Aha | SIEM REAP

Now, I present... our "AHA"

Trio Starter Plate

Porcini Blini w/ Truffle Mayo & Mushroom Salad

Deep Fried Potato w/ Roasted Garlic Aioli

Grilled Vegetables Terrine w/ Romesco Sauce

Yellow Curry Scented Grouper w/ Cauliflower & Tamarind Jam

Steamed Bar Fish w/ Fresh Rice Noodle, Soy & Ginger

Tuna Tartar w/ Green Mango Dressing & Crispy Sticky Rice

Roasted King Tiger Prawn Spaghetti w/ Sweet Corn & Zucchini Sauce

Aha | SIEM REAP

I'm a little sad that my Cambodia posts are coming to an end! Even though the trip is over, I was re-living it through my blog entries... Aileen and I ate at AHA on my last night in Siem Reap. We took our time, ordered wine, and recapped the trip over our flavorful (Khmer + Western) food. It's owned by the same people as Hotel de la Paix, but AHA is tucked away in one of the main alley's of the old market area, which is just nearby. I'd suggest it as an alternative to eating at the hotel; same quality in food, service and atmosphere. We sat outside of the modern, tapas meets wine bar concept. We learned that AHA is Khmer for "food."

*I've just decided that I will share the restaurant pictures first, and post our dinner in the next entry. Enjoy!

Cafe de la Paix | SIEM REAP

Hotel de la Paix is Siem Reap's most stylish hotel, it offers guests outstanding levels of luxury and world class dining & spa facilities. In Cambodia, who would have thought! For such a fancy hotel, you can still feel the grace and charm of the Khmer people. The property grounds are a feast for the eyes, there's something to look at in every nook and cranny - it is designed very well. After witnessing the sunrise at Angkor Wat, Aileen and I went to Cafe de le Paix for some pastries and coffee. It's the hotel's "gourmet deli for global nomads."

Madame Butterfly | SIEM REAP

Check it :: http://www.madamebutterflyrestaurant.com/

Cooks in TukTuks Pt.2

Here's the cooking part of the class... We learnt that the ancient Khmer Empire spread over Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. These three countries have had great influence in most Cambodian dishes. If you like Thai or Vietnamese food, you will definitely enjoy Khmer cuisine :) Although, most people say that generally Cambodian cooking is not as spicy as Thai. Take a look at what we, Cooks in Tukuks, made!

Hibiscus Tea (not pictured) - refreshing iced drink made from hibiscus flowers

Banana Flower Salad (pictured) - salad of shredded banana blossoms, fresh greens, chicken and flavorful dressing

Amok Trei (pictured) - steamed curried fish made with kroeung curry paste

Sweet Potato, Sago & Coconut (not pictured) - sweet dessert similar to other Asian desserts around the region

Blue Pumpkin | SIEM REAP

After our dinner at Cafe Central, we felt like it was too early to go home [the time was about 11:30ish]. We weren't looking to go out clubbing or drinking, but we did want a reason to hang out before going back to the hotel... This was obviously a no-brainer for me, did I hear DESSERT?! And just like that, we landed at Blue Pumpkin. At the time, I thought we were pretty impressive for scoping out a fun, foodie spot - little did I know, Blue Pumpkin is thee place to go for ice-cream, breads, pastries and that of the sort. They also serve light snacks, sandwiches, coffee/tea and shakes. We saw quite a few outlets planted around the city, even at the departure area of the airport. Anyways, we made the right choice indeed. I had a refreshing passion fruit sorbet and Aileen a creamy coconut scoop.

If you're wondering who our 2 friends are below, I will explain. When we were outside enjoying our sorbets, 2 boys came up to us selling books about Cambodia. We felt bad refusing and repeating ourselves, "Sorry, we don't need the books." Trust me, these boys don't take "No" for an answer. They kept insisting we buy the books and that they were very cheap. The books were cheap -nothing more than $10- it's just that we really didn't need them. Then Aileen offers, "How about instead of buying books, I buy you 2 some ice-cream instead?" The ear to ear grins on their faces said it all. It was so cute, Aileen and the 2 boys went to the counter and she let them choose their dessert. You could tell this was such a big treat for the 2, and just seeing how thrilled they were... Priceless.

Cafe Central | SIEM REAP

Before each New Year, I look back at my journal and write a recap. It usually consists of how I feel about the year coming to a close & a new one beginning, my most memorable moments & significant events and things I was most grateful for. The last part of my entry is dedicated to goals and continuous dreams -if they haven't come true yet!- for the New Year. Each year there's a section about travel, I always want to visit new cities and explore new corners of the world with either J, my family or my bestest friends. Lucky me, 2 weeks into 2012 and I'm already visiting a new city -country, actually!- with my best friend.

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

My trip started off with VIP service, Aileen was at the international airport in a tuk-tuk ready and waiting for my arrival. There's a very comforting feeling being greeted by a familiar face in a sea, and city, of strangers. I spotted my bestie right away and we were off to our hotel in a matter of minutes. We didn't stay long as it was getting a bit late and we didn't want to waste any time... The plan for the night was to feel out the Old Market area and find a restaurant to have dinner at. After walking around, we decided on Cafe Central - a spacious, breezy all day cafe. Their menu has everything from the usual breakfast suspects, coffee -my favorite Illy!-, options for hearty or light lunches, great snackies, cocktails and lots of choices for the dinner crowd. Aileen and I shared a bacon/chicken/broccoli pizza and the mezze platter, both of which we finished with ease ;)