Before you head up the stairs to the Sugar & Spice Cafe at Daughters of Cambodia, make sure you’re hungry. A ravenous appetite will do nicely.
Sugar & Spice cafe is decked out in green and brown. Check the specials of the day on the board and then sink – literally – into the foam sofa and stools. The menu is totally Western without any hints of Khmer influence. Fancy a hamburger at $6.50? Eggs Benedict come in at $5. If you’re one of those North Americans who think pumpkins are for jack-o-lanterns at Halloween, try the soup for $3. The grilled pepper salad is a healthy choice at $5.50. For a caffeine hit, the short single espresso is $1 and packs a punch. Regular tea costs the same. Smoothies range from $2.50 to $3.25 depending on the flavour of choice. No beer or wine served here.
How anyone makes it to dessert after a meal escapes me, but if you want a cuppa and a sweet in the mid-afternoon there’s no shortage of choice: ooey gooey cakes and puddings and cookies that are bound to appeal to anyone looking for a sugar fix.
The portions are huge, the presentation is creative and the ingredients are fresh. We ordered the fish burger and chicken Caesar wrap to share. Both meals came with enough wedges to have saved Ireland from the potato famine back in 1845. I got through my half of the burger and the wrap, but went down in defeat to the wedges. The sauces – not sure exactly what they were for, so I tried them with everything – made dipping a taste-varying experience. One was like chutney, another like mayo, the third like Dijon mustard.
Besides the great food and relaxed atmosphere, another attraction is that Sugar & Spice is run by former sex workers. According to Breanne Orndorff, the outlet director, they range in age from 16 to their early 30s.The process begins with an interview to establish they were involved in the sex industry. Most worked in karaoke clubs and hostess bars in the red light districts of town.
The programme runs out of the Operations Centre in Stung Meanchey, and includes counselling facilities, a medical clinic and a day care. Girls decide if they would like to be trained in the sewing room, spa, cafe or kitchen. The boys do the silk screening for shirts, bags and ornaments that come out under the Sons of Cambodia label. Recyclable materials are used whenever possible. Don’t forget to stop in at the shop once you’ve sated your appetite for food. There you can fill up on hand-made items from pot holders to earrings and bracelets, safe in the knowledge their creators earned a fair-trade wage.
Sugar & Spice Cafe @ Daughters of Cambodia, #65 Street 178.