AsiaLIFE

Where it All Begins

Sothearos starts in style way with Amanjaya Hotel on the riverfront. In high season, the spacious and beautiful rooms start from US$155 per night. The view from the private balcony of each room is either of the river or Wat Ounalom, although the former view is currently disturbed by building work on the riverfront. Downstairs is K West, a brasserie with an international feel, famed for its steaks. Try the king size sirloin (US$25) if you dare. Wash it down with a buy-one-get-one-free happy hour drink between 6pm to 8pm.

Built in 1443 to keep a hair of Buddha, Wat Ounalom is the centre of Cambodian Buddhism and the most important wat in Phnom Penh, as well as one of the capital’s five original wats. Assuming you survive the anarchic traffic in front of it, you can pop inside the compound and hang out with the monks.

The short stretch between Wat Ounalom and Street 178 has a number of silver shops catering to tourists wishing to avoid the throng of the markets. Everything from US$5 earrings to expensive heads of Buddha are on display. Up to You! has a beautiful collection of fair-trade handicrafts made from silk. It also sells silk at US$10 per metre. Products are made by disadvantaged communities and groups in Cambodia.

Bohr’s Books stocks one of the better selections of books in town. Re-printed books cost around US$3, while second-hand ones can have a slightly higher price tag. The Murakami selection is particularly good.  Across the road, Green Pepper is a cosy Khmer and Thai restaurant with most dishes in the US$3 to US$4 range. The décor is a modern take on traditional Khmer, with western style tables on the ground floor, and more traditional floor seating on the mezzanine.

Just along the road is Scuba Nation, a PADI 5 Star National Geographic Dive Centre, as well as the first diving school in Cambodia. For US$440 you can get your PADI license, with some training in pools in Phnom Penh and two liveaboard days on a boat in Sihanoukville. The focus is on teaching diving, meaning if it takes longer than the allotted time, so be it – no extra charge. Advanced courses, day trips and more are also available. The branch of UCare pharmacy at the corner of Street 178 has almost everything you’d expect from a chemist’s back home. A very tempting range of beauty products and make-up – in addition to remedies for most ailments – are sold in a professional and friendly environment.

Back across the road Sentosa Silk sells anything and everything related to silk. Prices are reasonable, the silk is of good quality and there is a very wide selection. Above Sentosa is Corner 33, a WiFi café popular with expats and locals alike. Stylish and comfortable chairs and tables at a good level for typing, as well as air-con are particular advantages. There are four computers too for those without laptops. Bar 33 opens up in the evenings with a 5pm to 8pm happy hour including US$1 Tiger draft.


Around the Palace

Continuing south opposite the park before the Royal Palace are some beautiful colonial buildings. One of them quite fittingly houses Unesco. The most dilapidated building has recently been bought by the FCC group and will open to the public for events during the photography festival. Built in 1866 as an abode for the Kings of Cambodia, the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda still serve that purpose. The expansive grounds and some buildings inside the walled complex are open to the public daily. The park between the river and the palace comes alive in the evenings, with food vendors on one side and aerobics on the tiles. All under the watchful eyes of the royal family.

Renakse Hotel, opposite the palace, is housed in an attractive colonial building with lush surroundings. A feature of the Phnom Penh hotel scene for 20 years, its future has been shrouded in controversy – meaning it might close tomorrow or be open for another two decades. Rooms are from US$40, though their standard does not quite match the handsomeness of the building.

The Cambodia Vietnam Friendship Monument erected in the 1970s dominates the park across the junction with Street 240. The tiles surrounding the monument are so clean you can see your own reflection in them. An interesting memorial can be found at the north end of the park. The small cenotaph commemorates “the heroic demonstrators who lost their lives on 30 March 1997” outside the then National Assembly. The building in question at the corner of Street 240 now seats the Council of Ministers.

The park itself is a pleasant and well-maintained spot. During the day, monks from nearby Wat Botum mill about and during the weekend families flying kites can be spotted, but the space only really comes alive once the sun starts to set. In the evenings crowds gather and the park turns into a playground for locals of all ages. A large section is devoted to badminton players, while young lovers sit flirting on the many benches.

A recent addition is a multi-coloured water fountain show accompanied with music, which draws a crowd every night. Snacks are sold by hawkers mainly at the southern end of the park – the boiled corn is particularly tasty. As the clock ticks on the crowd starts clearing, leaving groups of mainly young unmarried men drinking various strong concoctions until the early hours.


Opposite the Park

You could easily forget your whereabouts as you step into Thury. Hailed by some bloggers as the best value-for-money restaurant in town, Thury has a rather European feel, if you discount the ‘Chicago Blues’ paintings on the walls. Charcoal grilled steaks (from US$8.50) are highly recommended by the management, as is the luxury beef burger (US$4.50).

Japanese Restaurant Origami specialises in tempura, sashimi and sushi, prepared by two Japanese chefs. Opened some seven years ago, the restaurant is one of the better Japanese eateries, with an atmosphere to match the high quality food. Try an origami special (US$10) or go all out with a sashimi boat for five to six people (US$100).

One of only two microbreweries in Phnon Penh, Munich Beer Restaurant sells both stout and amber beer, poured directly from the vats that take over half the restaurant indoors. The stout (US$1.50 per glass, US$3 for a tumbler) is slightly on the watery side, but perfectly drinkable. The amber beer (US$1.10 per glass, US$2.20 for a tumbler) is a nice change from regular Asian beers. That’s as German as the restaurant gets however, as the menu is thoroughly Khmer, specialising in seafood BBQ.

What Mekong Korean Restaurant lacks in atmosphere, it makes up for in food. The menu is short and meat-centred, with prices ranging from US$6. Typical for Korean restaurants ordering one dish means that a range of nibbles find their way to your table, making sure you won’t be hungry. Try the soju, a traditional alcohol (US$4) a bottle.

Just down the road, Bai Thong exudes class to the extent that you might be deterred from entering expecting a pricey menu. While certainly not cheapest, prices are far more reasonable than you think. Dishes at this classy Thai restaurant are in the US$5 to US$7 range, prepared by an authentic Thai chef. The papaya salad (som tam) is highly recommended. At US$2.90, it comes beautifully presented complete with fresh vegetables on the side, and will easily fill a light eater at lunchtime. Bai Thong does set lunches for US$6.50 and Thai food taster sets for US$8 or US$12.90.

Kids World is a piece of heaven for Lego-lovers. The little shop is filled with Lego, with small packs starting at US$10, while boxes with bits that can be assembled into houses, cars, or monsters, sell for US$50 to US$150. Duplos for smaller children are also on sale as are NUK baby products, and there is a children’s play area for some hands on action.

Vietnamese restaurant An Nam is easily one of the cutest eateries in town – decked in pastel colours, down to chopsticks in pink, yellow and purple. Unfortunately the food does not match the décor, especially if you’ve lived in Vietnam for any length of time and are accustomed to genuine Vietnamese fare. It is also on the expensive side with dishes at US$6 to US$7.

South of Sihanouk

Change epitomises Sothearos Boulveard as you head south. In the block by Build Bright University Japanese restaurant Shonan serves quality sushi and sashimi in comfortable and very clean surroundings. Mixed set meals are around US$10 to US$15, while a sashimi set is yours for US$15 to US$40. Pick and choose your own mix of sushi from the a la carte menu, or opt for the special buffet at US$22. Next door is Pho24, of the well-known Vietnamese chain, serving standard meat-based pho for US$2.80.

Pass the slums and you enter Little Korea. At least four Korean restaurants have recently opened there, almost door to door. O Deng Bar is worth a mention for its cool red and black décor, friendly manager and good food. The menu is more varied than at other Korean places, meaning there is less of an emphasis on meat, and the bar has an impressive range of sake to suit all wallets. This is a chilled place for a drink and some nibbles.

Next door is YeonGa, whose Korean chef has 30 years of experience in dishing out very tasty bibimbap (US$6) and bulgogi (US$9), in addition to a range of other dishes. The kimchi is good enough to convert doubters, but the atmosphere could do with being livened up a bit.

Opposite is Chiva Sokha Massage and Spa, complete with chandeliers and a grand staircase. This offers massages of all sorts starting from US$10. The aromatherapy (US$18 per hour) and ayurvedic (US$20 per hour) massages are recommended by management – although staff seem to have little understanding what ‘ayurvedic’ means. The oil massage is a relaxing experience and the masseuse clearly knows what she is doing. Facial treatments are available too.

Safely back across the busy street, The Winking Frog, with its 24/7 opening hours, is finding its feet on the Phnom Penh bar scene. Aiming to satisfy the live music starved capital, bands are on every Friday and Sunday, while Saturdays are devoted to DJ Paul Stewart. Food is served, albeit ‘only’ between 7am and 10pm. The All Day English Breakfast (US$5.50) consisting of eggs, bacon, fried bread, sausage, beans, bubble & squeak, black pudding, toast and jam is particularly impressive. The Norwegian breakfast (US$8) with smoked salmon is another morning treat. WiFi is free.

Almond Hotel, at the far end of the strip, opened recently. With 51 rooms from US$40, a Cantonese restaurant serving affordable dim sum from 7am until 5pm, and both western and Chinese a la carte later in the day, this newcomer has become a hit particularly among smart Asian travellers. Rooms are comfortable and very clean. Free WiFi is throughout the building.