hotel de la Paix is where half the town’s expats flee in moments of crisis, i.e. when there are power cuts, floods, heat waves, or they’ve run out of forks and the cleaner isn’t due in until the next day. On top of that, the build your own salads and sandwiches are a little bit expensive, but an awful lot delicious, and big, which means that they’re not actually expensive at all on balance.

And, finally, remember the Buddhist way: all things will pass, even this seemingly eternal, infernal heat. (Also: see our tips for staying cool while in Cambodia.)

Cafe Central
Beside Old Market
T: (017) 692 997

AHA
The Pub Street Alley

Blue Pumpkin
Old Market Area
T: (063) 963 574

Champey
The Pub Street Alley

Hotel de la Paix
Sivatha Boulevard
T: (063) 963 000

Tags: AHA, air-con, Blue Pumpkin, Cafe Central, Champey, Hotel de la Paix

It’s possible that Caesar salad may be the first truly globalised recipe (provided one excludes the fat, salt, sugar and multiple-chemical delivery systems marketed by fast food dealers). The popular assemblage, once the preserve of restaurants with Maitre d's that let you know you'd failed by the precise way they called you "Sir" or "Madame", can now be found on menus in everything from roadside cafes to local bistros and high-end establishments, and in cities all over the world from Santiago to Stockholm, in South Africa, Singapore, Sydney and, of course, Siem Reap.

Soft, crunchy, sweet, bitter, yummy Caesar salad.

I’ve always avoided them on the basis that the dressing includes the dreaded anchovy, as horrible an idea as I’m capable of imagining on a lovely, sunny morning. But after someone put the question, I thought I’d better find out more and discovered that the original recipe doesn’t include anchovies at all. Instead, the inventor of the recipe relied on adding Worcestershire sauce to add a subtle hint of anchovies but eschewed adding the strongly flavoured fish himself. My hero. Moreover, contrary to widely held belief, nor does a ‘proper’ Caesar salad necessarily include a softly poached egg perched gently on top, or eggs of any variety in anything except the dressing.

It seems fitting that the recipe’s origins are global too. The salad was invented by an Italian chef who lived in California, but worked in Tijuana, Mexico during the American Prohibition years of the 1920s. Tijuana was then popular with the monied California set, who could duck over the border for a drink and one day (July 4, 1924) our enterprising chef, Senor Cardini Caesar, finding himself short of ingredients, knocked up what he could with whatever he had left and mixed his salad table-side to give it an extra twist. It was a hit.

Here in Siem Reap, you can find a Caesar salad prepared and served this way at Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor. It’s a deliciously elegant dining experience that reminds you that food is supposed to be savoured, with every sense, and not scarfed down with all the engagement of a somnambulant bovine. The method is described below.

A number of other restaurants also serve up Cardini’s creation, though with considerably less aplomb than Raffles. You’ll find a really excellent version at Chilli Si Dang, served with chicken, and if you’re an anchovy fan too this one is a real must. In fact, the salad was so good it nearly killed me not to finish it because, for me, the taste of fish was uncomfortably strong (I hate fish, deeply).

Further in town, I found one at Haven that is tasty and filling, and not fishy. Haven is a newish restaurant that was set up as a training restaurant for young Cambodians. This is their first year of operations and even they are stunned at how successful they've been, and there are plenty of good reasons for that success. Haven should be added to everyone's list of places they have to try in Siem Reap before they leave.

Haven it is ... honest, I wasn't drinking ...

La Boulangerie also get a great thumbs up for their salad, though with a recommendation that the dressing be requested on the side. La Boulangerie is a small cafe on Street 7 owned and operated by two young Khmer entrepreneurs. They make, in my view, some of the best bread and pastries in town. Their salads, sandwiches and croque monsieurs are hard to beat too (including their create-your-own plates, which are fantastic value).

For those who are interested, I’ve pulled together a recipe from various sources, including the original recipe and the recipe in the standard textbook for American chefs, Professional Cooking. It gives the option of using anchovies according to the modern style, or Worcestershire sauce according to tradition:

1 lb Romaine or cos lettuce
2 oz thick sliced white bread
½ fl oz olive oil (for the croutons)
4 fl oz olive oil (for the dressing)
1 clove garlic
2 - 4 anchovy fillets (depending on preference)
1 raw or coddled egg yolk
6 drops of Worcestershire sauce (if not including anchovies or, indeed, even if you are)
1 fl oz freshly squeezed lemon juice or lime juice
1 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

Trim the crusts from the bread (optional - I love croutons with crusts on) and cut into centimetre-square cubes. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a pan over moderately high heat, then add the bread cubes and fry until golden and crisp. Add more oil if needed. Remove the croutons from the pan and hold in kitchen paper for service. Using garlic or rosemary oil would give the croutons a little extra flair, n'est-ce pas? Do not refrigerate.

Depending on how much garlic you like, either rub the salad bowl with a cut of garlic or leave one clove in the bowl and crush it to a paste. Here, the Professional Cooking recipe adds anchovies, though not being included in the original recipe, these could be considered optional. If you do add them, mash the garlic and anchovies to a paste, then beat in about half the olive oil to the garlic or garlic/anchovy paste.

Add the greens and toss to coat with the oil mixture, then drop the egg yolk into the bowl and toss it into the lettuce well. Some recipes call for the egg to be lightly coddled (cooked in the shell for one minute), and this will give you a thicker, more appealing, dressing.

Add the lemon juice, the rest of the oil, and the Parmesan cheese, and a little salt and pepper. Add the Worcestershire sauce if using in place of anchovies (or in addition, according to taste). Toss again until well mixed. Finally, add the croutons and toss a final time. Plate and serve.

You could, of course, skip all the palaver, and blenderise (technical term that) the dressing ingredients, and toss with the leaves and croutons at the end. Variations include adding sliced grilled chicken, a poached egg on top, Parmesan shavings, or whatever swings your Caesar boat.

Serves 4

Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor
1 Vithei Charles de Gaulle, Siem Reap
T: (063) 963 888

Fresh at Chilli Si Dang
East Riverside, Wat Bo area, Siem Reap

Haven
Off Sivatha Blvd. (behind X-Bar), Siem Reap
sw@dragonflycambodia.org

La Boulangerie
Street 7, Siem Reap
T: (015) 908 518

Tags: Caesar salads, Chilli Si Dang, Haven, La Boulangerie, Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor

When it comes to fruit, it seems that someone forgot to tell nature that no-one likes a show-off. Such a huge, kaleidoscopic, wild variety of redolent, multi-textural glories is clearly the work of an over-achieving braggart. More than 3,000 fruits have apparently been identified, though we consume only a handful (or three) of them. The fact that nature then uses these spoils of her labour for chucking at our heads on occasion tells me that, no matter how pretty they are, her intentions might not be entirely benign. But they are delicious.

Green oranges.

Cambodia’s markets are bursting with tropical fruits, piled high in vibrant shades of red, orange, yellow, green, brown, pink and purple, where sweet scents waft up from the florid skins of the lychees and apples, all part of a bewitching sensorial smorgasbord (had to use that word one day). The best place to go in Siem Reap is the Old Market (Psas Chas) where you'll find the fruits at the back in the lively food section.

Banana wheels.

In most markets you’ll find a technicolour array of oranges, apples, watermelons, tamarind, pineapples, limes, grapes, mangoes, bananas, mangosteen, star fruits, lychees, rambutans, pears, durian, jackfruit and the hugely exotic sounding dragonfruit, and those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head. Oddly enough, you’ll rarely find lemons, and I still haven’t found out why. Most of these fruits are now common at home and need no further explanation, except to say that many Cambodian oranges are not orange but green even when fully ripe; a deliberate ploy to appeal to the Irish no doubt. But for some of the others, here’s what that funny looking thing is all about.

Mango: While almost everyone will have enjoyed a sweet, slippery mango at home, not so many will have tried this fruit in its green, white-fleshed, unripened and sour form. The easiest way to do that is to tuck into a sweet and piquant and highly addictive spicy green mango salad, which is a core dish in Cambodian cooking, and a stand-alone rebuttal to the charge that Cambodian food is dull. Alternatively, try slices of raw green mango dipped in chilli salt for a unique lip-pursing experience.

Green mangoes, in my kitchen ready for the julienne.

Jackfruit: The vivid green, knobbledy skin of the jackfruit make this one of my favourite fruits in Cambodia, from a distance. Once opened up, the pale yellow flesh is fibrous, squidgy and slightly soapy, and tastes a little like a blend of apple and banana. Eating them is actually very nice. I find the subsequent belches, which carry strong tones of dodgy goat meat, to be a little unsettling though. Not one for consumption on dates.

Jackfruit: beautiful, except perhaps in the aftermath.

Tamarind: Another one for consumption raw or ripened. In the ripened form, you crack open the brittle brown carapace and scrape out the sticky, sweet almost resinous pulp inside and make a delicious mess while you’re at it. Tamarind is a nice option for those who don't have a sugar tooth as it's not as cloyingly sweet as other fruits. You can do the same with the raw fruit too, though you will make funnier faces while doing it. It’s awfully sour.

Tamarind.

Dragonfruit: The Wonder Bra fruit: if ever a fruit promised so much yet delivered so little, it is the dragonfruit. Dressed in a firm outer layer of exuberant pink or purple offset with flirty green fringes, the dragonfruit is peeled back to reveal grainy white flesh run through with crunchy black seeds. It's very elegant, but you might as well just stop there. There’s no point in eating a dragonfruit unless your jaw needs exercise. On the upside, it’s very low in calories, like lots of things with absolutely no flavour. [Ed: In the name of balance, I like dragonfruit!]

Dragonfruit: all show, no go.

Cashew apple: Here’s something you probably didn’t know: cashew nuts are not nuts but the seeds of a small kidney shaped fruit that grows attached to another secondary fruit that looks a little like an apple, and tastes a lot like an apple crossed with a pear crossed with a waterfall. The skin of the secondary fruit, the cashew apple, is incredibly soft and squishy, making them difficult to transport, so you may not often see them, but if you do see one try it, especially if you’re thirsty. Stand away from the fruit as you bite.

Mangosteen: This one is the polar opposite of the dragonfruit, but I don’t have a picture unfortunately as they don’t come into season until April. However, if mangosteen were a man, he’d be the dumpy fellow with the terrible haircut that you passed over for a dance a million times and then, oops, one cider too many one night and you're suddenly discovering that he’s the most amazing lover on the planet. These are squat, dull skinned, child's fist-sized fruits that look a little like giant purple rabbit turds, with a ridiculous mop of green foliage on their heads. Split one open though and you’ll find inside between five and seven segments of heaven. Soft, sweet and tart, super-juicy and insanely delicious. Buy lots, you won’t be able to stop once you start.

Tags: fruits

A couple of years ago the once dark and dingy Lane in Siem Reap looked like not much more than a decent prospect for a drugs score. Today it’s developing into a trendy little enclave, home to many an expat's favourite hangout, with an atmosphere a world apart from tawdry Pub Street only a few metres away. The changes came gradually at first, but they’re coming on so fast in the last few months that it’s giving me head spins, and that's before I even get to Miss Wong. Notwithstanding this flurry of activity, I get the feeling that many visitors never make the extra few steps it takes to go and explore it. So, to give you an idea of what's there, here's a rundown of what you can expect to find along The Lane.

Silk Garden.

Establishments on The Lane include the Silk Garden, a smooth and intimate garden hangout with reasonably regular live gigs, and four-years-young Miss Wong, a Shanghai opium den-styled cocktail bar and one of the few venues on the ‘You really, really mustn’t miss’ list. Further down The Lane, tiny boho wine/cocktail bar Little Pari now qualifies as positively old by comparison to her neighbours, though sets a standard for the maxim that class never ages.

All the others by comparison are absolute Johnny-come-latelies, with most of them only opening their doors in the last year or so. In that brief, dizzying, period of time everyone’s instantly favourite Italian, Il Forno, has expanded to occupy three buildings. The Giddy Gecko became the Nomad Shisha Bar, with an extensive range of flavoured shisha pipes, soft cushions and an ambient vibe. Blush Boutique next door is where you’ll find a selection of clothes, shoes, cosmetics and smellies. Meanwhile, La Boulangerie on The Lane is not strictly new, but an extension of the immensely popular bakery/café on Street 7 that is besieged every morning with homesick Frenchmen. Next door to Miss Wong, you’ll also find Yokohama, a Japanese restaurant and hang-out that is continuing to grow.

Almost on the med ... Not quite, but nearly almost.

I’m not going to talk about the ghastliness at the end of The Lane. Except to say that the market there is ugly, unimaginative and unnecessary and while I wouldn’t consider myself an overwrought aesthete by any stretch, it still makes me want to delicately put pained palm to pained brow and sigh “l’horreur, oh l’horreur!” I don't though, just in case you're wondering. There are plenty of other, better markets in Siem Reap, especially the Angkor Night Market, the oldest and still the best of the lot.

Hooked on hookah.

One of the latest additions to The Lane is Three Seasons, which opened a little over three months ago. It’s sort of a three-for-the-price-of-one clothes shop that stitches together the talents of young American designer Rachel Faller under her label KeoK’jay; the established Phnom Penh fashion label, Elsewhere; and, with Zoco, the eye of Spanish entrepreneur Nuria Lopez Conesa who brings in designs from around the region. The fashion sensibilities of each are different, but complementary. Faller’s look tends towards the young and urban, Elsewhere is a more mature label with classic design ethics, and Zoco clearly has an eye for colour and offbeat styles. They are all however strong, modern and feminine, and very well priced. There is also a small selection of men's clothing too.

Hot fashions.

I’m a little bit of a control freak so, even under Miss Wong’s charm, it’s hard for me to imagine ever getting drunk enough to consider karaoke a good idea. I find the enduring appeal of this peculiar form of entertainment a greater mystery than my pre-pubescent penchant for Shakin’ Stevens, and crueller on my senses than a Roman’s long weekend. But, human beings being what they are, i.e. largely deranged, karaoke’s reach is now global and my only hope is a set of earplugs and/or wire-cutters.

On the upside in Siem Reap, most karaoke bars are local so the chances of finding one’s evening besmirched by a half-naked Australian screeching “I will survive hey eyyyyyy” are mercifully limited. You can imagine my dismay then when I spotted the sign for a new bar called Marcello, which brazenly sports the words “European Karaoke”. Here in the air-conditioned and smoke-free bar, 5,000 songs we all know and love have been listed for massacre in English, French, Italian and Spanish. I’ll try to be charitable and not consider you to be in need of profound psychological help if you go, but don’t even think about asking for back-up. (And if you are a karaoke fan, Travelfish.org does cover it in Bangkok, Hanoi and Saigon.)

Silk Garden
T: 012 989 163

Miss Wong
T: 092 428 332

Il Forno
T: 078 208 174

La Boulangerie
T: 012 308 208

Yokohama
T: 092 637 053

Marcello
T: 017 674 762

Tags: Blush Boutique, Elsewhere, Il Forno, Karaoke, KeoK’jay, La Boulangerie, Little Pari, Marcello, Miss Wong, Nomad Shisha Bar, Silk Garden, The Lane, Three Seasons, Yokohama, Zoco

If you want to get the best eats in Siem Reap, you’ve got to get out of town. It’s true there are some lovely restaurants in the heart of Siem Reap, and some truly excellent ones too (Il Forno, for one example). But if you’re looking for a real treat, then you’d better grab a tuk tuk.

These fish are found in Siem Reap, but relax, NOT in these restaurants.

A continuous whirl of rave reviews and “you must, you musts!” has been brewing since the owners of Cuisine Wat Damnak opened their doors just under a year ago. Among their sometimes deliriously appreciative audience, the restaurant counts the highly celebrated chef Raymond Blanc, whose comment “Oh mon dieu, this man can cook. He is blessed!” pretty much sums up his whole review.

Cuisine Wat Damnak takes Cambodian cooking principles and ingredients and gives them a decidedly French twist to create a range of dishes whose extraordinary flavours will echo in your mind long after you have left the table. The menu offers two set course meal options, and the emphasis is on fish and shellfish, a reflection of their core role in the Cambodian diet. Very reasonably priced at $17 for the five-course option, and $24 for the six-course, the magic lies not only in the flavours that owner/chef Joannès Rivière weaves together in his kitchen, but also in how perfectly, completely satisfied one feels at the end of the meal. The balance of flavours, textures and courses is pitch-perfect.

In the area behind Wat Damnak, Cuisine Wat Damnak is an elegant restaurant, but entirely unfussy. Diners can choose whether to sit in the air-con indoor dining room, in the paved and aromatic garden area, or seated on the floor, Khmer style, upstairs in the wooden house. The short but well-chosen wine list is also very reasonably priced.

Vegetarians are extremely well catered for here too. For those with allergies to shellfish, or for whom fish is unpalatable, I recommend that you advise the restaurant a day or two ahead. I for one find fish consumption one of the more inexplicable of human habits and am vividly allergic to shellfish. By calling ahead, it allows Rivière to exercise his imagination and skills in your favour, and the results are always sublime.

Maintaining the French connection, but heading to the other side of town, Abacus is a Siem Reap institution. Originally located near the centre of town, they moved further out just three years ago where the new setting includes a comfortably stylish air-con dining room (with a private room for functions too), a garden dining area, and a lovely, slightly bohemian feeling, al fresco covered bar on the other side of the garden.

In contrast to Cuisine Wat Damnak, the menu at Abacus is French first, with an added Asian twist. Dishes such as the chilled potato soup , scented with coriander and topped with fresh salmon caviar give you an idea of the approach. That may sound a little intimidating to some, but it’s not as fancy pants as it sounds. Abacus takes the stuffiness out of fine dining, and serves up hearty, beautifully prepared food in a relaxed and attractive environment.

Their beef carpaccio alone may have you racing back the next day for more, but other classics such as the pan-fried sea bass on saffron pasta, served with seasonal vegetables with chorizo, clam cream sauce, or grilled lamb chop with rosemary sauce, pretty much guarantee it. If you prefer something simpler, try the rib-eye steak, with a shallot red wine sauce, or the DD burger, made with 200 grams of Australian minced steak (perhaps bested only by Café de la Paix’ gourmet burger, according to some).

Heading north, Cambodian influences prevail at Touich, an understated restaurant whose popularity is virtually unparalleled. I live down the road, and it’s absolutely chock-full almost every single night. Booking is seriously recommended. Touich serves up many Cambodian classics, but they are most proud of their grilled beef which is tender, iron-rich and juicy, and served with a pepper reduction.

The décor is hut. Open-sided walls look onto neighbouring gardens with their scratching chickens and wandering cats, while the low-sided grass roof creates an intimate atmosphere, and keeps out all the elements. Inside, the ceiling opens up and the space is comfortable and relaxed.

The individual ingredients that make up Touich are not necessarily outstanding in their own right, but the combination seems to work in a way that is just so. The setting and the food are distinctly local, but they are done in such a way that you can transition in and out of it seamlessly. The service is always prompt and attentive, and the food is genuinely delicious.

Touich can be tough to find, but they will come and find you if you call them in advance. Booking is strongly recommended for all of these restaurants.

Cuisine Wat Damnak
Wat Damnak Village
T : (077) 347 762

Abacus
Off Route 6
T : 012 644 286

Touich
Behind Wat Preah Enkosai
T : 092 808 040

Tags: Abacus, Cuisine Wat Damnak, Touich, vegetarian food

For many people searing Asian temperatures are something of an appetite killer (would that I were one of them). Even after a day of meandering around temples or browsing markets, come dinnertime the ravening hunger that one might look forward to satisfying on a cold winter’s day just isn’t there, and the idea of sitting down to a full meal can be somewhat off-putting. Praise be, in that case, for tapas.

Tapas platter from Picasso... que rico!

The origins of the Spanish tradition are unclear, and there is a thoroughly unsavoury association with the Spanish expulsion of the Jews in the 15^th century when small plates of pork tapas were allegedly used at gatherings in order to expose those who had converted to Christianity in order to avoid expulsion, or worse. Such uncivilised beginnings, but nothing and no-one is beyond redemption, especially if it’s actually just food. The joy of tapas is that you can order as much as you like, and the emphasis is on being able to chat while you eat.

For tapas in true Spanish style head to Picasso, a small sort of hole-in-the-wall Spanish wine bar on Alley West whose arched brick walls and elongated round bar conspire to create an atmosphere of intimacy and conviviality. Picasso offers beers, a short wine list and sangria, of course. A short tapas menu includes patatas bravas, real jamon, olives, feta cheese, roasted peppers and a number of other deliciousnesses.

For a more liberal take on the tapas principle, then head to Ivy 2 on Friday nights or Soria Moria on Wednesdays, both of whom offer a tasty selection of small plates from all over the world. And, if that is not enough to draw you in, they do at them at a margin-squeaking $1 a plate.

Ivy 2’s menus change each week, and you can find on there a choice of Asian and Western dishes, meat and vegetarian, including mini beef tacos, Chinese chicken wings with sweet soy sauce, fried sweet potato with cumin mayonnaise, or mini veg samosas with yoghurt-mint sauce. Their desserts are a massive hit, especially the chocolate mousse.

At Soria Moria, the Wednesday night tapas nights are a training night for young adults who are registered with a number of local NGOs in Siem Reap, and part of the hotel’s extensive social programme (they’ve just been nominated for a Tourism of Tomorrow Award from the World Travel and Tourism Council). Dropping in and dining out is a neat way of contributing to the development and confidence building of young teenagers. The tapas menu includes some old favourites such as spare ribs, bruschetta, spring rolls, chicken satay, sausage rolls, meatballs, garlic bread, chicken nuggets, potato skins and samosas. How can you say no to all that?

Tapas is very much an everyman dish, but it is possible to interpret the idea in more luxurious style. AHA is a thoroughly modernist, high class restaurant created by the Hotel de la Paix whose menu offers a small range of dishes from east and west. They’re best known for the small plates though, which offer a selection of three dishes grouped under the headings contemporary, Khmer or vegetarian. A sample menu includes green mango salad with dried snake (Khmer), unagi roll with pickled vegetables and wasabi whipped cream (contemporary), and cauliflower warm mousse with sesame and pesto (vegetarian).

Picasso
Alley West, Siem Reap

Ivy 2
Near the river, Siem Reap
T: (012) 602 930 

Soria Moria
Wat Bo Road, Salakamrouk, Siem Reap
T: (063) 964 768
thesoriamoria.com

AHA, Hotel de la Paix
Sivutha Boulevard, Siem Reap
T: (063) 966 000
hoteldelapaixangkor.com

Tags: Hotel de la Paix, Ivy 2, Picasso, Soria Moria Hotel, tapas

Downtown Siem Reap is dusty, hot, traffic-clogged and as ideally suited for a walk as a rubber-ducky is for lunch (not unlike KL in that regard). It may look like there's potential, but you’ll soon be sorry you ever started. Willing walkers often try the circuit on the south river, striking out from the bridge at Old Market up to the bridge on Route 6 and back down the other side again. It’s cool under the trees, the one-way system means you’re not much in the way of traffic, and it’s pretty. On the other hand, you could almost be anywhere on this route. There’s not a great deal that makes it stand out as distinctly Cambodia.

Downtown nice, but not good for relaxed, happy, fun, carefree, entertaining walks. At all.

A more interesting suggestion is to start at the bridge where Route 6 crosses the Siem Reap River, and then head north. Here you’ll find local markets and businesses, pagodas, riverside houses on stilts, a quirky hotel quarter, the home of French archaeological study in Cambodia, and even a free Angkor-era temple. You don’t need anything except comfortable shoes, a few dollars for drinks/snacks and your camera.

A precarious existence.

Starting on the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor side of the Route 6 bridge (number one of five during this exploration), you’ll walk through the genteel Raffles Riverside Gardens before getting to the next bridge (number two). They sometimes hold exhibitions in the gardens here.

Passing the second bridge, the tree cover thickens overhead and the temperature drop is just delicious. On your left hand side is the back wall of The Amansara, one of the most exclusive hotels in Siem Reap and a former residence of the King Father, Sihanouk.

On the right, you’ll notice the reason why the Siem Reap River looks so wonderfully litter-free on the town-side. Things are not quite so sweet after you pass this barrier.

How Siem Reap creates the illusion of being clean.

Difficult to reconcile with the steady abundance only a mile or two down the road, the first stilted, patchwork houses emerge. Incredibly, the section after narrow, metal bridge number three was burned to the ground only a few months ago in a late night fire. Fortunately, no-one was killed, and the new structures went back up in double-quick time (the residents may have been fearful of losing their right to stay there, or their right to be compensated when the authorities finally relocate them, as seems inevitable). The trees still bear scorch marks.

Hard to imagine this "shanty town" is newly built, around the trees that still bear the scars of the fire.

Further along you’ll arrive at the lively local markets. Clothes, furnishings, housewares, food, repairs, laundry, lunch, almost all daily needs are met here by the streetside vendors and a small covered market. As you walk on, you’ll pass bridge number four, guarded at each end by two nagas. Nagas are thought to protect water sources, bringing rain and thus fertility, though it would seem they got rather carried away with their job last September. Looking up the river, you'll see broken trees and pulverised banks, part of the legacy of the floods.

Roadside snacks, human petrol.

The next section is where you’ll find a group of three interesting hotels: The RiverGarden, a tropical, jungle hide-away, with great food; 1961, eccentric, creative, inspiring, always surprising, and; La Villa Loti, a peaceful garden hotel, whose chef is very proud of their Thai food.

Like it says...

On the right hand side, you'll see a neat little children's play area that might not be completely lethal, and shortly after that some "art" that might not be quite Turner Prize ready yet. But who knows, they might have a really quiet year sometime.

Beyond the duality of deer: this challenging work shows the artist's attempt to confront the sometimes conflicting, sometimes harmonious tripartite aspects of life in a deer family

About 150 metres past here, you’ll get to bridge number five, the turn-around point. On the other side is Wat Preah Enkosei. Wandering into the pagoda grounds, behind the main building you’ll find the remains of a tenth century temple, Prasat Enkosei. There’s not a lot left, but what is there is remarkable for the carved reliefs on the lintels.

Everybody loves a lintel...

Going back out on to the road, you’ll wander past more riverside houses, another pagoda (at the naga bridge), and the Ecôle Français d’Extrême Orient. Over more than a century, the dedication and hard work of this organisation’s representatives account for so much of what we know about Angkor today, and are continuing to learn. There is a certain romance in imagining them striking out to jungled Angkorian temples, with little in the way of protection, roads, transport, medicine, insurance or any of the things we take for granted today. Not even a decent cappuccino!

You’ll have noticed by now that there are tons of dogs. As a general rule, they’ll leave you alone if you leave them alone. Don't walk too close, don't try to make friends. If one does start to get menacing, remember that it’s mostly for show -- they don’t really want to fight; they’re just making a point. Simply walk calmly away without making eye contact and that is, in my experience, the end of it. There are lots of locals about, and they will likely step in to help if this isn't working.

I'm like so totally a lover not a fighter anyway.

You’ll be coming back down now to the metal bridge, number three. I’ve no idea why, but there’s something incredibly romantic about metal bridges, even this one that looks more than ready for the scrapheap. Now the road opens up and the trees start to thin out along here as the riverside shanties give way to trimmed river banks. You can either continue down, and dive into a delicious, refreshing lime soda at Rosy Guesthouse, or take a detour to Dy Proung’s Miniature Angkor Wat (follow the sign).

Back to the beginning.

The walk should take an hour to an hour and a half, depending upon your pace. The slower, the better. Early in the morning or after 17:00 are the best times, because of the cooler temperatures, and better light for photos. However, the road can get busy after 17:30, though never oppressively. This is Cambodia, after all.

Tags: Amansara, bridges, dogs, La Villa Loti, markets, miniature Angkor, nagas, Prasat Enkosei, Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, RiverGarden, Rosy Guesthouse, shanty towns, Sihanouk, The 1961, walking tours

Following on from our part one on Siem Reap with kids: if you're on the prowl for kids' clothes, Shanti Shop on The Lane has just brought in a new selection of gorgeous and colourful clothes for ages 0 to 14. And if you forgot to bring toys or books for the kids, then Monument Books has a pretty good range of high quality, safe children’s toys (Fisher Price and so on). They’re beside the Old Market, looking on the river.

Token cute child shot.

Highly reputed Lemongrass Spa has recently introduced a special Kiddie Khmer Massage, which is a 45 minute massage (without oil $6, with oil $9) that is aimed at children between the ages of two and 10. According to the manager, the massage usually sends the children off to sleep, leaving the parents free to enjoy a full 90 minute massage if they wish. (It sounds a little like what happens at Jari Menari in Bali.)

While many restaurants are kid-friendly, there are a few standouts. Tangram Garden is a new and lovely garden restaurant with a wide range of western and Khmer dishes. They have a kids play area in the garden, which is excellent for distracting the little angels while you catch up on your reading.

Kanell is a really beautiful, exotic garden restaurant with a delicious menu of French and Khmer dishes. At the back of the garden, there is a free to use small pool which is very popular with locals with kids. There is also a special poolside menu offering yummy burgers and snacks. Towels are provided.

Token cute child shot.

In the centre of town, Le Grand Café is a lovely old colonial style building just opposite the Old Market. Upstairs, there is a small play area especially for kids on the right hand side. Here you can keep an eye on them while enjoying a coffee and watching the crowds.

Tags: children's massage, Kanell, Le Grand Cafe, Lemongrass Spa, Monument Books, Shanti Shop, Tangram Garden

Cambodia may be a Johnny-come-lately on the Southeast Asia tourist trail, but there’s one area where they’ve already caught up with, even exceeded, their neighbours. The restaurants here (in both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh) are fantastic. The Cambodian culinary scene has developed in less than ten years, yet has managed to set high standards so that even the average restaurants should serve up something better than you might get at an equivalently placed restaurant in the West, and that’s really quite an achievement.

No mixed up Sicilianos at Il Forno.

Personally, I blame the French. Putting aside the debates concerning colonialism, and to be honest there really is no point in them unless you're drunk or a cloistered academic -- insert  relevant joke here -- just take a moment and consider what it might be like had Cambodia been a British colony, then come back to me again once the convulsions have passed. I apologise, and promise I won’t ask you to do a terrible thing like that again, but I needed to make a point.

Perhaps as a function of the colonial heritage, there has long been a vibrant French community in Siem Reap that has really dominated the expatriate community, and of course their values have infused the restaurant scene. To my enduring joy, they’ve set the bar deliciously high, and it remains there for everyone else to strive to achieve it.

Francophones (et j’en suis une) are naturally well catered for, but fans of Italian food have also hit on a foodie jackpot in Siem Reap (I've already covered coffee here, by the way). If you’re on the hunt for a straightforward pizza, laden with rich, juicy, meaty toppings (and non-meaty ones too), then you’re already on to a winner with Central Café and Le Tigre de Papier. In addition to fantastic pizzas, both of these centrally-located places have wide-ranging menus, so if there’s anyone in your group who thinks Italian food is for girls then you’re covered.

For a fuller, authentic Italian experience, you don’t need to book a flight for Milan. The oldest Italian restaurant in town -- it turns seven this year -- is L’Oasi Italiana, to the north of town on the east riverside (about 10 minutes from Old Market by tuk tuk). This robust tropical garden restaurant is incredibly romantic with a series of little arbours, each housing its own table and seating.

L’Oasi has the most extensive menu and really emphasises the classics. A lot of the great flavour in their food comes about because, unable to find ingredients here that were of sufficiently good quality, the Italian owner and his chef decided to cure and prepare their own bacon, salamis, and sausages. See what we mean by diligence. They now make enough for their own restaurant, and also supply some of the best in town as well, including Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor.

The joyfully bohemian Alley West.

Closer to the centre of town, talented French chef Patrick Guerry decided to turn his pots and pans to pizzas and pastas two years ago, and proved that Italian gastro-ingenuity isn’t necessarily genetic. At Trattoria Italia on Alley West, you’ll find a gently nostalgic, elegant restaurant with a short menu that offers beautifully thin-based pizzas, classic pastas, gnocchi, carpaccios and other classics.

Keep an eye on the daily specials board as this where Patrick tends to let his creativity fly. If you ever see oxtail being offered, do not hesitate for even one second. You really can't afford to run the risk that someone else may have ordered the last one, I promise.

Within metres of the mayhem on Pub Street, you’ll find a quiet little alleyway Italian that evokes the Mediterranean so powerfully, notwithstanding the blank wall facing it, that I keep expecting to hear choruses of wolf-whistles. Not aimed at me mind, I’m too old and grumpy for that, but at all the half-naked female back-packers mooching around in bikini tops and fisherman’s pants (I wonder if they realise that half the locals can only conclude that they must be sex workers?).

Served up with style at Il Forno.

Il Forno opened last year to the kind of instant glory that restaurateurs dream of. Their recipe for success (if only things were so easy) lies in the simple, stylish decor (whitewashed tables and powder blue chairs), an understated but elegant setting, and food that is simple, approachable and, of course, packed with flavour. They make it look easy, but a great deal of attention to detail has gone into this place and the proof is truly in the pizza, and the pasta and the primi, and everything else too.

They’ve now expanded into the two neighbouring buildings and still they’ll be packed out most nights of the week. Even then, you may find yourself waiting a short while for a table and, if you do, we beg, implore, actually we order you to check out Little Pari, a tiny, lovely, romantic diamond of a jazz wine/cocktail bar on the corner, about 10 metres up from Il Forno while you wait.

Central Café
Old Market Area
T: (017) 692 997

Le Tigre de Papier
Pub Street
T: (012) 659 770

L’Oasi Italiano
East Riverside
T: (092) 418 917

Trattoria Italia
Alley West
T: (092) 410 400

Il Forno
Off The Lane
T: (078) 208 174

Little Pari
The Lane

Tags: Central Cafe, Il Forno, Italian, L'Oasi Italiana, le tigre de papier, Trattoria Italia