Category: Zeitgeist

D22, the city’s swankiest new sky bar and restaurant, walks the line between class and comfort with effortless Japanese aplomb. To the east, the 22nd-storey bar offers sweeping, temperature-controlled views of the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers; to the north and west, windowed vistas overlook the capital’s expanding urban grid. Drinks are reasonably priced, considering the venue, with wine by the glass starting at $4.50 and cocktails a dollar more. Low-rise floor cushions, plump chairs and abundant pillows give the room a relaxed, homey feel. Model ships, antique typewriters and old books add to the atmosphere. The menu from the adjacent restaurant is spendy, but if the name and interiors are anything to go on (the ‘D’ stands for dining), the food is presumably as nice as the views. D22, Phnom Penh Tower (22nd floor), #445 Monivong Blvd.

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.

Bubbles is not what you expect. Not really. The name conjures ideas of saccharine spaces decorated for aspiring 20-somethings, places with 37 varieties of just-add-water powdered teas. Not this Bubbles (although there’s a jar or two of the powdered stuff laying around if you really want it). This Bubbles specialises in small-batch artisanal teas made from fresh local fruits and Asian spices. The signature cups include tamarind mojito (a not-so-sweet blend made with homemade tamarind syrup), classic ginger, blueberry rose lemongrass and lychee basil lime. Bubbles also does small-scale creamy homemade ice cream, one pan at a time. Try the salted caramel.

Bubbles, #70 Street 113.

 

Soul Tease is the antithesis of manicured Street 240 style. Hidden at the top end of a narrow, black-and-white spiral staircase, the place feels like the accidentally cool apartment of DIY artists who took over the flat next door. A makeshift Buddhist shrine decorates the living room. Secondhand fashions hang from a clothes bar. Outside, a quiet, second-storey terrace peers into the Street 240 treetops as dreamcatchers rock in the afternoon breeze. The shop specialises in home-scale, hand-blended teas and the menu reflects the shop’s carefree style with concoctions such as Zoe’s Pheromone (a mix of Thai tea, ginger, lime, green and chrysanthemum), Bed of Roses (ginger, rose, green, lemongrass and lime) and Emma’s Blood Boiler (turmeric, chilli, lemongrass and ginger). There’s a small vegetarian menu that includes hummus and a short but eclectic smoothie list, too. Teas and smoothies are $2, the food just a dollar or two more. Soul Tease, #55e Street 240.

 

The higher the altitude, the better the wine tastes. It’s something about the breeze, maybe, or the penthouse vibe that comes with relaxing high on a rooftop terrace. Kolab Sor Sky Bar (at the hotel of the same name) sits atop the 11th floor, a wood-and-clay-tile sky garden overlooking the capital’s rapidly changing skyline. A mix of potted plants, small trees and shrubbery stamps a friendly, backyard character on the space. To the east you can just see the Tonle Sap river. A full menu is available from the restaurant downstairs. And the bartender remembers your name.

Kolab Sor Sky Bar, #436 Street 310.

If anything has been forgotten in the capital’s SUV race to high-rise luxury and Gucci handbags, it’s well-crafted beer. German Beer Garden serves up a small slice of Munich with lush trees, long picnic tables and, of course, German brews. The menu is short – just Erdinger and Beck’s at the moment – but quantity is not the appeal. It’s the homemade German sausages, the thin-fried rosemary potatoes and the dark bubbly stuff. German Beer Garden, #28 Street 350.

 

As Phnom Penh reaches for the sky, the once-novel rooftop sky bar is now common enough to merit competition. Nothing quite says ‘stylish luxury’ like a double-sized, 12th-floor jacuzzi with near-panoramic views of the capital. Such is Frangipani Living Art’s defining top-floor feature. That it’s located in the underserved Russian Market district makes it all the better. Cocktails ($4) come in oversized glasses, the house wine ($5.5) is palatable and the breeze and the views and the sunsets are worth toasting. Drinks are half off during happy hour (5-7:30pm), too.

Frangipani Living Arts Hotel, #15 Street 123.

The Mansion – that musty, dusty, derelict French colonial behind the FCC – has for years teased the city with the promise of opening on a full-time basis. As a watering hole, it’s easily one of Southeast Asia’s most distinctive. Pockmarked with history and scarred with Jesus scribbles and other graffiti, the cavernous interiors are haunting, creepy and cool all at the same time. According to the FCC, which bought the building in 2009, the two-storey residence was built by a wealthy trader in the early 20th century. It was guarded by Vietnamese soldiers in the 1980s and then a local brigade of police during the 1990s. Since March, it’s open daily and serving cocktails. Ta-da.

The Mansion, Sothearos Blvd. 

 

In the caffeine-saturated district of BKKI, Artease serves as something of a contrarian. The menu is stacked with teas: bubble, milk, hot, cold and otherwise. From 0% sugar to 100% overdose, teas come in sealed plastic cups or steaming mugs, from Earl Grey to herbal to French rose. Sometimes sweet, sometimes mild — and always best with chewy tapioca bubbles — Artease stews are BKK chai lattes without the pretence. The room is large, with plump chairs and floor-to-ceiling windows, the wifi quick, the air-con Arctic. The café serves a short food menu with sandwiches (ham & cheese, $2.95) and brownies ($1.95), too. And hand-pulled espresso made with Spanish beans. Try the honey espresso on ice ($2.60) for a speedy jolt of sweetness.

Artease, #23 Street 310.

Happy Patch, the sublimely named new eatery on Street 63, defies traditional restaurant categorisation. The food menu centres on Asian staples – congee for breakfast, curries and noodles for lunch. But there’s also steak pies, gourmet sandwiches, fine homemade cakes and a big breakfast with bacon, sausage and hash browns. Each of them for less than a fiver. The coffee is as good as anywhere, too; the room spacious, the service friendly.

Happy Patch, #176 Street 63.