AsiaLIFE

“Coffee plunges into the stomach, the mind is aroused, and ideas pour forth like the battalions of the Grand Army on the field of battle,” wrote the august Honor de Balzac over a century ago – sentiments that are familiar to coffee lovers the world over. With strong ‘Vietnamese’ coffee on offer all across town for next to nothing, what do Cambodia’s coffee houses have to offer?

Café Sentiment
A funky new building on the coveted corner of Street 278, even from outside, this place feels right. The well-prepared coffee is rich chocolate brown, with milky versions frothy and textured, and a warm flavour that lacks even a hint of bitterness. There are all the usual choices and a mouthwatering array of pastries appetising enough to make even the most puritanical dieter fall off the wagon. Thick glass walls give the busy street outside the silent, contemplative air needed for an undisturbed perusal of the morning papers, all of which are available to customers. While the slightly eclectic music choices might put some off, a professionally run coffee house with excellent WiFi is sure to become a firm expat favourite.

Canyon Coffee
On first impressions Canyon Coffee has the feel of a polished international chain. Only when customers choke on their stale confectionary, served in a greasy cardboard cup, do the flaws – including uncomfortable, grease stained furniture – become all too apparent. Its location in the lobby of the Paragon Mall gives the place a generic and transitory airport-bland ambience, a feeling exacerbated by an abundance of redundant staff and a serious dearth of customers. The cheap and inoffensive coffee is passable, though it’s very light on flavour, thin and too weak. Smokers are banished to the scorching outside tables. A Clicknet wireless connection is available.

Coffee Maker
A combination of lime-striped wallpaper and vinyl veneer makes for a distinctive ambience. Add in a constant stream of Khmer-language pop music, and you get the impression that Coffee Maker is aimed at the local market – supported by the SUVs parked out front. The coffee is smooth with no bitter aftertaste, and some passable pastries are on offer. The menu has far more hot food available than might be expected, so this is more of a restaurant than a coffee house. Service is good and the prices reasonable. There was no wireless internet at time of going to press.

Mondolkiri Café
Mondolkiri Café is a strange place indeed. A long menu that promises a wealth of coffee choices actually consists of three pages packed with local breakfast favourites – like rice porridge, noodle soup and deep fried bread – and only one type of coffee, with or without sweet milk, hot or iced. There isn’t even any fresh milk. For westerners and Cambodians with taste, the lukewarm syrupy heart-starters that cost a dollar here are much better sampled at a Vietnamese café for less than a quarter of the price. Only an option if you have more money than sense (or taste). There is neither WiFi nor internet access.

“Starbucks”
Subject to mild controversy as to whether the café is an official franchise – it isn’t – the question of authenticity quickly becomes irrelevant upon a visit. For the most part this unofficial outlet selling official Starbucks imported coffee is superior to the real thing. Staff are attentive, polite and helpful. The whole place feels much classier than you’d expect. The reasonably-priced imported coffees, skilfully prepared so as to be indistinguishable from ‘real’ Starbucks, are available in the three sizes familiar to Starbucks’ patrons. The policy of serving in paper cups seems a little out of place, even if they are officially branded. Speedy WiFi and a wealth of other amenities elsewhere at the place make this an ideal hangout for both busy businessmen and laid-back loungers.

T & Coffee World
The original and – according to most Cambodians – still the best. One of the few modern buildings with any originality, the quirky Monivong branch has been serving up hot java to Khmer businessmen and mid-level civil servants for years. Dark nearly to the point of dinginess, with rickety tables and wicker chairs scattered around, this homely spot is light on pretention. Coffees are cheap and locally-sourced, the tall cups steaming a rich, deep aroma that only improves on the tongue. The firm’s long practice has helped them perfect both coffee and service, making for an experience that is both pleasurable and relaxed. Definitely worth a look if you can find a free table amongst the frantic laptop brigade.