Khmer Food

Some guide books say Cambodia's cuisine is nothing to write home about. Now, that is completely untrue. A thousand years ago the Khmer Kingdom, which centred on Angkor, ruled an empire that included most of south-east Asia. Hence, many of the Thai and other regional dishes have their roots in Khmer cooking from that time! Time consuming but straight- forward, all in nuances and yet simple to prepare. That is how most chefs describe Cambodian cuisine. The art of Cambodian cooking is not so much in the ingredients as in the way of combining herbs and seasonings. Quite often Cambodian cooking is compared to Thai cooking. Indeed, there are many similarities between the two countries,...

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Posted in: Khmer food

Our Menue

Together with our move to Street 240, we have updated our menu with more signature and traditional Cambodian dishes and international cuisine. E.g. we have added tasty salads and delicious desserts. Here we introduce you to our Khmer menu, international dishes and our specialties. You can download our entire menu as a .pdf-file (521 Kb). We also do deliveries in central Phnom Penh, see our Deliveries page. Cambodian cuisine is finally beginning to win recognition from food lovers for its subtle flavours and its wide range of unique indigenous dishes. Several factors set it apart from neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam. A Cambodian meal will usually include a soup, or samlor, served alongside...

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Ratanakiri

The northeastern corner of Cambodia, or the province of Ratanakiri, is gradually gaining tourist interest and rightfully so! It's abound with lush jungle, rivers and waterfalls. For the exploration of the region, your only choice is the provincial capital Banlung. Not a particularly interesting town with wide dirt roads reminiscent of the American Wild West. But, the surroundings of Banlung are beautiful and worth exploring. See also: Shopping for gems in Ratanakiri, Cambodia Hidden high into the primordial northeastern forests of Ratanakiri are the 12 highland hill-tribe peoples known as the Khmer Loeu - a term coined by King Sihanouk. Practising animism and slash and burn farming, the...

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Posted in: Travelling to Cambodia

Kirirom National Park

Initially established as a holiday resort and tourist city in 1945, the area was named Kirirom namely "Mountain of joy" by the King at the suggestion of a monk from Phnom Penh. A hill of 700m covers an area of 35,000 hectares. Especially interesting is the Chambok Ecotourism site. A large new concrete sign on the right 88 kilometers from Phnom Penh on National Route No. 4 makes finding the turnoff very easy. This beautiful national park area was once a favorite resort for the influential, the powerful and wealthy and a retreat for King Sihanouk himself. There are not many types of larger wildlife in evidence on Kirirom, but it is an ideal spot to glimpse some of the Kingdom's unique birdlife and birdwatchers...

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Posted in: Travelling to Cambodia

Bokor Mountain Kampot

Cambodia is almost completely flat with the exceptions of the south and north east. During the French occupation, the French built a luxury resort town on the very top of one of these mountains called the Bokor Resort. In 2008 work has begun to build a new upscale resort on the top. The road to Bokor Hill therefor is closed, but it's unclear for how long. You can still hike up the mountain though. The road up to this place used to be incredibly bad: bumping and humping all the way. Those times are over, as the first phase in building the new resort is upgrading the road to the top. The views along this road are beautiful. Bokor Mountain is part of the larger Bokor National Park, a thick jungle sprawl of giant...

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Posted in: Travelling to Cambodia

Bamboo Island

Besides boasting a famous name and beautiful white sand beaches there are many wonders of natural beauty hidden in the islands near the coastal town of Sihanoukville. One such island is Koh Russei (Bamboo Island), where picturesque beaches and the fresh sea air soothes tourists souls, sends them into a state of relaxation and melts their cares away. The presence of visitors has created business opportunities for the local people. There are currently two accomodations available: Bimbamboo Bungalows ($10/night) and Koh Ru Bungalows, both set right on the beach. The one and a half hour trip to Koh Russei from Ochheuteal Beach only costs $20 per round trip for groups of one to three guests. Groups of four or more...

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Posted in: Travelling to Cambodia

Southern Cambodia Rabbit Island Kep

Koh Tonsay or Rabbit Island is located about 4.5 Kilometers southwest of Kep. Tourists are drawn to the two beautiful white sand beaches. The sea here is shallow and has a long slope, making Koh Tonsay excellent for swimming. There is no electricity, so at night it is just you, your torch, perhaps a beach bonfire and about a million stars overhead. Ko Tonsay, or Rabbit Island as it is commonly known as, is a lovely and truly idyllic little island that sits offshore from Kep, just thirty minutes away by hired boat. Koh Tonsay is two square kilometers. In the 960's it was used as a place to rehabilitate criminals, who were also used to defend the island. Horse cart paths and wooden, thatch roofed motels were also...

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Pchum Ben Ancestor's Festival Cambodia

Bonn Pchum Ben is the festival held for commemoration of the spirits of the dead. The highlight is on the 15th day of the waxing moon during the tenth month of the Khmer calendar, called Pheaktrobotr. Date in 2010: October 7-8-9 The festival does not just begin and end on one day. In fact, it lasts 15 days, each of which is called a day of Kan Ben. A Ben is an offering. The word of Ben is derived from Sanskrit pinda, or balls of rice to be offered to the souls of the dead. During the first 14 days, people take turns offering food to the monks of their local pagoda in the hope that their offering will reach the souls of their ancestors and friends by virtue of the monks' sermons. ...

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Posted in: events

Khmer New Year

The Khmer New Year is one of the most important holidays in Cambodia. Also celebrated in Thailand and other Buddhist countries, these days are filled with water throwing at passers-by and other games. Many people confuse this with the Water Festival, but then there is no water throwing. For the best atmosphere in Phnom Penh, go to the area around Wat Phnom. There are free concerts at night. The Khmer New Year festival originated from Bramhmanism, a part of Hinduism, which was a religion that Khmer believed in before Buddhism. Later on Buddhism became associated with the festival and then took all the important roles in the festivity. Khmer New Year is celebrated for three days. Dates in 2010: 14-15-16 April ...

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Posted in: events