Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cheeses and breads made in-house under the supervision
of the resident Tuscan chef, and served in the attractive
garden at tables set out under thatched pavilions. Mains
$7-13.
Daily 11am-11pm.
Peace Café
Street 26
T
092 177127,
W
peacecafe
angkor.org; map p.139.
Rustic garden vegetarian café
serving up a good range of Western snacks, salads and light
meals (around $4) plus cheaper Asian mains and various
breakfasts. Also organizes regular yoga, meditation and
“monk chat” sessions (see p.145).
Daily 7am-9pm.
★
EAST OF THE RIVER
Butterflies Garden
Street 25
T
063 761211,
W
butterfliesofangkor.com; map p.139.
Tranquil garden
café with colourful butterflies (bought from local children
and released every few days) flitting between the tables.
The menu features the usual Khmer ($4-5) and Western
($5-8) mains - the quality's pretty good, although service
can be a bit hit-and-miss.
Daily 8am-11pm.
★
Cuisine Wat Damnak
South of the centre
T
077
347762,
W
cuisinewatdamnak.com; map p.139.
Set in a
romantic traditional Cambodian house and garden, this is
the place to come to experience Khmer cuisine at its finest,
using fresh, local seasonal produce given a fine-dining
makeover by French head chef Joannès Rivière. The five-
and six-course tasting menus ($22/$26) feature all sorts of
local delicacies, memorably prepared and presented
- steamed Mekong langoustine; braised pork shank with
star anise and caramelized palm sugar; chocolate and holy
basil ganache with rice praline; and so on. Reservations
strongly advised.
Tues-Sat 6.30-9.30pm (last orders).
Kanell
7 Makara
T
063 966244,
W
kanellrestaurant
.com; map p.139.
Chilled-out garden restaurant, with
tables set out under thatched pavilions amid lush tropical
greenery and a good selection of Khmer and Western food
(mains $5-8), plus a small pool (free if you spend $5 in the
restaurant).
Daily 9am-10pm.
L'Oasi Italiana
River Rd, east of the river, 2km north
of NR6
T
092 418917,
W
oasiitaliana.com; map p.139.
A fair schlep north of town, but worth it for the excellent
Italian cuisine, with handmade pasta, pizza, meats,
Tangram Garden
South of the centre
T
097
726111,
W
tangramgarden.com; map p.139.
This
relaxed garden restaurant is just a short walk south of
town but feels surprisingly peaceful and rural, especially
after dark. The small but perfectly formed menu (mains
$7-8) features a mix of good-value Western charcoal-
grilled dishes (pork ribs, genuine New Zealand steaks and
so on) alongside traditional Khmer dishes given a modern
twist - tilapia with eggplant and tamarind cream, for
instance, or shrimp kebab with aioli. Good vegetarian
selection, too.
Daily except Tues: mid-Oct to mid-April
11.30am-2.30pm & 5.30-10pm; mid-April to mid-Oct
5.30-10pm.
Viroth's
Wat Bo St
T
012 826346; map p.139.
Upmarket
open-air restaurant serving inventive Asian cuisine,
including lots of pork, fish and seafood dishes, plus
interesting salads and soups - banana blossom salad, sour
squid soup and so on. The green papaya salad and the pork
with lemongrass (
laab
) both come recommended. Mains
$5-6.
Daily 10.30am-2pm & 5.30-10pm.
3
DRINKING
There's a hangover-inducing glut of
places to drink
in Siem Reap. Much of the city's drinking and nightlife is fairly down-
at-heel - epitomized by the raucous, wall-to-wall drinking holes lined up along Pub Street, although more characterful
and laidback bars can also be found here. Booze is cheap (and regular happy hours make things even cheaper) - draught
beer (usually Angkor) is widely available at $1 a glass (sometimes even less) and cocktails usually go for just a few dollars.
It's also worth trying some of the more unusual Asian-style cocktails available at places like
Asana
and
Miss Wong
, as well
as
sombai
(made using rice wine infused with herbs and spices, available at
Asana
, the
New Leaf Book Café
and elsewhere).
Angkor What?
Pub St
T
012 731152; map p.140.
“Promoting irresponsible drinking since 1998”,
Angkor
What?
is the dark heart of the raucous Pub Street scene - a
grungy, gra
ti-covered Black Hole of Siem Reap into which
crazed punters insert themselves nightly in search of cheap
beer, loud music and members of the opposite sex.
Daily
4pm-3am.
★
moreish
sombai
and Asian-style cocktails.
Daily 11am-
midnight or later.
L'Explorateur Bar
Victoria Angkor hotel; map p.139.
Siem Reap's most enjoyable colonial-style bar, and the
perfect place for cocktails or an after-dinner coffee or
digestif
, either in the period-style a/c interior or on the
sultry terrace. Not as pricey as you might expect (beers and
coffee $3, cocktails $7), especially during the daily happy
hour (5-7pm).
Daily 7am-11.30pm.
Island Bar
Angkor Night Market; map p.139.
Relaxed
bar at the heart of the Angkor Night Market - it feels a bit
like sitting inside an enormous bamboo hat. Cheap draught
beer and a pumping soundtrack tick all the right boxes -
order a cocktail (just $3) and the resident mixologists
might even twirl a bottle or two.
Daily 4pm-midnight.
Asana
Between St 7 & The Lane
T
092 987801,
W
asana-cambodia.com; map p.140.
Occupying the last
surviving wooden house in central Siem Reap,
Asana
is
what a traditional Cambodian village house would look like
if you put a chic urban bar inside it. Piles of rice and flour
sacks double as seats upstairs, while downstairs there's a
swinging hammock-bed to lounge in. Slightly above-
average prices, but well worth it, particularly for the
