Eat and meet

Weather Station Hill

This is the centre of the backpacker quarter above Victory Beach and has a good selection of places offering cheap fare, along with an ever changing array of newer and flashier places. While still a mainstay, the area is losing its distinction as the most popular backpacker area in Sihanoukville. In the off-season, while the beaches are still hopping, the Hill is largely closed for business.

If you're looking for authentic tapas, you're better off at Paco's downtown than at Papagayo. Nevertheless, the food here is actually pretty good. The menu (which starts at breakfast) is small yet covers everything from American to Asian, with mostly small plates and a few meaty mains. Papagayo is more of a bar than a restaurant and with comfortable lazy chairs, very friendly staff, and happy hour drink specials, chances are you'll leave this corner hangout satisfied. Pool table also available.

Set unsurprisingly on the opposite corner, Corner Bar has good tunes, a fair view and ice cold drinks. It is a very popular casual spot attracting expats and travellers alike. If you're staying on Victory Hill chances are you'll find yourself here at some stage or another. The bar is open 24 hours.

Anchoring the strip of restaurants and bars Tropicana. You can't miss the bright orange facade of this well-established bar or the crowds and loud music that pour out of it nightly. New to the row, and more low key, is Sapphire Connections. This bar's blue motif shows no mercy -- even the felt on the pool table is a deep azure. Gimmicks aside, the clean bright space, stocked bar and good soundtrack make a visit here worthwhile. Computers and internet access also available. If it's an ocean view you want, head to J Bar, located above Mealy Chanda restaurant. This second-storey establishment shows sports and movies and has darts and pool tables, but the real draw is the spectacular sea view.

If you've got a hankering for some spicy takeaway, stop at the Indian Curry Pot. The extensive menu is about equal parts vegetarian and not and runs from $2 daal to $4 kofta. Thalis are an especially good bargain and the crispy-chewy tandoori naan is not to be missed. For less exotic offerings, try Little Sweden or Beach City. The restaurants share a wall and many menu items. Sweden stands out for its inexpensive breakfasts and a few homeland offerings (meatballs with macaroni, anyone?). Beach City's menu is bigger, especially when it comes to breakfast, and their tasty shakes are the cheapest around.

 

La Carte de Vivier de la Paillote lives up to its billing as "a restaurant with the tradition of gastronomy." Where else on Victory Hill are you going to get fois gras appetisers? Joining duck liver on the menu are a host of other delicacies from beef tartar to classically prepared local barracuda and (not local) salmon. These luxurious dishes aren't cheap (they run $5-$15) but they're a steal compared to the comparable eats at a high-end hotel restaurant. And the setting is fantastic -- a modern oasis complete with swimming pool. Go ahead, splurge!

La Trattoria is more a pizza shack than the name suggests. This restaurant has a cheap, cobbled-together feel. Still, its wood-fired oven pizzas are nice, and they've some splendid pastas, too. They're served with a French flourish by the Martinique-Vietnamese owner and her French husband. On the downstairs level, the low, stained-wood ceiling can feel either intimate or claustrophobic depending on your mood. There are few barriers here: diners can literally sit next to the pizza chef as he kneads dough by hand. The television, when in use, appears to be more for the benefit of the chef than diners, so can drown out conversation. It's best to walk up the rickety steps to a creaking terrace, as it's more spacious upstairs. Heat can rise from the oven below, so it's best experienced with an evening breeze. Both owners speak mediocre English, so using any French at all will receive a smile of appreciation, and a barrage of French instead. Good meals, and affordable too, for those who've a craving for simple Italian food.

Papagayo Weather Station Hill, Sihanoukville. T: (012) 738 625. Open daily, 8:00-1:00.
Corner Bar Weather Station Hill, Sihanoukville. T: (012) 479 395. Open daily, 12:00-late.
Tropicana Weather Station Hill, Sihanoukville. T: (012) 230 357. Open daily, 10:00-late.
Sapphire Connections Weather Station Hill, Sihanoukville. T: (011) 487 977. Open daily, 9:00-late.
J Bar Weather Station Hill, Sihanoukville. T: (012) 497 091. Open daily, 12:00-late.
Indian Curry Pot Weather Station Hill, Sihanoukville. T: (034) 934 040; (011) 304 447. Open daily, 10:00-22:00.
Little Sweden Restaurant and Bar Weather Station Hill, Sihanoukville. T: (011) 493 920; (011) 485 055. Open daily, 8:00-14:00 and 18:00-22:00.
Beach City Restaurant Weather Station Hill, Sihanoukville. T: (012) 839 043. Open daily, 7:00-21:00.
La Carte de Vivier de la Paillote Weather Station Hill, Sihanoukville. T: (012) 227 001. Open daily, 12:00-22:00.
La Trattoria Weather Station Hill, Sihanoukville. T: (012) 489 633. Open daily, 17:00-24:00.