Hammock Cafe

There's a bunch of Western style cafes complete with AC and wifi but I also like the local Cambodian style cafes as well. I'm sure what they are called but we call them "hammock cafes" that you can relax in while you have your coke or iced coffee. They're all built over the lake like a deck so you have the beautiful view of the lake as well, although this is dry season so everything was just grass. It's especially a treat when you go there late afternoon and watch the sun set as you lay on your hammock. 



Unfortunately when we went the cloud hung over the skies so we didn't get a good view of the sunset but we still had a good session of Yangtze (my first time!). A British, Canadian, and American playing board games while talking about our home countries over non-alcoholic drinks, that doesn't happen quite often.

The highlight of this session must be that the the headlight broke on my coworker's moped; 3 people on a motorbike the only way we made the 15km ride back home in the dark, our iPhone flashlights came to our rescue. Too bad I couldn't take a picture but it must've been quite a funny sight as we've got many strange looks along the road!

Also, I repeat that this venue is over the lake, which I must warn you of mosquitoes. Only when I got back to my room when I realized I've gotten numerous bites on my buttocks!

Ladies Night

One of the best things about Cambodia is that alcohol is cheap. And I mean dirt cheap. A draft Angkor beer is $0.50 and even in expensive bars a cocktail is under $5. As tourists flock to bars after a long hot day of touring Angkor Wat, it's a lucrative business. 

 

To keep up with the competition, many bars have various events and Happy Hours. In midweek many of the bars have Ladies Night in which we took advantage of at the Sonia Moria Hotel. Alcohol half off until 7pm plus a glass of free sparkling champagne. Can't say no to that!

 

The bar is on the rooftop of the hotel with a jacuzzi on the other side. Plus the staff there are sweet and attentative. Highly recommended for some serious girl talk over a few drinks. It's still low season so it's a shame that there weren't many customers there.

 

 

 

Restaurant Review: Old House Restaurant

To all of you looking forward for me to write about reviews on Siem Reap restaurants, let me warn you that there will not be many so this is quite rare!

 

Currently my food budget is under $5/day (I will have a future post on how I survive). While that is sufficient enough for me to survive here, I'm in a pretty destitute situation. So unfortunately I would not be able to give you much information on the nice places to eat around here (I live off of food stands, semi-home cooked meals, and very local eateries so I am happy to give you an abundance of posts on those!).

Nevertheless when Dring visited me, he kindly offered to take me out to dinner so we went to Old House Restaurant which is an expat and tourist favorite.

 

The food is very reasonably priced but has great service and a nice cozy ambiance. We both ordered the 3-course meal. The course comes with an appetizer, main course, and dessert it's only $6!

 

 

 

The restaurant has a Zen-like t 

Appetizer: Papaya Salad.. my favorite!

 

Main course: Amok and Curry (I think)

The food is fresh and local and the portions are just right. The papaya salad is especially nice with the right amount of spices and herbs.

I don't have any pictures of dessert since we both devoured it and didn't realize it until it was too late. But we had the mango with sticky rice and fried banana and needless to say, they were good as well!


The venue is located just behind Pub Street so it's quiet enough to enjoy the meal, but it's definitely accessible to go out for a few rounds of drinking post-meal ;)

Address: Hospital St, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Phone:+855 12 493 948

Vegetarian Food in Siem Reap

As an ex-vegetarian, I’m always an advocate of non-meat foods but they are pretty had to come by in the non-Western world (with the exception of Taiwan and India). Likewise for Cambodia, it’s still a challenge to find good vegetarian places. But the ones that have sprung up in Siem Reap have been a pleasant surprise.

Since a few people on staff are vegetarian, last week I went out with my coworkers to a local vegetarian favorite, Vit-King. And I can see why! Even us non-vegetarians enjoyed it. 

 

Looks like pork but actually made out of mushroom. Comes with soup too and only 7,000 riel ($1.75!)

I suppose the Asian style tables were too much for the guys..