Guest User
September 7, 2023
While I had been to Cambodia before The Plague, I hadn't been to Phnom Penh. So when my friend from Siem Reap relocated to the capital, it was only a matter of time. Bill suggested his and his colleagues' local watering hole for the base of operations. Pricing at around 25USD a night was okay on the face of it, with a huge room with sitting area and decent ensuite bathroom. However, it was all a bit "tired" and really needed a decent lick of paint and a solid scrubbing, with water leaks in passageways taking away what little ambience it could muster, being on a road backing onto private accommodations. Having said that, I was on the first floor as requested due to my disability, and the staff were professional and convivial down to the guy taking out the rubbish in the morning. The cleaners, the bar staff, the owner Harry, all smiles and welcoming. Local draught beers are $1 a pint, bottles will set you back $2-4 depending on origin. Spirits from around 3-5. As I live in SEA and having eaten only Thai and Lao food for the last six months, I eschewed the local offerings and, over the few times I ate there, was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the meals. Chicken breast with a carbonara sauce, beef burrito, and a Texas burger, all went down well. The one meal I did have of Cambodian origin left me a little let down as I hadn't had it before and it was a fairly innocuous, bland meal. I'd have been better off with a few tacos and an extra beer! The bar caters for expats as reflected in their bar menu but locals enthusiastically use the pool table, especially for the weekly cash-prize competition. As with all my travels through Cambodia, English is widely spoken. Not surprisingly, I suppose considering the whole place had to be rebuilt from the ground up by the UN and neighbouring countries, and over a third of the country are under the thirty years old! I'll be back for the food, drinks, and atmosphere, but I'll up my accommodation to a four-star establishment with a pool next time.