Hotel Picks

 

Anise Hotel

Corner of Street 278 and Street 57, Phnom Penh - Tel: (023) 222 522

US $40 to US $60

Crowd: Tourists, frugal consultants who want to save their daily allowances

Go for: Great central location for explorers

Anise is a reasonable hotel located in Phnom Penh's affluent residential district of Boeung Keng Kang, a stone's throw away from the Monument of Independence. Anise stands a the corner of an area popular with tourists, but this does not get overwhelming. Good restaurants and second rate bars abound on Street 258. There are several mini-marts and a supermarket within walking distance. The general decoration is without pretension and avoids the garrulous kitch of nearby competitors. The shower over the water closet of the cheaper rooms is not the greatest but that'll do as you won't need to break the bank for some comfortable nights. Overall Anise makes the cut to our list of hotel picks in Phnom Penh with a comfortable margin. No frills but no headaches either.

 

Bhoddi Tree Arram

#70 Street 244, Phnom Penh. Royal Palace Southern Gate - Tel (023) 211 376

US $60 to US $70

Crowd: A few lost voyagers

Go for: Tasteful tranquility with good vibrations

If you don't care for tasteful yet subdued interior design, or smiling yet discreet staff, then you are probably better off spending less money in one of the many choices of the increasingly crowded boutique hotel segment of Phnom Penh. Set in a quiet and meditative villa, Boddhi Tree Aram has only eight guest rooms but appropriately serene vibrations. Conveniently located in a side street, within easy reach of the bars and restaurants of Street 240, the gardens of the Royal Palace and the Tonle Sap river front promenade, this hotel remains surprisingly sheltered from the humdrum of the city of Phnom Penh. Ah, yes, of course, Aram are also involved in community development projects. The price tag is high but may be accompanied by some good karma. Your stay comes with access to the pool and gym of the Himawari Apartments, lighting fast wifi and delicious breakfast. There is also a full restaurant with a yummy selection of Khmer Spanish fusion food if you are too lazy to walk about.

 

Hotel Le Royal

#92 Rukhak Vithei Daun Penh, Phnom Penh - Tel (023) 981 888

US $150 to US $2000 (two thousand US dollars for Le Royal Suite)

Crowd: Charlie Chaplin, Jackie Kennedy, Colin Powell, corporate tycoons, very rich people, but also people with discount coupons and on package tours

Go for: Luxury and history in style

Le Royal is beyond doubt the grande Dame or grand Monsieur of Phnom Penh. Like any ancient, it has witnessed its share of trends and fads, historical figures, power hungry captains of industries, anxious French writers, and glamorous stars, as well as the more casual modern tourists. “Step into Hotel Le Royal and relive the romance of the Golden Age of Travel”. Inaugurated in 1929 and “sensitively restored” in 1997, the Royal has withstood the test of Phnom Penh’s turbulent history. The service is seriously professional and definitely not relaxed. Staff are polite but will usually not exchange pleasantries with guests. If you are on the pay roll of a big multilateral lending agency and want to splash into luxury while fighting poverty, this is definitely the place in Cambodia. The pool is currently one of the nicest in Phnom Penh, with the exception of the Olympic pool at the National Stadium (that is bigger but does not get cleaned as often). We can only afford the famous Elephant Bar, tucked in the right corner of the hotel as you walk in. From 5 pm to around 8 pm, all cocktails are at reasonable prices given the level of service and the lavish setting. Don’t miss their Singapore Sling which, according to our Gnarfgnarf colleagues from Singapore, tastes just like the cocktail served at the original Raffles Hotel of their home city. Jackie’s favourite was the Femme Fatale which the First Lady sipped in 1967 listening to King Sihanouk’s (then a young prince) latest jazz composition... True to legend, the cocktail glass bearing her lipstick is still there.

 

 

Restaurant Picks

 

Rumchang

Route Nationale 6, about 4km from Chroy Changwa Bridge , Mekong side

Tel (023) 982 504

Price: Average to expensive

Crowd: Families and friends

Go for: Khmer traditional cuisine with an untamed Mekong vista

Rumchang offers a splendid view of the Mekong under the shade of the albizia. Fresh khdam thmor or mud crabs (unfortunate translation, since we actually call them stone crabs) may be stir fried with a sweet sauce, beer and Kampot pepper. You are better off picking your own crab (do ask the waiter for the bigger specimens!). Crab is not a pauper's meal. It takes fishermen hours to hunt down the critters in the mud and sand. Depending on availability, expect to pay at least US $15.00 per kilogram. For US $20.00 per person you can order the following delicious selection: chay yor (fried rolls), sach koh chakak (beef skewers), ban chay (pancakes) and crabs. A big bottle of fresh Angkor beer may help your body adapt to the tropical heat and humidity. Rumchang is famous for its pancakes filled with chicken, pork or shrimp or a combination of any. The cuisine is good, straightforward, and fairly priced for a family Sunday lunch. The restaurant is a pleasant outing a few minutes outside of Phnom Penh beyond the Japanese Friendship Bridge and Cape Changwa. You could combine the restaurant with a morning excursion to the countryside in Kandal Province... or simply go there for a good meal with a nice vista of the Mekong.

 

Romdeng

#74 Street 174, Phnom Penh - Tel (092) 219 565

Price: Average to expensive

Crowd: Families, tourists, Khmer food lovers

Go for: Authentic traditional Khmer cuisine served by former street kids

Romdeng is part of the NGO Mith Samlanh which runs programs to take children off the streets of Phnom Penh, so pigging out on good food at this restaurant is for a good cause. Romdeng teaches kids the basics of cooking and waiting tables for a crowd of cart driving patrons. The service is genuinely friendly and tries hard to please. Talk to the kids as they are eager to practise their English. To our knowledge, the food served here has no equal in any other restaurant in Cambodia. It is exquisite traditional Khmer food without artificial ingredients such as the infamous MSG flavour enhancer. Our parents and grandparents never used any shortcut to good old soup stock. You would have to eat at Cambodian homes for this level of refinement and deliciousness. If you want to go to a Khmer restaurant in Phnom Penh, this should be the one. The beef curry Saraman (mistakenly translated on their menu as Khmer Muslim curry), is on a par with our grandmothers' cooking. Also try the pomelo and mango salads. Forget the fried spiders, it's all for show and nobody really likes them. Sit outside in the garden of this neatly decorated and rehabilitated villa. There is a mini pool where children can play around.

 

K'nyay

#25K Boulevard Suramarit, Street 57, Phnom Penh - Tel (023) 225 225

Price: Cheap to Average

Crowd: People who know

Go for: Calm and quiet vegan, vegetarian and meaty foods

Keh nyai can be translated as "people are talking". Like few other places Gnarfgnarf has seen in his travels around the globe. Refined, elegant, yet simply down to earth and unpretentious. You sit, sipping your fruit smoothie and wait for the food. It may take a while... But the pumpkin and pear salad is a delicious oddity, the soups are nutritious and the desserts classic Khmer. The portions may be vegan bites, but they are filling. Fish amok served in traditional banana leaf cups is also on the menu. It is quiet in this villa that nobody knows about. Ah, we wish word doesn't get out about this hide out, but the travel guidebooks will come soon enough, inevitably. But for now... And soon, as we have done before, you fall asleep on the sofa in the soothing atmosphere of the restaurant at the end of a sunny alley in the heart of Phnom Penh. While the congenial staff discreetly watch over you...

 

 

Music Venue Pick

 

Memphis

#3 Street 118 Phnom Penh. Off Sisowath Quay.

Crowd: Anybody, it doesn't matter.

Go for: Live rock'n roll and blues in an unassuming atmosphere

The Memphis Pub is the home of Bona's band, the friendly French Cambodian owner, singer, guitarist, rocker, composer. The music kicks in at around nine o'clock and never really stops. The notes and songs don't come out of a laptop computer. This is a live band venue where classic cover songs from the 1980s, 1990s and some a lot older are played to an audience of connoisseurs. Bona's is not your average garage band, it rocks people into dancing and shaking. Anybody is welcome. People don't come here to be seen or to pick up a partner for a night. People come because of the music. There isn't any dress code or unfriendly security gorillas. There is no cover charge, although drinks are a little on the expensive side of Phnom Penh. Staff will come to take your order, no matter where you sit or stand. Memphis does get crowded on weekends where the repertoire is composed of crowd pleasing melodies. On week days, you may be lucky enough to be among a handful of patrons listening to blues improvisation.