Head to Pub Street in the Old Market area, for a taste of nightlife in Siem Reap. A street packed with restaurants and bars, you may find practically all you need along and around this street, from street food, to pharmacies, to massage parlours to souvenir shops and so on. Although busiest at night, it is a popular hang out area for tourists in the day too.
Blue Pumpkin
Blue Pumpkin from the outside with tuk-tuks widely available
Blue Pumpkin located just off Pub Street, at 365 Mondol 1, is a double storey cafe serving asian and western food. The ground level is a bakery where bread and pastries are 50% off after 8pm daily – so we often stop by in the evenings to stock up on light snacks or lunch for the following day. With wifi access, this cafe is a very comfy place to chill out especially on the upper level.
a classic white interior on the upper level with inviting sofas and cool mini tray-like tables ideal for internet surfing and lounging
lunch: (left) pork with glazed pumpkin and sesame seed – not much meat served as part of the dish actually; (right) tonle sap fish
view of the street outside through the window – amidst the electrical wires
lady balancing lotus fruits on the head
young locals cycling by
Khmer Idea Restaurant
In search of Khmer food, we landed ourselves at Khmer Idea Restaurant on one of the nights. I found Khmer food to be like a milder version of a fusion of vietnamese and thai food.
beer is cheaper than water here in Cambodia
cozy ambience
Amok Chicken – this was rather tasty, with a slight resemblance to thai green curry
Soup Dragon
The speciality at Soup Dragon is the Chhnang Dea soup served in a traditional pot made from Kompong Chnnang province. Similar to the steamboat concept, the soup stock is brought to the table and heated over a mini gas burner while we cook our meal ourselves with the ingredients like mushrooms, tofu and noodles. Excellent tender beef slices and beef balls here with a delicious soup base!
the vietnamese-like soup boiling in the earthenware pot
Pub Street at Night
as dark falls
the Red Piano, at the corner of Pub Street, known for its popular cocktail bar and also serves sandwiches and pasta
Nice foods… make me wanna try all those restaurants!
The white theme restaurant looks very nice and must be comfortable to dine-in there. I find the white color concept ID always looks good but of course hard to maintain
So did you went to have beers/liq at any of the pub?
Blue Pumpkin looks modern and comfy. The side sofa is really inviting
The buildings in Pub Street reminds me of Malacca.
Cheers!
mylo
I see lotus fruits! I really miss eating the seeds directly from the pods. I seldom find them here nowadays.
The Blue Pumpkin has a historical look outside but a modern inside. “Beer is cheaper than water” that reminds me the price in Paris as well- A water bottle is about US$6 in Paris ~~
I can’t forget Chicken Amok, that was one of the dishes I enjoyed on a trip to Cambodia some years ago. Siem Reap has a vibe that’s getting more traveler-friendly!
Man I miss Amok!
I believe Khmer Idea is the one besides Khmer Family, that’s where we ate dinner!
Ron
Pumpkin Blue looks great, the mini table is what I want for my house, to be used while working on my laptop in sofa too. Did your try lotus seeds? I tested some in Ipoh, quite delicate.
Those shops look a bit like our colonial shophouses in Malaysia?!
Interesting!
rafael: yea there are quite a few restaurants to try out in the area!
uli: didn’t drink much as i was pretty exhausted by night time and having to wake up very early mornings
autumn belle: not too sure where to get them here – shelyn mentions she had them in ipoh
micki: ahh paris too.
mylo, londoncaller: yea, the exterior of the shophouses look like our heritage houses esp those in malacca & penang
Nomadic Pinoy, Ron: thanks for visiting Nomadic Pinoy! looks like both of you really love the taste of amok!
shelyn: i like the mini table too – coz when i use my laptop it heats up quite fast so it’s better to put it on that little table than on the lap when on sofa. i’ve tried the lotus fruit seeds before in thailand – didn’t buy them in siem reap.
Good Stuff here. I will have to keep checking back for more information and recommend this site to some of friends and business partners.