The cool side of Siem Reap

 

Of course, you can’t miss Angkor Wat. The best time to visit this giant temple is in the early morning, when you can catch the sun reflecting on the moat and before the temperature heats up. Make it to Angkor Wat early enough and you’ll still have time in the same day to visit Bayon Temple, situated in Angkor Thom, where the top tower is home to the 200 smiling faces of Lokesvara. If you don’t mind jostling with 300-500 other tourists, then Phanom Bakheng is the most popular of Siem Reap’s temples for viewing the sunset—but it can be hard to get a good spot with that many people around. Since the UNESCO site opens at 5am, we recommend waiting till the next day and hiking to the top at dawn. Another lesser-known temple worth a visit is Phimeanakas, which was the area’s first royal palace and the only temple built from sandstone above three tiers of laterite rock in the form of a pyramid. Also make the time to visit Banteay Srei, the pink temple, and Ta Phrom. The latter, which was used as a set for 2001’s Tomb Raider, is at its most picturesque in the late afternoon, when golden light shines through the trees and onto the red stone. Also, don’t forget to visit the eight-meter-high Angkor Thom South Gate flanked by stacks of devas and demons.  

 

 

Khmer cuisine is undergoing a fine-dining renaissance. For the hottest table in town, book in at Cuisine Wat Damnak (between Psa Dey Hoy market and Angkor High School, Wat Damnak village, Sala Kamreuk Commune. www.cuisinewatdamnak.com), which recently made it into San Pellegrino’s Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants (see the list at goo.gl/I5v7Cx). The chef, Joannes Riviere, is praised for bringing foraged Cambodian ingredients into a refined setting. You can also find a modern take on traditional Cambodian food at Viroth (Street 24. www.viroth-hotel.com) has win the trust on its fusion Khmer cuisine. If you’re looking for something more classic, head to Sugar Palm (Taphul Rd. www.thesugarpalm.com) for original Khmer cuisine prepared to the pre-civil war recipes of the owner’s grandmother. 

 

 

Siem Reap is catching up with international coffee trends, offering quality coffee in modern settings. The much beloved cafe in town right now is Sister Srey Cafe (200 Pokambor St, Riverside [Old Market area]. www.sistersreycafe.com), which serves an all-day breakfast and lunch menu. Try their smashed avocado on toast with slow-roasted tomatoes and beef burger. The coffee beans are selected from 100-percent organic crops from the northern highlands of Laos and Dalat in Vietnam. On the second floor of the old building, you’ll find a shop dedicated to handmade Cambodian clothes, accessories and bags, with prices ranging from $1.50-56. Also check out Little Red Fox Espresso (593 Hap Guan St. www.thelittleredfoxespresso.com). The Australian owners, David and Adam, select their beans from Chiang Mai, Laos and Cambodia’s main coffee growing region in Rattanakiri Province. Above the cafe, Adam, a former hairstylist in Brisbane, runs a barbershop. Still not got your caffeine fix? Drop by The Hive (631 Phsar Kandal Street, www.fb.com/thehive.siemreap), where you’ll find good coffee, health-centric food, detox juices and a chic interior. For something sweet, we like the newly relocated Gelato Lab (Alley West, www.fb.com/gelatolabsiemreap), both for its coffee, bakery and ice-cream (try the pistachio and chocolate-hazelnut coffee flavors), as well as old-favorite La Boulangerie Cafe (7 Street, Old Market area) for its French-style pastry. 

 

In addition to the Night Market and Old Market, Siem Reap has recently welcomed a new shopping area focusing on art and culture called Kandal Village. Founded about a year ago, this area of Hup Guan Street is populated with local designers. Interesting names to look out for include Sirivan (10 Hup Guan St.), a fashion, accessories and homeware label created by a Paris-trained local, and Trunkh. (642 Hup Guan St. www.trunkh.com), one of Cambodia’s more established lifestyle brands, offering artful homeware, furniture and fashion inspired by Khmer daily life. Also check out Louise Loubatieres (7 Hup Guan St., louiseloubatieres.com), which sells boldly colored textiles and homeware. 

 

The nightlife mecca Pub Street just welcomed the newly renovated Beer Battle House (366 Group 6, Svay Dangkhum Commune), where you’ll find many imported beers on tap as well as live music. Not far from Pub Street, Miss Wong (The Lane. www.misswong.net) allows you to sip some of the best cocktails in town in a nostalgic, 1920s Shanghai-inspired setting. To try your hand at making Khmer cocktails, visit Asana (Street 7, www.asana-cambodia.com), where a US$15 cocktail-making class takes you through the basics of Khmer spirits, local herbs and Sombai, the local infused liquor.

 

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Essentials