Her name is Khemara, the formal for ‘Khmer’, and when she smiles she does so broadly. Mara, the new Riverside bar which takes its name from hers, is elegant but not to the point of being elitist. Its impossibly charming chief hostess will regale you with tales of life in the provinces while you gorge on standard cocktail-bar fare against a backdrop of standard cocktail-bar decor, pausing every now and then only to remind you to swallow as you listen, open-mouthed. A burger the size of your hand is $6; the espressos pack a powerful, caffeine-gloved punch. Mara, #83 Sisowath Quay.
