The name Spark & Tawandang Microbrewery makes for a bit of a misnomer. The two copper kettles are smallish, but the dining hall is massive, with VIP balcony seating and a stage built for an orchestra. Once home to the capital’s grandest disco (Spark nightclub), the theatre-sized dome now serves Thai-style microbrews – a lager, a wheat and a dark – and an upmarket menu of Asian-style dishes. The plates are big, with prices to match – prawns and broccoli, $9; deed-fried pork knuckle, $18 – but the food is made for sharing and dishes easily satisfy two or more people. Beers are sold by the litre, from a .3-litre mug ($2.50) to a 3-litre tower ($20). The stage shows run from handsome pop stars singing in the spotlight to elaborately choreographed song-and-dance numbers. Combined with the beer and the food, it’s an experience without rival (at least in Phnom Penh). Spark & Tawandang Microbrewery, corner of Mao Tse Tung Blvd & Street 167.
