AsiaLIFE

Most visitors to Siem Reap looking for a good night out venture no further than Pub Street, Nicky Hosford reveals that there is life beyond Angkor What!

No matter how you feel about it, it’s impossible to question the success of Pub Street. “Pile ‘em high, and sell ‘em cheap”, a formula applied by many of the establishments, is clearly a crowd pleaser. The robust success of this formula carries the risk of imitation, over-imitation, and the prospect of a homogenous blend of booze, buckets and bedlam – a one town Kao San Road in the making?

Thankfully, that’s not happening, and nowhere is this clearer than on the two lanes to the north and west of Pub Street – The Lane and The Alley West. In the blink of an eye, these two lanes have transformed themselves from dodgy back streets to dynamic hotspots, attractive to visitor and expat alike.

So many new places have opened that we can only give you a galloping gander at what’s on offer. The changes are constant on these mercurial streets, and more are on the way – keep an eye on Alley West in particular.

On the now vibrant Lane, and now in its second year, Miss Wong’s is still as delighting as always. An easy combination of cocktails, class and conversation woos everyone that enters. Alongside Miss Wong, the longer established Silk Garden and Giddy Gecko each continue to provide their own unique laidback ambience.

Just opened next door to Miss Wong is Hiroshi’s Place. As straightforward as the name suggests, this is a simple bar that serves a unique fusion of Japanese and Khmer cuisine, including chicken teriyaki and grilled shrimp with wasabi mayonnaise (both US$5). A new shop, Discovery Shop, offers many of the standard Cambodian made products – handbags, jewellery etc. Of note are the Battambang based Khmer Krafts printed cotton bags.

On the other end of The Lane an abundance of new bars has opened in the last year or so – Rock, For Life, Real. Khmer. Cook, and Missing In Action. It is perhaps a mark of Cambodia’s progress that the concept of the latter seems a little late and out of place. Real.Khmer.Cook offers a typical Khmer menu but, more importantly, really good cocktails, many of which, like the classic mojito and margarita, are only US$1. Must be tried! Next door, the family run For Life makes you feel so at home you’d be forgiven for falling asleep on the sofa.

A hop, skip and a jump away is the newly rebranded Alley West, which is becoming a little bohemia in its own right. Gorgeous fashion, a Spanish style wine bar, everyone’s favourite DVD store, a contemporary café, bling, Bling Bling and possibly the best restaurant in town all share this little lane, which also boasts some of the most attractive architecture in the town centre.

For clothes and bling, we have Wanderlust. Wander to lust and crave over clothes that can change your day. Poetry, where madness reigns, has clothes to move you, jewellery that will make people like you more, and other crazy stuff. And across the way, Bambou Indochine offers pretty floaty tops that make you think of beaches and nice waiters bringing you cocktails.

As we all know, shopping is tiring work, so round it off with a glass of wine at Picasso, alongside a plate of Serrano ham or olives, feta, chorizo, ham or meatballs. All those things that make everyone profoundly jealous of Spaniards. If you need something a little more wholesome, the newly opened Singing Tree Corner, has shakes, juices and grilled sandwiches, cakes and cookies, all suitable for vegans and good karma.

If you’ve been really good, you can go to Samot. The first time I was introduced to Patrick Guerry, someone poked me in the ribs and whispered “that guy’s the best chef in Siem Reap”. I have yet to hear anything to dispute this view. Memories of the delicious meal I ate there still linger.

With so much change, the only thing to be sure of is that these lanes will be different again even between the time of writing and reading. For example, the much awaited Circle Café and Sammaki  – a shop where you can get socially aware coffees and designs – will be open. So get down there and check them out. You never know what else you might see!