AsiaLIFE

Ask anyone about training restaurants around the Penh and they immediately think of Friends, for good reason. The international tapas restaurant is lively, colourful and full of good cheer, not to mention delicious food. “We like to use local ingredients, fruits and vegetables that are in season,” explains Gustav Auer, the International Hospitality Business Coordinator for Friends International.  “Nothing canned!” The menu started eight years ago with items that blended local flavours with European favourites. Today is has completely changed, thanks to the students at the restaurant and their willingness to try creative and mouth-watering combinations. Not that they create a culinary masterpiece on day one. It is a long process, which begins with building the trainees’ self-esteem.

Giving a Friendly Hand

“Many of these kids have been physically and mentally abused,” says Gustav. Trainees were all either street kids or in danger of becoming street kids. Friends International supports them during their transition, including providing a social worker. The next aspect of training is hygiene and basic kitchen tasks, such as chopping, preparation work and cleaning. Once this is mastered, the students move to Romdeng, Friends’ sister restaurant on Street 174, to learn fine Cambodian cooking. They then graduate to Friends, where they master international recipes.

Graduates of the programme can be found at restaurants and hotels across Phnom Penh. One of the greatest success stories is a former student who opened the vegan friendly K’Nyay. Gustav scoffs at the idea that students may open a restaurant in competition with Friends. “It is the ultimate accomplishment if a student can get to that level,” he says. More to the point, he sees these establishments as partners to round off the training. “It is great for the students to see this end product. They are more likely to hire our graduates.” This year, Gustav plans to spend more time on projects in Laos and Egypt, so he is leaving the training oversight in the very capable hands of Sao Sokunthy, a seven-year veteran of Friends International.

Sokunthy’s favourites on the Friends’ menu are the zucchini cheddar fritters, crunchy on the outside and creamy-soft on the inside and the grilled fish fillet with salsa verde, which did have a tasty “green sauce,” that was not quite salsa. Still, the fish was succulent and quite enjoyable. Other favourites include the Asian mango coleslaw, which packs a spicy bite only mellowed slightly by the lime and young mango sweetness; the Cambodian chicken curry, with its mild, but lasting flavour; and Khmer spiced fish in banana leaf. As there are many small plates on the menu – best shared by three to four people – you can experiment with many dishes. Don’t discount the specials – these are the students’ masterpieces, and make sure to wash your meal down with a signature frozen drink. The pineapple chilli margarita has a refreshing pop not to be missed.

Café Yejj

Café Yejj is a charming, comfortable café a block east of the Russian Market. Most see this as a nice place to stop after shopping, but their pastas and paninis make Yejj its own destination. Try the apple, brie and basil panini for US$4.25 or the pomelo salad with prawns for a lighter meal that will still leave you satisfied. If you are in the mood for something thicker, dig in to the Moroccan lamb stew, slow cooked and spiced to perfection. You can wash this down with a creamy cold lassi, a frappe or speciality soda. Thought you couldn’t get a cup of Starbucks in Phnom Penh? Think again! Café Yejj proudly serves Starbucks coffee as well as other free trade and organic fruit and vegetables as often as possible. It is part of their socially responsible business model, and that is what sets Café Yejj apart from the other latte joints in town.

Yejj also runs a Hospitality Training Centre, helping to teach underprivileged and vulnerable women a marketable trade. With about 350 students a year, the training courses effect a positive change on many people. Many students go on to work for their sponsoring agencies or in other hospitality organisations in Phnom Penh. According to Operations Manager Darren Marshall, this year the training centre plans to launch M-Ploy, a job placement function to help graduates connect with other reputable businesses. For now, the Café has their pick of trainees, so the service at Yejj is always impeccable.

Hagar the Not-So Horrible

Another hospitality training organisation, Hagar International serves a staggering 85,000 meals per month at 20 different venues around Phnom Penh, helping women who have been abused or exploited. All employees at the restaurant and catering facilities have graduated from their hospitality-training programme. The six-month curriculum starts with job readiness, where trainees learn valuable work skills that enable them to find a job. Next is catering training, with courses such as food management, hygiene, and customer service. Finally, Hagar helps to place these graduates in their own catering facilities or at other hotel and restaurants around the city.

Working with women who have seen their fair share of hard times can be rewarding. Operations manager Frank Woods explains their goal is to employ the “unemployable.” “We try to build them up from where they are,” he says. Open to the public for both lunch and dinner, the restaurant has a complete international menu. Serving everything from fried rice, Korean steak, chicken burritos to club sandwiches, you can find something to fit your mood. Look past the spelling mistakes on the menu and you are in for a delicious treat. The Asian tide bites – don’t expect lobster – will provide you with all the fried goodness you need for US$3.50, though it could have used some additional dipping sauces. Pan-fried sea bass for US$6.50 may be the best deal on the menu, with a deliciously silky butter garlic sauce, the succulent fish is served on a bed of greens. The chef took his time with each item, as all four dishes ordered came out at four distinct times. While the constant refills of cold, clean water were appreciated, the lack of a drink’s menu was puzzling. What the restaurant lacks in ambience (the soundtrack seems to be “Muzak: The Worst of 1983-1987”), it makes up for in taste.

Giving Children a Smile

A bit more off the beaten path is Lotus Blanc, part of Pour un Sourire d’ Enfant (PSE). The French NGO runs a hospitality industry vocational training centre for youth living in the Stung Meanchey dump. The restaurant is located just south of the city dump in a complex that also houses a bakery and educational classrooms. PSE enrols children from 17 years of age on vocational training programmes. The training courses take between 15 months and two years to complete. They focus on six key aspects of the hospitality industry. The restaurant itself is comfortable, and can seat up to 80 people at a time. As long as you can avoid the busloads of French or Italian tourists, you are in for a dining treat. The menu is simple, with a choice of four different starters, five entrées, and four desserts. The whole package comes to US$8 regardless of your selection. Though you can opt out of the dessert, the small portions ensure you will want all three courses.

When AsiaLIFE Guide visited, the simple balsamic vinaigrette salad was the only starter available (we can blame the Italians), but the entrée selections all looked appetising – fried rice with garlic prawns, beef lasagna, seafood kebabs, pad thai, and pork medallions with a cream and mushroom sauce. The food was well prepared. The meats were juicy, sauces were flavourful, but not overpowering, and the presentation was well thought out. With most beers, shots and cocktails at US$1, this may be the cheapest place in town to get sluiced. However, the restaurant remains below the radar since it is only open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday and is a bit difficult to find. Call ahead and they can email you a less-than-helpful map, but if you get close, people in the nearby vicinity are happy to point out the way.

Turning a Deaf Ear

The opportunities for soul food are not limited to Phnom Penh. Opened in 2006 as a place where deaf students in Kampot could hang out, Epic Arts Café offers a unique opportunity for the deaf and disabled community. The café not only employs a number of deaf students, they also offer performance art workshops and deaf and disabled advocacy. They train these employees to work in the restaurant, no easy task for a crew with little restaurant experience.

“We didn’t know what we were doing when we first started,” admits General Manager Hannah Stevens. She says it has been a long road to get to where they are, especially working with waiting staff who use their hands to speak, but changes are afoot at Epic Arts. They have hired a restaurant manager to oversee operations and completed a renovation of their space, so return visitors will have a brand new experience, including free WiFi. The new menu comes complete with pictures on how to sign your order in Khmer sign language. Previously diners had to check a box on the menus to indicate their preferences. So what to order next time you visit Kampot? Hannah raves about the carrot cake and brownies. The menu features a wide selection of baked goods as well as many vegetarian options, including salads and home-made muesli. The bagel with cream cheese and homemade banana jam may be favourite, “Oh, that’s the one!” she exclaims. She claims that visitors who come to Kampot for a quick bite usually end up coming back throughout their visit. “It’s really a lovely atmosphere because of the deaf community that spends time there,” she says.

This year, Epic Arts will start a vocational training programme to train staff as artists and as art workshop facilitators. This opens the door for more employees at the café and helps them extend their art projects as well.

Passionate about Cooking

In well-travelled Siem Reap, Shinta Mani Hotel stands out for its hospitality training centre. Targeting youth from low-income families at risk of joining gangs, prostitution or other vulnerable life styles, the programme hosts about 30 students a year, according to Solomon DeLeon, the director of community based activities. Managers from each section of the hotel do the training, and the students take additional courses in English, customer service and hygiene. “We are looking for students who are eager to learn, but unable to further their own education,” Solomon explains. Students all receive monthly stipend of money and food, so the schooling is not a financial drain on their families. Once the training is finished, graduates stay with Shinta Mani until they can be placed in a quality hospitality job in Siem Reap.

A large part of the training for the hotel focuses on the restaurant. Once noted as the top place to eat in Siem Reap, the chef and staff try to recapture some of that glory. “The chefs cook with passion and love, and it comes out in the flavour of the food,” says Solomon. The menu has superb Khmer choices served alongside  tasty western standbys. The pomelo salad with pork (US$5) is a real treat. The fish amok is one of the better versions of the Khmer classic in town at US$8.50, and you can never go wrong with Australian tenderloin crusted with Kampot pepper for US$15. The wine list is robust, with glasses for US$5 or bottles up to US$85 for special occasions. If you are looking for something a little stronger, try their signature Khmer Martini, made with ginger-infused vodka and lemongrass-infused vermouth.

Many patrons of all these restaurants make the mistake of being less critical because they are training facilities. Gustav from Friends International, would rather see customers be more critical, “otherwise, how will our students learn?” he asks. It is a sentiment echoed by Darren at Café Yejj. “It is important for our workers to learn the process of how expats like to enjoy their meals,” he says. It seems the high standards of the managers are paying off; – the food at all of these establishments is top notch. Gustav puts it simply, “Don’t come out of pity, come because the food is good.” Don’t worry Gustav, as long as the food is good, we’ll keep coming!

Café Yejj 170 Street 450, Tel: 092 600 750