Dining out – Siem Reap

Dining out in Siem Reap was not something Amethyst and Sapphire did often. They prefer cooking at home, making potjie and having a bbq by the pool unless there is a South African Braai evening and they longing for some South African hospitality. Special occasions would be celebrated at their favourite restaurant the “Red Piano” and then there would be the occasional craving for something they can’t make at home like a good wood fired pizza with loads of cheese.

But this has recently changed…

While doing research on the most popular foods of different countries for their travel lessons, their cravings for different foods went into overdrive!

Patisseries from Paris, Antipasto’s and Pizza in Italy, Mediterranean cuisine in Croatia, Dolmades and Moussaka in Greece, Kushari in Egypt and Tandoori in India, to name but a few. With mouths watering they decided to try and satisfy their taste buds and dine out at some of the more interesting restaurants in Siem Reap.

As dining out is an experience to be shared and enjoyed with friends, they thought it would be a great idea to start a dinner club and get to know their new found friends, while enjoying a meal and some good wine together.

And so the “awesome foursome” as aptly put by Russel, was born.

The “awesome foursome” would visit different restaurants and pubs around Siem Reap and share their dining experiences, and who knows, maybe make the circle bigger.

Arabic food at “The Tajine” in Funky Lane was the first choice (purely because the travel lesson at the time, was Egypt).

Here they enjoyed their first meal of authentic, homely, Arabic cuisine in a typical Arabic setting.

The restaurant was tastefully decorated with a Moroccan feel. Persian carpets covered the wooden floors and there were some low tables with cushions on the floor. But these 4 “fifty somethings” opted for a normal height table and chairs on a small balcony outside. Mostly to avoid “operation lift up” which would be needed to get them up off the floor later. When you over 50 sitting flat on the floor for an extended period of time to eat a meal, is not a pleasurable experience (an extended period of time when you over fifty is probably anything exceeding 5 minutes)!

For starters, the choice was a few traditional Arabic dips like hummus and baba ghanoush with falafel and pita breads. The main was chicken and minced beef and eggplant tanjine.

A tagine, also spelled “tajine,” is a traditional North African ceramic or clay pot with a round base and low sides. It has a cone-shaped cover which traps the steam during the cooking process. This steam then returns as liquid back into the clay pot, resulting in a moist dish with concentrated flavors. Earthen ware pots have been used for centuries and there are different variations of this kind of cooking pot, in cultures all around the world.

Although the flavour of the food was good, it lacked a bit of spice and unfortunately due to COVID and lack of tourists, the menu was very limited for choice and the restaurant lacked atmosphere.

The meal was satisfactory, the conversation was good and there was a bit of excitement in the form of a cat that jumped onto the roof above them, almost resulting in heart failure all round, thinking that the balcony was about to collapse due to their joint weight!

Sufficient fans or air con would have also made the dining experience more pleasurable. So after enjoying their Arabian feast, dripping with sweat from all pores, they were more than ready to leave and go for a slow stroll into town in the cooler night air.

After walking through a very quiet night market, they found themselves walking down an alleyway adorned with umbrellas and into a bar called Picasso. There they enjoyed a few drinks prepared by Christian, one of the top barmen in Siem Reap.

Chatting to people at the bar, they struck up a conversation with an Indian gentleman from Singapore who owns an Indian restaurant in Siem Reap. So it was jointly decided that Dakshin’s Indian Restaurant, near Pub Street, would be next on the dining out list.

After a few Long Islands, Cuba Libres, Margaritas and Lourenza’s regular coke (not the snorting kind), it was time to call it a night.

The following week, Dakshin’s, the star of Siem Reap’s Indian restaurants, did not disappoint. They serve delicious, freshly cooked food from both North & South India.

Our diners were greeted by the owner, Mr. Pannirselvam, who assured them that he uses only the best quality spices, all imported from India. His wife runs the kitchen, (which is sectioned off with glass) and diners are welcome to watch the friendly chefs lovingly prepare their food.

After enjoying a smooth South African pinotage with a starter of lamb samosas and Indian spiced chick pea cakes, accompanied with a variety of dips, they were eager to continue with this spicy passage into Indian cuisine.

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What followed was a taste delight of butter chicken, lamb vindaloo, lamb rogan josh, jasmine and saffron rice and butter garlic naan bread that had their taste buds singing.

The restaurant was very comfortable, the food exceptional and the service, exemplary. Dakshin’s Indian Restaurant has definitely not seen the last of our diners as there is an extensive menu of Southern and Northern Indian dishes waiting to be sampled.

While enjoying their meal, they could hear the beckoning sounds of music coming from an alleyway behind the restaurant. So feeling very satisfied, with full bellies, they followed the Pied Piper sounds and found themselves at a pub called “The Silk Garden”.

While enjoying some very interesting cocktails, Lourenza (slowly sipping her regular coke), played DJ and touched all their hearts with music from some South African favourites like Johny Clegg and Mango Grove. Then the ladies took to the dance floor (like so many currently around the world) to the sound of “Jerusalema”. (If only they knew the steps LOL).

Lourenza’s DJ skills continued until after midnight while the other mischievous 3, made their way through the cocktail menu while singing, drumming and air guitaring to some oldie favourites.

Not even a heavy tropical downpour could dampen the mood of the jovial four, who just moved their table out of the rain and continued their karaoke-ing. It was after midnight when they finally decided to get their pickled pumpkin-ed asses home.

The next dining out experience, will be at Aroma on Sok San Road, which is famous for their doner kebabs and Mediterranean cuisine.

Our diners look forward to sharing their dining experiences with you and if you are from out of town and you are ever in Siem Reap, they would love to join you on a culinary experience.

So until then, Bon Appetit!