Shelling Out in Saigon

Luxury travel isn’t just about travelling by private jet/limo or staying in 5* hotels, though that is of course part of it. What’s equally important is enjoying unique, authentic experiences and really getting under the skin of a destination, and seeing things that most tourists miss. That’s why many of our clients like to give expensive upscale restaurants a miss every now & then, and enjoy Asian food the way the locals do – on the street.

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Flour power in the heart of Phnom Penh

When I think of Cambodian dessert, I don’t think of cake.

I think of mango. Or sticky rice. Or fried banana nuggets.

But I’ve recently discovered there’s a huge market in this part of the world for cake.

Here are a couple of stats that may surprise you. One of the larger hotels in Phnom Penh sells about $1,500 worth of cake daily. And Bloom, the wonderful cake store and café, which opened its doors this February on Street 222, sells between 120 and 500 cupcakes every day!

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Review: Top Cat in the Alley

Part diner, part dive bar, joints like Alley Cat simply don’t exist elsewhere in Southeast Asia. The fact that they celebrated their sixth anniversary last year is significant in a town where bars close quicker than a speeding motodop. It’s a cafe with character – and characters. Step forward owner Mark Eastty and lugubrious front man Dallas, responsible for the trademark Top Cat mural and Tex-Mex desert landscape. They give the venue a sense of drama and permanence. The diner booths are wonderfully flexible – the largest can accommodate 10, or two sprawled flat-out at quiet times.

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A Little Latin Spirit in Daunh Penh - The Latin Quarter

It is a striking sign of globalisation that an Englishman can eat South American cuisine in the heart of South East Asia. Yet here in Phnom Penh, you can dine out at The Latin Quarter on a mixture of dishes from all corners of Latin America, prepared by Khmer chefs (albeit under the watchful eye of the restaurant’s Uruguayan manager Diego). The colonial setting, and a heady pick’n’mix of Latin music styles streaming out of the PA system, transport you thousands of miles away, to the far barrios of Buenos Aires, Bogota, Montevideo and Havana.

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