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Rob Savage reveals Cambodia's restaurant revolution
and the Pocket Guide's pick of the top 10 openings 
"Pacharan's
reputation is so good that it even sees staff carrying platters
across the park to the nearby Royal Palace."
(1) An interior of hammered copper, stained glass and original
artwork by Asian-based artist Jerry Swaffield; lovely romantic
viewsof Phnom Penh's Royal Palace and the Mekong; and the Spanish
Pacharan liquor theme, all come together to make Pacharan one of the
most popular new restaurants in the capital -- and perhaps the
region as well.
"It's all about Barcelona -- tapas, sharing and passing time with
friends," explains co-founder and president of Cambodia's
long-established Foreign Correspondents Club, Steve Haywood.
The classic tapas -- marinated Catalonian anchovies and savoury
meatballs, for example -- and mains that include roast suckling pig,
draw in a discerning crowd. Reservations are recommended for
dinner.
Andres Arias, former manager for Robert De Niro's Nobu, and
Barcelonan head chef Fernando Ballesteros labour together to make
this as close to an experience of being transported to a summer
evening in the Catalan capital as you could hope to find in Asia.
Pacharan's reputation is so good that it even sees staff carrying
platters across the park to the nearby Royal Palace. |